Like it or not , having a photo shoot with your meal before you eat is jolly much par for the form these days . And while apportion your bologna sandwich on Instagram is one matter ( and plausibly one thing you should n’t do ) , some restaurant around LA ( and beyond ) are creating elaborate , colourful , and , at times , gimmicky foundation that seem specifically designed for social medium . From a rainbow - striped grill cheese to a crystallization - clear bar , these sideshow curiosity are arduous to miss . But are these voguish spectacle a smart business move for restaurants or just a newsflash in the pan ? And more significantly , do they actually taste good ? We put down our phone ( and Bologna sausage sandwich ) for a minute to find out .
Well, How Did We Get Here?
Of course , intricate and colourful metal plating has been something that chef were doing long before we all started ‘ Gramming . But with the eyes of so many potential customers paste to their screens , it ’s hard to ignore that there has been a recently increased centering on the visual experience of feeding . One eye - crop up creation that ’s flooded LA feeds lately is a rainbow - hue grilled cheese known as the Unicorn Melt fromChomp Eatery & Juice Stationin Santa Monica . No stranger to the power of Instagram , Chomp has showed up on Instagram before with mouthwatering – if irregular – visual sense like itspumpkin - spice - doughnut - fried - chicken - sandwich(!),red velvet waffles with Sriracha fried chickenand even pressedjuice in a lightbulb . Its late founding has elicited heart - eyed emojis from some , while others survive in fear of the multi - colored , admittedly unnatural - looking meal . But for anyone , it ’s certainly hard to dissent taking a picture .
“ For things to sell these days , it has to be Instagrammable , ” explains Rolan Pongpuntara , Chomp Eatery ’s co - owner , who , not surprisingly , has a background in merchandising . “ Color is the principal thing now . That ’s what people require , for it to taste good and be very Instagrammable , that ’s what pee-pee it [ sell ] for this generation . ”
" It ’s almost like dinner party and a show . These plates are a performance now . "
Unicorn Melt at Chomp Eatery & Juice Station|Danny Jensen/Thrillist
Kevin Nguyen ofGD Bro Burger , known for its shining - flushed , boo - tinged fanny , echoes the sentiment . “ It ’s our multiplication and our mean solar day and geezerhood : If you did n’t Snap it or put it on Instagram , it did n’t materialize . We thought , this is something we can do and apply societal media to spread the word . ” Along with cooperator Mark Cruz , Nguyen leveraged the touch ’s visually stunning buns and food - world connections to go from college - dropout working at Disney to appear on the Food internet’sThe Great Food Truck Raceand opening brick - and - mortars in Signal Hill and Santa Ana .
Even long - fend LA institutions like 34 - yr - oldCalifornia Donutsare purposefully nonplus in on the Instagram action now . Steppie Kuoch , who inherit the Koreatown mom - and - soda shop from her , hem , mamma - and - daddy , explains that they ’ve expanded from traditional doughnut offerings in late year to eclectic and photogenic toppings ranging from Oreo panda bear to Froot Loops and beyond . “ In the last few years , there was a sudden boom in the donut and dessert trend and it opened up the opportunity to experiment , have fun with our product , and help us turn over a community out of doors of Los Angeles . Instagram really became that fomite , and it ’s been our constant connexion and communicating with our growing customer root word . ”
But, Does It Taste Good?
" It ’s like diversify stocks : if you focus too much on one point , eventually you ’ll pass out of hoi polloi who need to essay it . "
And while the colorful expression of the Unicorn Melt may not be everyone ’s cup of tea tall mallow , we discover it to actually be quite the tasty blend of fontina , asiago , provolone , and Parmesan . “ We tested it for days to verify that it taste proficient as well , ” says Pongpuntara . He experimented with different cheeseflower blends to get the right taste , grain , and coloring , and – for those familiar with rainbow bagels and caffe latte – they even considered other rainbow foods , but find the grilled cheese to be the “ prettiest , most Instagrammable one . ” But she says taste was just as important in the purpose , “ It ’s kind of like having a girlfriend : you have the personality and you have the look . That ’s what multitude want nowadays . Food has to look salutary for it to be popular . ” And it ’s not like Chomp is stop over at the grill tall mallow – it also has a “ Galaxy ” burger in the works , which will be abet ( seriously ) with a pinkish and purple glittered bun .
Another spectacle that ’s been burning up IG feeds in New York , and will likely do the same in Los Angeles now that it ’s arrived atSmorgasburg LA , is theRaindrop Cakefrom Darren Wong . This cake take care like a hulk , jiggle droplet and is made from spring water and shapeable alga - derive agar . Wong himself first spotted the blob - similar afters ( know as mizu shingen mochi in Japan ) on societal medium and had deplete similar jelly desserts growing up , so was inspired to create his own version . “ What struck me the most is the surprisal that people have . People go into this thinking that because it front like a giant drop curtain of water that it ’s not going to be flavorful , but when they do try out it they ’re often surprised and really enjoy it . ” It ’s definitely a touchy and subtle flavour , accented by the toppings like wampum cane syrup and roast soybean flour , but it ’s pretty fresh nonetheless . Wong is also experimenting with new flavors , including a s’mores Raindrop Cake , to keep things interesting .
Danny Jensen/Thrillist
“ It ’s almost like dinner and a show , ” Wong say of the growing trend of Instagram - sharpen nutrient . “ These plates are a performance now . The plate does n’t just come to your table , there has to be some sort of fundamental interaction with it . ”
So, Is Cooking for Instagram a Smart Move for Restaurants?
While the bombination create by a wild - looking dish can definitely be a bighearted win for a eatery or food for thought truck , particularly for newcomers , there are also possible downsides to the ‘ Gram biz . “ It depends on what type of food for thought business that you want to part , ” Wong explicate . For a spot like Raindrop Cake , which specialize in one or two dishes , tapping into the power of viral visuals can really help . Restaurants with an extensive and diverse carte du jour , on the other hand , may get pigeonholed if they ’re only distinguish for a singular form , Instagram - suitable dish .
Whether it ’s the eatery ’s one and only oblation , or a unexampled saucer aimed at bring in in new customers , there ’s also the risk of Instagram fatigue . After all , there ’s only so many times you could replicate - pat on that crazy new initiation , before you get bore of figure it in your provender . “ People do get tired of them , ” Wong continues . “ I retrieve there ’s a limited shelf life if you focus on one detail . It ’s like diversifying fund : if you focus too much on one item , eventually you ’ll execute out of mass who require to try it . And then you need another hit item , and that becomes a very difficult model to sustain if you ’re just trying to turn out one hit after another . ”
At the same prison term , cooking for Instagram can provide a huge encouragement for long - install berth , just as much as it can for trendy pop - ups . “ Let ’s be good … people fuck their # foodporn on Instagram , ” says Kuoch of California Donuts . “ So , when your products photograph well , make multitude thirsty , and tell customers a little bit about your trade name without you ever having to say anything … that ’s magic mighty there . ” California Donuts has fancy the irrefutable outcome of Instagram in substantial - time , evolving from a small , folk - run workshop to a much larger squad . They ’re now constantly developing novel plan and lean a 24 - hour kitchen to keep up with demand thanks to their popularity on IG .
Danny Jensen/Thrillist
It seems that with a saucy marketing scheme , and dishes that not only look good , but sample good , chef can use IG to consistently take Modern business organisation . “ I cogitate that we first eat with our eyes , then our nose and then our mouths , ” says Aliza J. Sokolow , a former solid food stylist and founder of Poppyseed Agency , which handles the societal medium of some of LA ’s biggest chefs . She sums it up : “ The taste is always the end goal , but having a attractively plat saucer is always a plus . The chefs that I work with all make a saucer for tang first and take the opportunity from there to create a beautiful plate . societal media provide a free issue of exposure to potential and even patrons . It ’s the best way to interact with potentially thousands of diner with just a energy of a clitoris . ”
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Courtesy of Tim Ireland/Raindrop Cake
Courtesy of California Donuts
