'If I wanted someone to come and influence my restaurant, I'd ask them'

Busy serving his 'Tacos and Tequila terrace' in the run-up to the 'real' reopening on May 20th, Masterchef champion, chef and restaurateur Simon Wood was a mix of bemused and furious when he received an email from a so-called influencer's agent asking for a free meal.

The irony, Simon said in an interview with The Staff Canteen, is that his Tweet sharing the email got so much attention. "That's 600,000 people whose mind I'm now in, who may be coming to get something to eat, so it works in my favour, I know that," he chuckled. 

Some people are mind numbingly ignorant.

After what hospitality has been through jokers like this are still savaging freebies in the name of influence

Get in the bin..... scrounging insensitive fools.... pic.twitter.com/0HegjAl3zR

— Simon Wood (@SimonJWoodUK) April 29, 2021

Whilst it it a common occurrence, Simon ignores most such requests, but the fact is, "calling them out is a way of getting something beneficial out of it in my opinion - they shouldn't be doing it." 

"With this one, the tone of the email was shocking - it's like they swallowed an episode of The Office." 

"If people give this guy free food for being on Love Island for three days, well done to him, maybe it's us that's missing a trick, but it's just an absolute scandal. 

Due to the nature and location of his WOOD restaurants, customers tend to already be of the "celebrities, press and guides" crowd, so giving into requests of this type isn't something he's ever needed to do.

"If I wanted someone to come and influence my restaurant, I'd ask them. I'd say, 'would you come in for dinner and talk about it?' If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't do it with some random stranger who's clearly after a freebie." 

"It's a bit crass when people come in expecting it for free because they think they're somebody." 

Look at me, I’m ‘Influencing’ 😅 pic.twitter.com/PvGuHJKibx

— Simon Wood (@SimonJWoodUK) April 29, 2021

They never learn

And if it was poor form to attempt this before the pandemic, it is even more so now.

"Even the biggest names in the country - whether you've got one star, two star, three rosettes, or you're a little café, or you're just starting out, everybody is in the shit. Unless you've got billionaire investors, we're in the shit and we need to get open."

"So to ask for something for free - what've they been doing for a year? You can't go anywhere, you can't spend anything. Go and line someone else's pockets apart from your own." 

For anyone doubting whether to give in to requests like this, Simon has a word of advice. 

"It will happen organically. It's a natural progression. If you're good at what you do, people come to your establishment because they want to enjoy it. To ask for it for nothing - it's just crass."