Food bloggers helping put Canberra on culinary map

It seems almost every week a new restaurant or cafe opens its doors in Canberra, enticing the territory's growing food blogger community.

Over recent years, food bloggers have become a growing force in Canberra's food scene, with the industry saying the reviewers are helping put Canberra on the map as a culinary destination.

Public servant by day and food blogger by night, Eileen Tang, has been reporting her foodie adventures for the past four years.

"I became a food blogger because I love food and I love taking photos of food, so I just started a platform to share my food photos with people," she said.

Ms Tang, who goes by the social media name of The Food Avenue, broadcasts her latest foodie finds across multiple platforms, including to her 2,000 Instagram followers.

She said there had been a recent boom in the number of bloggers, helping to strengthen the Canberra culinary industry.

"We have heaps of food bloggers in Canberra," she said.

"I don't know when they popped up, but when I started blogging there was almost no-one and now we have over 60 dedicated bloggers."

The increasing number of bloggers, along with Canberra's growing reputation as a serious culinary hotspot, saw the territory host the national food bloggers conference Eat.Drink.Blog in November last year.

Ms Tang said bloggers had a hand in helping broadcast Canberra's culinary feats to the world, as seen with the "freakshake" phenomenon.

"Canberra food bloggers help to get the word out," she said.

"They go and dine everywhere and then they tell people where they think is best.

"I really think Canberra food bloggers do a lot to help small businesses ... it can give them global reach."

Visit Canberra director Ian Hill agreed, saying food bloggers were "a great litmus test of a region's food and wine scene".

"The pictures they take, the video clips they take, the stories they share that helps put Canberra on the map and it's in a very believable way," he said.

The tourism board knows the importance of social exposure, having based two major campaigns around bloggers and socially active members of the public to drive visitors to Canberra.

"I think social media is today's currency in terms of believability," Mr Hill said.

"Social media is the most important tool for marketing purposes."

Food bloggers 'keeping restaurants on their toes'

Canberra's restaurant industry has also recognised the power of local bloggers and social media enthusiasts.

Cafes such as The Cupping Room have embraced social media, finding its voice and attracting physical customers through its virtual offerings.

"It's so great that people can come here and share their experience with the internet," The Cupping Room's manager Caity Reynolds said.

It's different from word-of-mouth because the audience that people are able to capture is massive. It is just limitless.

Australian Hotels Association spokesman Mark Sproat

"It's giving everybody across the world the opportunity to experience our experience with the blogger or the Instagrammer."

Ms Reynolds said food bloggers were also helping to keep restaurants "on their toes".

"It definitely is putting pressure on places to make their food look absolutely perfect ... in a positive way though, it's not a negative driving force," she said.

"I believe [food blogging] has definitely driven Canberra food spots to become better, us included.

"Everyone eats with their eyes first so you want to take something out to someone that looks as nice as it tastes."

Food blogging 'double-edged sword' for industry

But Mark Sproat from the Australian Hotels Association said food bloggers could sometimes leave a bad taste.

"It's a double-edged sword," he said.

"It is helpful when you get good blogs, but it can also be very detrimental if someone spitefully reports on their experience.

"It can cause serious damage to the business in question."

He said now more than ever restaurants needed to solve issues with guests before they left the premises.

"Don't let the customer go away feeling bad about their experience because that just invites trouble," he said.

Mr Sproat said it was in the best interest of restaurants to become social media savvy.

"They need to learn how to use it to their advantage," he said.

"It's different from word-of-mouth because the audience that people are able to capture is massive. It is just limitless."

Source: Food bloggers helping put Canberra on culinary map