Bloggers are becoming unwanted guests – Kommersant FM

Restaurateurs in Europe and the USA began to fight bloggers. According to The New York Times, one of these establishments was the Parisian Folderol; due to the popularity of the cafe on social networks, long queues formed outside it. As a result, visitors were prohibited from taking photographs and guards were posted at the entrance. In the US, a diner also hired bouncers to escort TikTokers out of the establishment. Do Russian restaurateurs have such conflicts with bloggers? Vladimir Rasulov will tell.

The Parisian cafe Folderol turned out to be so popular that long queues began to form near its entrance. Moreover, visitors did not come to the establishment itself, but to repeat pictures of other users on social networks with ice cream, wine and an aesthetically lit cigarette.

The crowds were disruptive to customers, so the owners had to hire a bouncer and put up signs that read “No TikTok” and “Be here to have fun, not take pictures.”

A similar situation occurred at the American diner Katz’s Deli, where the movie “When Harry Met Sally” was filmed – they also turned to security services due to long lines.

In Russia, restaurateurs are not yet hiring kickers because of bloggers; on the contrary, they are trying to negotiate filming with those who have more subscribers. As a rule, by barter, for a discount or free dinner.

But sometimes such cooperation can turn into trouble, noted the ombudsman of the Moscow restaurant market, Sergei Mironov:

“More than once there have been cases when establishments refuse to allow a blogger to visit because of barter, and he comes and deliberately films something very bad about the restaurant, damaging his reputation.

There are also such trends, but, of course, there is no serious protection against this.”

However, content makers also face misunderstandings. As food blogger Max Brandt told Kommersant FM, in one Samara cafe, when trying to review the establishment, he was told that he had to pay for filming:

“There was an incident involving one of the cafes. The situation turned out to be very stupid: we came there, sat down at a table, and started filming the review. Then the hostess comes up and says that filming them with a camera costs 50 thousand rubles, since the owners of the establishment themselves paid for the restoration of the building, which is a cultural heritage site.

Actually, our visit ended there, but then they contacted us and said that we had understood everything wrong. Indoor video filming is free, unless it is for commercial purposes, such as advertising, and only during non-working hours.”

At the same time, bloggers interviewed by Kommersant FM note that the capital’s establishments have become more loyal to filming over the years. Most likely, due to the behavior of the content makers themselves – many of them communicate politely with waiters, leave tips and do not disturb other visitors.

Problems may arise for those who decide to evaluate a restaurant of the highest price category, emphasized the founder of the city media “Pike”, which reviews establishments, Elvina Abibullaeva:

“There were also unpleasant cases, more often in luxury segment establishments. The same blogger must somehow negotiate with the restaurant administration, because other guests do not want to sit next to a TikToker or a blogger who is putting on a show on his phone.

They didn’t kick us out, they didn’t lead us out by the hand. It’s just, rather, it’s a condescending look or just unfriendly communication.”

Restaurants that once received Michelin stars do have certain requirements for bloggers.

Thus, the manager of White Rabbit, Daria Belyaeva, in an interview with Kommersant FM, emphasized that professional filming in the establishment must be coordinated. But, according to her, there are no strict restrictions on filming from a mobile device, unless, of course, it interferes with other clients:

“Any filming in our restaurant is carried out by prior agreement. It is clear that TikTokers film on smartphones, and the main thing is that this does not interfere with the rest of other guests. This often happens with us: guests put up a stand, attach the phone, take pictures and tell us what they are eating.”

By law, in Russia, video filming in a public place, and therefore in a restaurant, is allowed. But there are nuances, lawyers say. If, for example, detailed recipes for cocktails on bar counters are captured, this may be regarded as a disclosure of trade secrets.

---

Everything is clear with us – Telegram channel “Kommersant FM”.

Maria Shirokova