A RESTAURANT in Dublin has hit out at the disrespect shown to them by a social media 'influencer' after they demanded a meal for free and then failed to show up to collect it.
Chimac, a Korean restaurant on Aungier Street, took to Twitter to vent their frustration.
With lockdown restrictions in place, many hospitality venues are struggling to keep their heads above water, so every single order they receive is vital.
But Chimac, it seems, were taken for a ride, rather unfairly.
"This week a Dublin food influencer contacted us unashamedly asking for a free meal," they tweeted.
"We don’t usually do this kind of thing but we reckoned that during this pandemic and looking down the barrel of four more months being closed, any publicity is great.
"We prepared a large meal to feed four at the specified time. The influencer never turned up or contacted us," they added.
Respectfully taking the high-road, they said: "We won't name names but if you're an influencer we urge you to consider the small businesses with livelihoods on the line.
"A lil respect goes a long way! #supportlocal"
This week a Dublin food influencer contacted us unashamedly asking for a free meal. we don’t usually do this kind of thing but we reckoned that during this pandemic and looking down the barrel of four more months being closed, any publicity is great....
— Chimac Dublin (@ChimacDublin) February 7, 2021
We prepared a large meal to feed four at the specified time. The influencer never turned up or contacted us. 😭 We won’t name names but if you’re an influencer we urge you to consider the small businesses with livelihoods on the line - a lil respect goes a long way! #supportlocal
— Chimac Dublin (@ChimacDublin) February 7, 2021
A number of social media users urged the restaurant to name and shame the influencer, but they dignifiedly refused to.
The restaurant has since revealed that, off the back of their tweet, the social media influencer got in touch to apologise.
Thanks so much for all the support today everyone - some very kind words that are much appreciated. 🥰🥰 The person in question has been in touch with an apology which we’ve accepted. PS the food found a great home via some happy deliveroo drivers, fret not!! ☮️
— Chimac Dublin (@ChimacDublin) February 7, 2021
At the best of times, customers ordering food or even booking a large table and then no-showing would cause restaurants and pubs plenty of problems, but during a pandemic, off the back of almost an entire calendar year of forced closures, most venues are desperate and cannot afford to be messed around.
Social media influencers are essentially 'internet celebrities', who use their online following to promote and market things.
