Future foodies: How to influence the most influential foodie generation

As true ‘digital natives’, generation Z are quick to post about exciting new eateries, so it makes sense to think about how your restaurant and meals present. “This social native generation really appreciate the aesthetic of places because [they see it as] a reflection of their own personal brand,” Fell says.

“Brands get the benefit of Gen Z sharing their food experiences – it’s almost like free promotion when they come in and take photos of the menu and the food and the experience and post it online.”

The beauty of gen Z is that they don’t necessarily require a squeaky clean renovation to consider a restaurant cool. “They like authentic places that are a bit grungy or boutique – if something’s too polished or too perfect, they actually don’t like that,” Fell says. “Gen Z are responding to places that are true to themselves and have something unique, even if they’re not too fancy or expensive.”

Beyond unheard-of flavour combos, generation Z love the stories behind what they’re eating, which they usually discover on TikTok and Instagram. “Chefs must attain an influencer-level presence which allows them to be perceived as more approachable, adding more credibility to their affiliated restaurants,” says Joanne Limoanco-Gendrano, Unilever Food Services chef.

Thankfully creating regular content doesn’t need to be laborious – in fact, social media coach Carmen Braidwood has shared some incredible advice in our Social media #101: What, when and where to post InSeason article.

Mid-week specials can be a great way of luring this more-available demographic. “They might not have family responsibilities and have a little bit more time,” Agoulian points out.

“I’m a Millennial and it’s going to take me much longer to get to a restaurant [I’ve heard about] than a gen Z.”

Paying foodie influencers or offering them a contra meal can be another way of getting great messaging about your venue into this generation’s social media feeds. Agoulian says influencers typically charge anywhere from $600 to $8000 to create content, and restaurants that Lick Your Phone (who have 492k Instagram followers) have worked with have seen extraordinary results.

“Influencer marketing is like word-of-mouth referrals, except it’s not one-to-one, it’s one to thousands,” Agoulian says. “Tokyo Taco came to us when they were expanding into multiple locations and they saw a 40 percent increase in sales in a month and Brooklyn Bridge Deli engaged us when they were expanding their venue and now they say, ‘Every day is Saturday’.”