Influencers shine light on local restaurants
They arrived with the tools of their trade at Elsewhere Garden Bar & Kitchen, an outdoor eatery on the River Walk.
Alan Williams gripped his 35-millimeter camera, and Susie Lafredo held her cellphone at arm’s length. Their job was to capture images of tasty meals from the bar’s menu to post online to their food-enthusiast audience.
Elsewhere’s co-owner Terrin Fuhrmann carried four selections to their outside table: parmesan Brussels sprouts, mushroom patty melt (a customer favorite), garlic parmesan fries and chicken tenders with ranch sauce.
Beneath pink and white plastic blooms that dangled from the steel roof, they tasted each dish. They lined up still shots. They took videos of the dishes from different angles with the bar’s decor as a backdrop. Two foliage-shaped giraffes book-ended with large, white block letters that spelled “Be Kind.”
Lafredo zoomed in as Williams showed the “great pulliness” of melted cheese inside diagonally cut toasted bread. Two ducks, Madison and Drake, waddled around diners. The feathered, frequent flyers are among regulars at the beer garden near Broadway and Maverick Park.
“We’ve become a staple on the River Walk for the past four years,” Fuhrmann said. “So, the more people who know we’re here, especially from other parts of town and not just immediate neighbors, is always great.”
Williams and Lafredo co-host and own San Antonio Restaurants Facebook group that spotlights local chefs, bars and restaurants. They share the page with 213,000 followers out of “love for the diverse culture of restaurants in South Texas.”
Williams and his wife Beverly started the page 10 years ago as a hobby. Around 47,000 “foodies” joined the page during the pandemic. Their platforms — Instagram, sister groups, and Tiktok — have drawn more than 260,000 followers across Texas, the United States and the globe.
“Eating food is an equalizer,” said Williams, who retired from the San Antonio Water System after 30 years. “Everyone wants to talk about food. We’re fortunate to be in San Antonio to have so many places to eat.”
Two and a half years ago, Lafredo, a former marketing director in Chicago, was at a local restaurant with a client when she met Williams. After he gave her his card, she noticed a familiar link. Lafredo had used the site as a resource for restaurant clients to expose businesses to foodie followers.
“I knew we could work together and push the group to have a bigger impact in the community,” she said.
The page has nine rules, including “stay positive and be kind,” “be respectful,” “no bullying,” “no profanity,” and “no politics.”
“This should be a fun site,” Williams wrote in a January post. “It’s just food people, simmer down!”
Flavors of Texas, a companion to the group, is a real-time, organized space locals and visitors can use to find a range of restaurants and entertainment. The local guide also features events, recipes, and influential contributors such as Lexi Hazlett, Kimberly Suta, and Robert Morris Jr. (all from San Antonio). A free mobile app on the site offers access to Flavors of Texas magazine, podcast and social media platforms.
To entice people to try the variety of local restaurants, they offer membership in their Gold Club. When members try one of the 90 restaurants the pair have vetted, they’ll receive perks, such as a personal visit to the table from the chef sharing their favorite item from the menu. The perks help create an experience for the individual and repeat business for the restaurant.
Elsewhere was their third stop that day. Earlier, they’d gathered audio and video at Pete’s Tako House, a few blocks away, and the Make Ready Market.
“One post can get 50,000 to 60,000 views, and it just changes the trajectory of that restaurant,” Lafredo said. “That’s so exciting to know that we’re having an impact.”
They’ve seen restaurants and cafes go from almost closing to thriving.
Williams said that was the case with the “PB&J With Tay” restaurant at 5335 Mccullough Ave., which Williams said takes people back to their childhood.
The owner, Jeremiah Burns, posted about having the slowest Tuesday he’d ever had. Williams wrote a post encouraging followers to support the signature sandwich cafe. Burns wrote back. He said the next day was the busiest Wednesday he’d ever had.
“It feels good to know that we’re helping,” Williams said.
They host a podcast every Monday called “The More You Know, The Better It Tastes,” where they delve into the back stories of local restaurateurs and chefs. Guests have included four-time James Beard nominee Andrew Weissman, Leo Davila, named one of the UNESCO chefs, and other chefs the hosts called “amazing.”
This week’s 68th episode will feature Alex Serna (San Antonio Munchies), one of the city’s foodie influencers.
They’ve invited others to join their culinary campaign. Once a quarter, they meet with restaurant owners to give them a voice, get to know one another and share ideas.
Williams and Lafredo also host influencer lunches at local restaurants that could use a boost. They have a meal and use their different skills to create complimentary video reels to share with followers.
“The goal is to support that restaurant,” Lafredo said. “We come together to do what we do best. We all have the same mission.”