Taking a Photo of Dishes in Restaurants

                                                             
                                        Aram Hong, Beini Weng, Shuai Dong 

Camera has been becoming popular as if the things indispensable to life. Photographs and Social Network Service are considered together, some social issues are occurred frequently. One of the issues is to photograph dishes in restaurants. 

  

Is it rude to take a Photo of Dishes in  Restaurants?

“It’s reached epic proportions,” a  spokesman  for a number of New York City  restaurants  tells the  NY Times. “Everybody  wants to get  their shot. They don’t care how  it affects people around them.”. The writer  also says  that  One of the celeb chefs he  reps is  David  Bouley, who says that when people pull out their cameras — some  even going  so far as  to stand on their chairs  to get a  bird’s eye  shot — “It’s a disaster in  terms  of  momentum, settling into the meal, the great conversation that develops… It’s hard to build a memorable evening when flashes are flying every six minutes.”(Morran, 2013).

When dishes are eventually arrived at table, it should be taken a picture by people from time to time without any consideration of companies. Some say “Hold on! I need to take a picture. Don’t touch!” and after few minutes, they say again, “One more shot, please.”. Then the other say “I am hungry and food is getting cold.” The attitude towards food has been changed and it irritates not only company but also people around them.

In addition, some chefs don’t want them are just insecure about their dishes (Clay, 2014).

Marketing Strategy of food business

It disrupts ambience and makes hard to spend memorial time in restaurant. However, it is a strong effective marketing method for restaurant and also a way to get an idea for individuals. With sharing and distributing photos of great foods, the restaurant can get reputation.

“These days restaurants court bloggers and tweeters as social networking is a valuable marketing tool. So shouldn’t chefs be celebrating the free publicity that a Twitter or Instagram photograph gives them?”(Clay, 2014).

Moreover, business needs to chase how customer’s needs are changed by trend. People want to share right then their instant gratification.

The way to avoid being rude

Moe Issa, the owner of Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, said he banned photography several months after opening when it became too much of a distraction to the other diners at his 18-seat restaurant (STAPINSKI, 2013).

While Chef’s Table banned taking a photo of foods, Chef Bouley came up with another way to satisfy customers and keep the ambience of the restaurant at the same time.

Chef Bouley is trying to appease food photogs and keep things civil in his dining room. He tells the Times that he’ll sometimes invite people to take photos of their meal in the kitchen. He’s also working on a system that would provide customers with pics of their food before they finish eating (Morran, 2013).

Many people say ‘no flash’ need to be a first rule in restaurant. The flash makes food ugly and distracts people. 

Content

Although the spokesman for a number of New York City Restaurants complained the photo sharing situations, it can not be denied that this situation already became a trend before people eating meals because customers want to sharing their instant moment to friends or other people.

Like the tiny little restaurant Brooklyn Fare, some restaurants will take action to ban food photograph, but the policy always makes consumers unhappy. However, From marketing aspects, food photograph is really an effective promotion method which means free advertisement to the restaurant owner.Meanwhile, the famous meals , classic dishes and special foods will become much more popular through the use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, which will improve the publicity and popularity of eateries.

In reality world, “the customer is king”, it is no need to make them upset. The successful marketing principle is to satisfy customers’ needs and wants. Therefore, it is time to grab this trend of eating habit.

However, “ No flash” is a polite way to respect other people who are around. Great leisure environment in public location need people create together while taking out your camera or I phone, please with gentle manner.

Questions
1. Is it rude to take photos in restaurant? Or fine? If it is rude, what should people do with taking photos?

2. Why people want to take photos of the food? Why it is being trend?
3. Is it a good marketing method? If yes, how can it be developed as a better way for marketing?

Reference Used

http://consumerist.com/2013/01/24/is-it-rude-to-take-photos-of-your-food-in-a-restaurant/

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/dining/restaurants-turn-camera-shy.html?_r=0

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/restaurants/10648419/Is-it-wrong-to-photograph-your-food-in-restaurants.html