Blogger Debate: Are honest food reviews a thing of the past?

‘We’re simply a commodity, part of their marketing budget just like putting an advert in a newspaper.’

By Shaun Barnes, author of Food Geek

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch but us food bloggers are seemingly offered them on an almost daily basis. However, I don’t believe they’re actually ‘free’ at all. Firstly, we give up our valuable time to not only visit the restaurant but then craft a decent post of our experience. I’ve lost count of the hours spent processing photographs or trying to think of a better word than ‘delicious’.

The main reason comped meals aren’t really ‘free’ though isn’t the time and effort bloggers give in exchange for food, it’s the exposure that their posts bring to a restaurant. We’re simply a commodity, part of their marketing budget just like putting an advert in a newspaper.Despite the fact that anybody can start a blog, restaurants and marketing agencies clearly perceive us as influential. But what responsibility do bloggers have to remain honest? It’s important to remember that most are regular people, from outside the marketing world who started a blog simply to share their passion. So is it fair to expect them to adhere to Advertising Standard Authority guidelines? I’m inclined to say no, because I write for purely personal reasons but with blogs becoming more and more commercial the lines are being blurred.While my own blog is a mix of fully paid meals and previews or ‘freebies’ it’s significantly more of the former and contains no advertising. Others may contain more PR events and/or advertising but that shouldn’t mean that they’re any less honest.

I do believe we all have a responsibility to our readers to not only write honest accounts of our experiences but also to acknowledge if what we’re writing about was paid for by the restaurant or ourselves. Equally important is to state whether we were invited or not as it can clearly make a difference to the overall experience.

With those disclosures readers can make their own informed decisions on how much weight to give a particular review.

‘You only need to look at the more traditional methods of promotion such as newspapers, magazines and television to decide for yourself whether honest reviews by food bloggers are a thing of the past.’

By Dan Toombs, author of UK’s number one food blog, The Curry Guy

There has been a lot of debate recently about whether honest reviews on food blogs are a thing of the past. After all, how could a blogger give an honest review when he has been paid in product or cash to review a restaurant, service, cookbook or cookware? It is easy for me to answer this question. Personally, I cannot be bought and all of my opinions are my own.

Although I do now receive a good second income through my blog, it has taken me four years to get to this stage. My blog is still very much a hobby so I don’t have the time to write about things that don’t interest me. If I love a product and the brand behind it, I’ll happily let me readers know. If I don’t like a product, I won’t write about it regardless of what is on offer. I value the readers of my blog and would not do that to them.

I do have a nice group of key blog sponsors whose products I endorse and from whom I receive payment for promoting in my posts. With limited time to cook and blog due to a busy day job, I only want to be using and writing about the products I really enjoy using.

You only need to look at the more traditional methods of promotion such as newspapers, magazines and television to decide for yourself whether honest reviews by food bloggers are a thing of the past.

If a popular newspaper journalist gave a good review about a restaurant you were considering visiting, would you not respect her opinion regardless of the fact that she is well paid and probably received her meal for free?

I always tell people who approach me to do a review that regardless of the product, service or payment they are offering, I cannot write a review just because they send me a free widget whatever the price. If I like what they have on offer, I will probably find time to write a good review about it. I never promise to write a review.

I will also not write a bad review. I simply don’t have the time and I’m not here to damage reputations. The products and services I promote through my blog are promoted because I personally like them and use them. The restaurants I review are promoted through my blog because I enjoyed the meal so much I felt I had to say something.

When I write something positive, you can rest assured I did so because I liked a product and/or service so much I want to let me readers know. I’m happy to say that my food blogger friends all seem to look at reviews in a similar way.