For some diners, a meal out cannot start without first snapping a photo for social media. This trend has forced many UK restaurants to rethink their menus, interiors, and even their approach to service, with some chefs warning that style is increasingly being prioritised over substance.
Teddy Robinson, creative director for London café-bar chain Grind, has spent five years making the company as 'Instagramable' as possible. 'Before Instagram, the only way you'd see what a restaurant's food looked like would be by looking at their own photos... but now it's often how you're introduced to a restaurant,' he said. Last year, Grind replaced every table with white marble specifically because it looks good on Instagram.
Lifestyle blogger Angie Silver noted the rise of dishes created for social media: 'Bright colours, unusual and unique dishes work well hence the rise of rainbow bagels, freak shakes and unicorn ice-cream.' Some venues have taken this further, such as the Tea Terrace on Oxford Street offering a 'Selfieccino' – a cappuccino imprinted with the drinker's face. Director Ehab Shouly said millennials form more than 50% of their customer base and 'we have to give them what they want'.
However, not all chefs are embracing the trend. James Lowe, head chef and owner of Lyle's in east London, warned: 'There is a growing number of people who will judge food based solely on a photo... It's led to chefs doing what I call 'cooking for pictures' – where someone will put a dish together without any concern for whether it actually tastes good.' Darren Yates, who runs Japanese deli Auradaz in Leamington Spa, has banned mobile phones in his restaurant, calling the habit of using devices at the table 'rude'.
Interiors also play a role, with Coppa Club near Tower Bridge reporting huge success from its 'dine in an igloo' concept, which quickly filled bookings. Brand manager Lucy Watson said Instagram forces businesses 'to be more original'. Meanwhile, the Fox Under The Hill pub in Shooters Hill offers 'glitter gravy' for Christmas dinner, developed for 'Generation Instagram'.
