Sorry, Jeremy King – Instagram is the only reason I go to restaurants anymore

Taking photos at the table may irritate traditionalists like The Ivy restaurateur, who has likened influencers to an ‘influenza-like outbreak’. But without social media, many restaurants would be emptier – and diners less adventurous, says Esme Gordon Craig

The Ivy restaurateur Jeremy King said he’s fed up with influencers in his restaurant ruining the dining-out experience for ‘bona fide guests’ (Getty)

Everyone loves to hate influencers. They’re the ideal victims for societal critics – digital sitting ducks presenting themselves to the world just waiting, if not asking, to be scorned. Yesterday, we witnessed the latest attempt to publicly mock them and everything they stand for, courtesy of The Ivy restaurateur Jeremy King.

Writing in The Standard, King declared that he is fed up with influencers overrunning his restaurant. The influx of cameras, he argued, threatens to ruin the dining-out experience for “bona fide guests”, going so far as to liken the rise of influencers to an “influenza-like outbreak”.

I couldn’t disagree more. Unlike King, I’m yet to equate my experiences with influencers to a nasty, highly contagious respiratory infection. In fact, my encounters – online and in real life – have been not only enjoyable but genuinely beneficial.

At 24, I belong to a generation renowned for its love of doomscrolling – happily spending hours consuming video after video, caring less about substance and more about whether something can grip our attention for 30 seconds. But to suggest that the pleasure I gain from online content is purely short-lived would be wrong.

Because of influencers’ online presence, I’ve discovered my favourite restaurants and dishes I would never otherwise have chosen. Sometimes it’s accidental: I see a post and, before long, I’m sipping the same matcha cocktail and ordering the identical appetiser. More often, though, it’s deliberate – I use Instagram as a tool to shape not only my weekends but also my tastebuds.

Top tables: restaurateur Jeremy King at the Wolseley (Rex Features)

The culture influencers cultivate invites participation. That may irritate those who view wannabe creators as an infectious by-product of the original trend, but it’s empowering for anyone who fancies trying their hand at restaurant criticism. Several of my friends are attempting to build platforms of their own – it’s now normal to have a few aspiring influencers in any friendship group. Some succeed more than others, but each is pursuing a passion, whether food or fashion, producing a steady stream of content I’m more than happy to consume. It’s simple fun: sharing experiences with friends and experimenting in an online world that now sits alongside the real one.

It’s easy to dismiss influencers as vain and accuse them of promoting a restaurant culture that prizes photography over manners. (I couldn’t help laughing at an anti-influencer food tour that was, ironically, advertised on Instagram.) But their work should be viewed as vital to Britain’s struggling hospitality industry, not harmful to it. They can turn empty dining rooms into fully booked hotspots, drawing customers keen to try something new.

Without them, I’d stick to the same local haunts or retreat to the safety of a chain. Instead, I venture out. It’s true that some influencers forget their manners. But after five years working as a waitress, I can say with confidence that someone photographing their plate ranks very low on the list of difficult customers.

Yes, it’s cringe to see a flat-bread with anchovies go viral and immediately reserve a table at the restaurant in question. But does it matter how I found it? What matters is that I’m there – supporting the business, enjoying the food and appreciating the chefs who conceived and cooked the menu.

Do I mind others taking photos while I eat? Not at all. If it weren’t for those photos, I wouldn’t be there myself. So post till your heart and stomach’s content. And given that Jeremy King has yet to ban photography and influencers from his restaurants, even after his pointed critique, perhaps he knows that too.