14 DAY TRIAL // Taking pictures of food is a trend popular with social media users, but at one point world-renowned chefs urged people to stop posting photos of their meals online claiming that the practice ruined the atmosphere at their restaurants and the surprise for future diners.
However, now a new pop-up restaurant in London encourages diners to snap photos of their plates and share them online as a means to pay for their food.
The unique eatery, called The Picture House, belongs to frozen food giant Birds Eye and first opened at the Ice Tank in Soho last month. Here, patrons don’t have to pay the bill with cash, as they are given the opportunity to take a picture of their meals, post it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #BirdsEyeInspirations, and eat for free.
The owners of the popular brand decided to open the world’s first pay-by-picture diner after conducting a research that revealed that more than half of Britons regularly took pictures of their meals.
According to the Birds Eye survey, nine percent of UK’s population takes pictures of one of their dishes on a daily basis. Moreover, Britons admit they purposely arrange the food tastefully on the plate with the intention of sharing it online, and 60 per cent say they usually snap photographs of their evening dinner to later upload them online.
“Taking photos of food enables people to show off and share their mealtime moments – from the everyday to the very special,” said Margaret Jobling, Birds Eye marketing director. “We wanted to tap into this trend and create a new reason for people to talk about and sample our newest additions to the Inspiration range.”
According to Oddity Central, The Picture House restaurant was launched as part of Birds Eye's “Food of Life” campaign which focused on how most Britons eat and interact at meal times. Additionally, the new diner was a good way to advertise their new dining range.
After a three-day stay in London in May, the pop-up eatery is now moving to other major UK cities, such as Manchester and Leeds.
Food photographer Marie Marte will also be giving diners at the pop-up restaurant tutorials on how to take the ultimate food photo.
The concept proved quite successful so far, but honestly, this is no surprise because who wouldn’t want a free meal in exchange for a hashtag?
“The pay-by-picture concept has proven to be an effective way of engaging customers,” said Lynn Grant, Bird Eye’s senior brand manager. “We’re excited to see how the public continues to respond to this activity and, given the success of The Picture House so far, we certainly feel there is scope to expand this venture further in the future.”