The influencer messaged the chef duo's Instagram page asking if he can get a free meal in exchange for him posting about it on his stories. Photo / via Instagram
The influencer messaged the chef duo's Instagram page asking if he can get a free meal in exchange for him posting about it on his stories. Photo / via Instagram
Influencers, when will they learn? Restaurants really, really, don't want to give you free food in return for "publicity".
Case in point, a pub in the UK which gave an influencer directions to the police station along with instructions to turn themselves in after their freebie request backfired spectacularly.
ChefsJamie Allan and Ed McIlroy, who operate under the name Four Legs, currently have a pop-up restaurant inside London pub the Compton Arms.
The influencer messaged the chef duo's Instagram page asking if he can get a free meal in exchange for him posting about it on his stories. Photo / via Instagram
In a post on the @fourlegs_ldn Instagram page, a direct message exchange between Four Legs and an influencer was shared in which he requested a takeaway meal from the pub.
"In exchange for this I'll be happy to advertise you via my Instagram stories," the influencer wrote.
"Alongside a swipe up link if you have a website to direct my followers to your website in the hope of it leading to an order? Let me know if keen?"
The Four Legs account responds by asking if the influencer can pick up his order before giving a street address.
The influencer replies by asking to get multiple meals for his "bubble", aka the group of people he has opted to socialise with under Britain's current lockdown rules.
"I was wondering (no worries if not) would it be OK alongside ordering food for myself if I could also order for my bubble. Including myself it'll be five meals total?" he asked.
The influencer generously adds that he would happy to do a "visit again when you do dine in for a feed post" but the post would be "depending if I could make this blend with my feed".
He then asked if he could get five meals for his bubble. Photo / via Instagram
The influencer also offered to do a second visit and feed post 'depending if I could make this blend with my feed'. Photo / via Instagram
Playing along, Four Legs responds by saying it is "quite a lot of food" but if the influencer did "a couple of posts then we can do it" as they have "a lot of followers".
The influencer agrees and says he will be arriving at 6.30pm to pick up the food, later messaging the account to say he had arrived on the street but couldn't see the pub.
"Do you see the police station?" Four Legs responds. "Let me know when you see police station."
"See it," the influencer replies.
"Magic – go in there and report yourself for crimes against the hospitality industry," Four Legs said.
Sharing the exchange on Instagram the chef duo got hundreds of comments applauding their response to the man's freebie request as "absolute gold".
"This is golden. Good for you guys. Wtf is wrong with people," one person wrote.
"Love this!!! Thanks for exposing, absolutely disgusting behaviour," another commented.
The pop-up restaurant played along, giving the influencer directions to the police station and telling him to 'report yourself for crimes against the hospitality industry'. Photo / via Instagram
Others said it was the "best thing I've seen" on the internet and pointed out that exposing the influencer has given them more publicity than taking him up on his offer would have.
"Ironically, telling this egg where to go has actually got you guys more exposure than feeding a whole gang of lame influencers for free could ever get you!" one commented.
Another person joked: "How dare you talk like that to an influencer."
"Hey gang just wondering if you had any money left in the till and if I could have it? Will meet you outside the NHS," another person quipped.
