’GRAM DUNK
City chefs are tapping socialmedia gurus for Insta dishes that go viral
D ON’T feel too sheepish about hovering over your brunch plate for that perfect aerial shot: Behind the scenes, your dishes are being engineered for Instagram appeal.
“Chefs have always paid attention to how their food looks in person. Now, they’re paying attention to how it photographs,” says Bret Thorn, senior food editor at Nation’s Restaurant News. And their livelihoods may depend on it: New market research suggests that restaurant foot traffic is increasingly fueled by social-media buzz.
For that, chefs and proprietors turn to Dillon Burke.
The 27-year-old co-founder of digital content studio Front of House specializes in masterminding restaurants’ Instagram strategies. Odds are you’ve nibbled or zoomed in longingly on his work: His firm has helped birthday-cake croissants go viral, brought boozy popsicles to Meatpacking District rooftops and made a star of bougie bodega Clover Grocery.
“We prioritize restaurants’ Instagrams over all other platforms because we believe it drives the most business,” says the Lower East Side resident. And while Burke’s clients have final say over their menus, many are giving his team
By REBECCA SANTIAGO
long leashes to art-direct their dishes — and even devise recipes.
While he declined to reveal his fees, he says they are on par with what p.r. agencies charge restaurants. Industry insiders say arrangements typically start at $5,000 per month.
Some worry that the focus on ’grammability comes with culinary compromises.
As an example, Thorn points to the rise of trendy ingredients such as blue algae, a not-too-tasty, addin that turns drinks turquoise.
“Same with activated charcoal, which turns food black,” he says with scorn. “I don’t think that would have been popular without Instagram.”
And don’t get him started on edible gold leaf, an Insta darling: “It tastes like poop,” Thorn says.
Burke, a food photographer himself with a degree in restaurant management, concedes that Instagramfriendly fare doesn’t always translate to an optimal dining experience. “No one’s really going to eat nine cheeseburgers stacked on top of each other,” he says.
So he strives for a happy balance. Here are just a few examples of how his “do it for the ’gram” strategy has transformed some of New York’s hottest bites and beverages.