{"id":42314,"date":"2026-10-04T04:51:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T04:51:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/42314\/"},"modified":"2026-10-04T04:51:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T04:51:36","slug":"restaurants-are-paying-influencers-for-promotional-posts-how-messy-can-it-get","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/42314\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurants are paying influencers for promotional posts. How messy can it get?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It started with $500 and a comped meal at Hollywood Thai.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what the family-run Thai Town restaurant paid an influencer in exchange for a single social media post. When that post didn\u2019t immediately materialize, the owners aired their frustrations on Instagram. The internet responded, roiling with online comments that publicly called out the influencer, who has more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram. <\/p>\n

There are few rules of engagement when family-run restaurants hire social media personalities to post about them. A recent spate of clashes involving influencers and small businesses highlights the messiness and pitfalls of trying to survive in a fraught restaurant industry with little revenue to spare while navigating the hyper-saturated attention economy. <\/p>\n

Some restaurateurs say social media influencers help spread the word and provide valuable marketing; others say it\u2019s hard to tell whether their posts result in new customers at all.<\/p>\n

\"Saut\u00e9ed <\/p>\n

Saut\u00e9ed clams with Thai basil and chili sauce, left, with pad Thai Sukhothai and Thai iced tea at Hollywood Thai.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

In recent months, some paying restaurants in Los Angeles say they have been professionally \u201cghosted\u201d and the fallout has resulted in deleted accounts, threats from a purported lawyer, allegations of purchased followers, and countless harassing comments left on creators\u2019 accounts.<\/p>\n

For a few years, Mahidol \u201cJoe\u201d Pimpa\u2019s Hollywood Thai restaurant felt busy, with Thai tourists and other restaurant owners stopping by for satay, curries and specialties such as pad Thai Sukhothai. But since the pandemic, business has slowed to a trickle. In late 2025 the restaurateur hired a part-time social media manager and began working with influencers in exchange for food. In January, they collaborated with influencer Christian Garcia for a payment of $500 and nearly $100 of food. Garcia did not post until April 3 following online pile-ons by commenters and other influencers.<\/p>\n

Garcia said that during his visit, Pimpa told him to take his time in posting the video, including up to \u201ca couple months.\u201d Pimpa denied ever having told Garcia this. <\/p>\n

\u201cTaking advantage of any business really is not great, but a small, family-owned business?\u201d said Hollywood Thai social media manager Grace Lee, who coordinated the deal. \u201cIt\u2019s so low, to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia said the ordeal was a misunderstanding and that the restaurant has defamed him. He says he is now involving his attorney but declined to discuss the matter further.<\/p>\n

In messages reviewed by The Times, Garcia told Hollywood Thai that his video editor was delayed in finalizing the reel. Then he stopped responding for weeks. \u201cThis got very messy for no reason,\u201d said Garcia. <\/p>\n

\"Social <\/p>\n

Influener Christian Garcia in 2022. He said the situation with Hollywood Thai \u201cgot very messy for no reason.\u201d <\/p>\n

(Paul Archuleta \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Garcia, who has posted restaurant reviews and other content for roughly one-and-a-half years, said he got into the food-influencer trade after learning some influencers can make between $500 and $1,000 for a single post. He said that he did not reach out to Hollywood Thai himself but that it was his own social media manager with access to his account requesting $575 to post one Instagram reel. Pimpa\u2019s social media manager countered with $500 plus comped food and drink that totaled roughly $90.<\/p>\n

Lee said that since Hollywood Thai began working with influencers, the owners typically have not paid for posts but instead comp four or five dishes of the influencer\u2019s choosing. They made an exception for Garcia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI took a look at his page,\u201d Lee said. \u201cI should have looked further into the engagement.\u201d A community note on Garcia\u2019s Hollywood Thai post challenged the source of his followers. Garcia denied buying followers or engagement. \u201cI\u2019m not gonna go on my social media and make myself a story,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cI believe in \u2018you reap what you sow,\u2019 and everything comes to light. \u201d<\/p>\n

Prisma Varela, Garcia\u2019s videographer of more than one year, attended the shoot and confirmed that Pimpa said there was no rush to post. She said she has attended more than 50 food shoots with the influencer, and none have resulted in backlash or unhappiness like this.<\/p>\n

After months of nudging from Hollywood Thai and recent posts calling for accountability \u2014 including some by prominent social media figures such as @DaadiSnacks and @etchaskej, the latter of whom tracked allegations of discrimination at local chain Great White last year \u2014 Garcia posted a video. <\/p>\n

Pimpa said the restaurant is changing its policy, going forward. \u201cI\u2019m not gonna pay anybody to come in like that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garcia and Varela are also changing their practices, requiring signed contracts before they visit and film an establishment.<\/p>\n

Garcia said that his restaurant collaborations and other partnerships have since slowed down. The content creator received hateful comments and messages after the Hollywood Thai dispute, including some targeting his weight and race. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf people look at it like, \u2018Oh, this guy scammed a local business,\u2019 of course that\u2019s messed up,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the thing is, I delivered and I apologized. … Hollywood Thai doesn\u2019t want to show those things. They want to play victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An <\/p>\n

Hollywood Thai has seen a slight uptick in business lately, says its owner, Mahidol \u201cJoe\u201d Pimpa.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The public outpouring for Hollywood Thai was loud. Pimpa said he has seen a slight bump in business but is unsure whether he can credit it to the newfound online support. Pimpa said he never received an apology from Garcia, but that other L.A. restaurateurs reached out to sympathize.<\/p>\n

Relentless Brewing and Spirits in Eagle Rock was one of them. Co-owner Doris Hess also recently shared her story online. <\/p>\n

On June 1, 2025, influencer and rapper Richard Lee, or Bap Ross (@yox_rick), received a party for his friend\u2019s birthday at Relentless in exchange for a social media video. Hess said she requested posting the video before June 12, 2025, for her business\u2019 six-year anniversary. Lee didn\u2019t post until April 2026. <\/p>\n

Hess said she provided $800 of food and drink, plus $400 later paid by her social media manager.<\/p>\n

Weeks went by without Lee posting a video on Relentless, but Hess said Lee explained that he wanted to wait to post until after No Kings Day. When nudged again, Lee said he was traveling and a family member had recently died. Then, Hess said he stopped responding. Throughout the year, Hess kept seeing his posts about other restaurants but never her own. <\/p>\n

\u201cI did one last Instagram message to him like, \u2018This is really not cool. We\u2019re both Korean. How could you do that to a female small-business owner?\u2019 \u201d she said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t look like it went through, so it looked like he\u2019d blocked us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

When Hess saw Hollywood Thai\u2019s turmoil, she felt she needed to speak up online. Followers and content creator Ed Choi shared Hess\u2019 story, and on April 22, Lee posted an apology video and refunded Relentless Brewing $1,500.<\/p>\n

\u201cI [messed] up, especially in this line of work where people trust you with their business, they trust you with their time, their money, I took full advantage,\u201d Lee said in the video, adding, \u201cI got overpromised [sic], I got overwhelmed and I failed to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day he posted the video of his 2025 visit to Relentless Brewing and called the business \u201can absolute gem.\u201d The restaurant\u2019s account commented on the post, thanking him \u201cfor making it right.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOverall, would I not have influencers come in again? No,\u201d said Hess. \u201cI definitely will invite influencers to come in. Will I pay them large sums of money? … No, absolutely not.\u201d <\/p>\n

Another flashpoint occurred when an Echo Park restaurant called out a pair of influencer twin sisters Sarah and Leah Marie Talabi. <\/p>\n

\"Curried <\/p>\n

Curried cauliflower, left, with vegan \u201cchar siu\u201d monkey buns at plant-based Chinese restaurant Men & Beasts in Echo Park. <\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Earlier this year Leah Marie Talabi messaged Echo Park restaurant and teahouse Men & Beasts, which serves plant-based Chinese cuisine. In exchange for posts, owners Alex Falco and Minty Zhu agreed to provide a meal for Talabi and her sister. <\/p>\n

Falco said he ended up providing six people with one drink, one appetizer, one entr\u00e9e and one dessert each in exchange for one Instagram reel, one TikTok and one Instagram story mention. Talabi listed the names of additional food influencers and food publications, including Food Journal Magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone will post!\u201d Leah Marie Talabi wrote in a message to the restaurant.<\/p>\n

The meal\u2019s total came to just under $500. On a slow night Men & Beasts might generate $2,000 or $2,500 in sales, so the owners said they felt the financial impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor $500 of that to be gone to an influencer who didn\u2019t come through with the content she promised is a big, big blow,\u201d Falco said.<\/p>\n

Falco said Talabi immediately posted about the meal to her Instagram stories, which disappeared after 24 hours, but never posted a reel, photo or TikTok, which are more permanent. A few days after the meal, the restaurant reached out to her about her promised posts; they continued for weeks, but in messages reviewed by The Times, she viewed their messages but never responded.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started reaching out to these other accounts that she mentioned were coming with her,\u201d Falco said. When Falco and Zhu messaged Food Journal Magazine\u2019s Instagram account to inquire about the posts, a representative responded that no one from the organization had attended the dinner.<\/p>\n

\"An <\/p>\n

Plant-based Chinese restaurant Men & Beasts in Echo Park.<\/p>\n

(Stephanie Breijo \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Men & Beasts posted about the experience, and others on social media began to call out Talabi. <\/p>\n

DaadiSnacks posted videos regarding the Talabi twins, including one detailing a cease and desist he received via email from a lawyer that he says doesn\u2019t exist. The creator behind the DaadiSnacks account, who does not reveal his full name, told The Times he is in communication with the State Bar of California regarding the email and would not comment further. <\/p>\n

The Talabi twins didn\u2019t respond to questions regarding the lawyer but said in an email that they would prefer to use their platform \u201cnot to engage in false TikTok gossip, but instead to highlight small business owners and the hardworking people behind them, Men & Beasts being one of the best examples of that.\u201d They added that they appreciate co-owner Zhu, the restaurant\u2019s tea program and its plant-based cuisine.<\/p>\n

Following public backlash Leah Marie Talabi made her Instagram account private, then temporarily deleted it, though the sisters\u2019 joint account on TikTok still posts regularly. Falco said they never responded to the restaurant.<\/p>\n

Despite all of this, Falco said Men & Beasts will continue to work with influencers because, especially for independent businesses, it\u2019s difficult to reach new audiences without a large marketing budget. Staff regularly ask customers how they heard of the restaurant, and according to Falco, four of five times they\u2019ll have seen it in a social media post \u2014 almost always made by a diner or content creator.<\/p>\n

After their incident with Talabi, they\u2019ve slowed the cadence of their collaborations and are more discerning about who they work with, but fully expect to hire influencers for marketing in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t work with influencers,\u201d Falco said, \u201cthen our options for reaching new customers are pretty limited.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It started with $500 and a comped meal at Hollywood Thai. That\u2019s what the family-run Thai Town restaurant paid an influencer in exchange for a single social media post. When that post didn\u2019t immediately materialize, the owners aired their frustrations on Instagram. The internet responded, roiling with online comments that publicly called out the influencer,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42315,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[93,2064,34103,34096,34100,34097,5962,8689,2348,4301,4299,4302,4300,34104,34099,34098,160,34102,34101,2245],"class_list":["post-42314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-louisiana","tag-business","tag-exchange","tag-follower","tag-garcia","tag-hess","tag-hollywood-thai","tag-influencer","tag-lee","tag-louisiana","tag-louisiana-dining","tag-louisiana-food","tag-louisiana-grocery-stores","tag-louisiana-restaurants","tag-message","tag-pimpa","tag-promotional-post","tag-restaurant","tag-social-medium-personality","tag-talabi","tag-video"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117380847011210046","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}