A popular food influencer known for his unfiltered hospitality reviews is moving to Australia, saying career opportunities presented to him and his partner were seen “as the universe giving us a sign” to cross the Ditch.
Albert Cho, who goes by @eatlitfood on social media, is one of New Zealand’s most prolific food influencers, having built a personal brand through his explicit – and at times, critical – reviews of hospitality hotspots and hidden gems.
In the nine years since beginning the account, juggling colourful reviews alongside university and a modelling side gig, the 28-year-old has accrued over 173,000 followers on Instagram and over 456,000 on TikTok.
He moved directly into hospitality in 2023, joining Namu Group as its director of operations and opening Ponsonby bistro Tobi.
In a video to followers, Cho said he was moving to Sydney in two weeks after signing with Australian management agency Cult, revealing that he no longer worked for Namu Group and was involved with Tobi only as manager and co-owner.
He said it had become clear that many PR companies and brands were beginning to centralise their Antipodean operations in Australia, leaving New Zealand-exclusive agencies with fewer client opportunities.
“This move came about coincidentally; it wasn’t very thoroughly planned.
“I thought being managed by an Australian agency would benefit me more because it is, after all, a bigger market.”
Months after signing, Cho said his partner was then “headhunted by an Australian company” and offered an “amazing opportunity” that required relocating, and they confirmed their decision late last year.
“We saw this as the universe giving us a sign almost to make the move.
“Neither of us have ever lived in another country before, so we’re both really nervous but also very, very excited.”
Cho said informing the team at Namu Group was “really hard”, but he’d already transferred his shares in January and fully withdrew as an employee in March.
@eatlitfood We have some news we want to share with you all @Louis Esther
♬ original sound - Albert Cho
Namu Group founder and director David Lee also resigned from his role on March 5, telling BusinessDesk he decided to leave the business after moving to Australia, leaving Sung Yong Hong (also known as Tom Hong) as its sole director.
Lee’s resignation came the same month that Namu Group’s Commercial Bay venues Gemmi and Gochu were placed into liquidation.
Honeymoon Ave on Ponsonby Rd also entered liquidation in April after five months of operating, with Namu Group refitting its failed Crack Chicken restaurant into a “new-aged matcha bar” in an attempt to turn around the space’s fortunes.
On social media, Cho said he wasn’t in a position to comment on Namu Group’s liquidations as they happened after he transferred his shares.
“It’s a super difficult market out there. I know people that have been in hospitality for 20, 30 years and they say that this has been the most difficult time ever in their hospitality career.
“And these are people that have actually experienced recessions before.”
Cho was unwilling to answer questions about his relationship with Lee, saying he’d known the restaurateur since he was 15 and will “always be like family to me”.
Reiterating that his sole focus lay on Tobi, which he named after fellow influencer and friend Tobi Innes and in which he keeps a 20% shareholding, Cho said the restaurant “basically runs itself now” and did not need him physically present to operate successfully.
He planned to travel between Sydney and Auckland after relocating, and expressed gratitude for the “incredible” team that would keep Tobi running while he was away.
While Sydney would become home for the foreseeable future, Cho told his followers he “genuinely” loved New Zealand and could never take for granted the success he’d found.
“I don’t want this move to be perceived as me being like, ‘I’m getting out of here, screw New Zealand.’
“We have a house here, our roots are here and they’ll always be here and we’ll always come back.
“But I feel like right now we do need to take this opportunity as it has kind of just fell onto our lap, and I hope you guys can support us through that.”
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.