Two Australian Instagram influencers, received quite a bit of
backlash from a Turkish restaurant that they reached out to in search for
a free meal, in return for maybe a few social media posts.
Now, here's what happened, here are the influencers, Elle Groves and
Annie Knight are trying to be influencers on their own, but
also co run a food account called Two Teaspoons.
Where the duo record themselves whining and
dining at various restaurants throughout Melbourne and Brisbane.
Now, Elle Groves, one of the influencers reached out to
a Turkish restaurant in Melbourne, called Little Andorra,
and asked the venue to provide a free meal in return for
review social media posts about it.
This is something that we see with influencers on social media,
when it comes to all sorts of things, whether it's restaurants, products,
skinny tea, whatever it is, right?
They get free stuff, and then as a result of the free stuff they post about it.
Now, apparently the restaurant did not take kindly to this request,
and I gotta be honest, I kind of loved it.
But the question is, was the restaurant too harsh?
So here's the response from the restaurant on Instagram.
They write, apologies for the delay, I've been grappling with
how much rage to demonstrate slash thrown in your direction,
reaching out blind to a venue you know nothing about looking for
free stuff, is bad is a bad enough thing to do at the best of times.
But it's even worse when COVID is still very much a thing affecting
small businesses like us, devastatingly for two years now.
By the way, the reply also included some possibly helpful advice for
the influencers.
>> That seems generous.
>> Maybe give it a year or so, and see how the business landscape looks and
see if you can amass enough followers for your collapse,
to actually be of benefit to the venues you approach so naively.
Instead of them being only of benefit to you.
Now, they don't really have big accounts on social media,
meaning like their followers are in the thousands, not even the tens of thousands.
But it doesn't, for me personally, it doesn't even matter, right?
I just think reaching out looking for free stuff is super annoying, and
I'm really frustrated with the influencer culture.
Like where people think like, yeah, I'll just,
I want to be an influencer when I grow up, I'm just going to post on social media
all day ,and that's the value I provide to the world.
Stop looking for like free stuff, just so
you can like dilly dally and post things on social.
Like, I don't know, I'm irritated by it, and I'm not even one of these people who
is like that to work, pull yourself up by the bootstraps.
It's just annoying.
Like, look, listen ladies, listen ladies, can we just,
we all know that you're showing a picture of your ass when you're posing.
Look at me, I just, I'm at the beach and
I just want you to see the beautiful landscape, and I'm not, I mean I
just happen to be wearing a thong bikini, but it's not about showing you my ass.
Just be honest, just be honest, just let us all know what the truth is,
like just stated in your caption, you want everyone to see your bear ass.
It's fine, it's totally fine.
But don't pretend like there's some other value that you're providing your audience
or your followers, anyway.
>> So listen, we're gonna let you guys decide if they're guilty or not.
>> TYT Supreme Court, go.
[SOUND] >> Session,
first Justice Hugo would like to make randomly relevant points that are fun.
So number one, I will agree with your ass comment.
Okay, it's like, hey look at this beautiful beach, assume this is the ass,
and then take the shot like this.
But wait, why do I have to see your ass before I see the beach?
[LAUGH].
Okay, it isn't by the way, it's too strong coffee dot com slash TYT.
>> It's the lack of honest honestly, I love that you did put coffee,
he can't help himself.
>> I can't help it.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, you know why?
Because I'm an influencer hold, I'm gonna get to whether I agree with you or
not in a second.
I like that analysts said literally you can't get a free lunch, okay?
That's a saying, I also like your reference to skinny tea,
I literally don't know what skinny tea is, I don't know anything skinny.
>> There was a period of time, it might still be a thing,
where like every person on Instagram that had even a little bit of a following,
was trying to slang this like snake oil, skinny t garbage, right?
Where they're like, you know, they're posing in these heavily photoshopped
images wearing a crop top, and it's like I'm skinny because I drink snake oil.
>> [LAUGH].
Well, you know what?
I don't think I can do that with two strong coffee, I'm skinny.
Well, [LAUGH] well, [LAUGH] okay, so
now on to the main event here before we ask you the poll question,
you can always get it at tyt.com slash polls.
And we'll put the link down below and all that stuff.
So by the way, the restaurant is a Turkish restaurant, but
to be clear, the cook, the chef is Turkish, but the owner is not,
although the owners sounded incredibly Turkish in that ran, okay?
I will tell you what you get if you come here, okay?
Not the free lunch, okay?
Take my slip and I beat you with it, okay?
I like your collabs.
[LAUGH] I love that reference when he said that, because they said when they reached
out to the restaurant, they're like, we're looking to do a collab with you, [LAUGH].
And I like that the restaurant owners like, I wasn't Melbourne yesterday.
>> Come on.
>> [LAUGH].
[SOUND].
>> Yes, okay, okay, that's how you do a dad joke.
All right, anyways.
No, I'm not guilty.
>> The restaurant?
>> No, the influencers.
We have a shocking disagreement here.
My God, you broke the top one, what happened?
Okay, so look, don't hate the players, hate the game.
They're trying to get a free lunch, it is what it is, okay?
>> Both of them are bad.
>> Okay, look, so they, it turns out they have like 5000 followers on Instagram,
and that's why the owner was like, go get some more followers and
maybe we'll have a conversation, otherwise the scam.
But at 50,000, he is having that conversation,
at 500,000, he's loving that conversation.
So is it a fair deal to say, I will give you publicity and
marketing in return for compensation.
And in this case it's even easier because there's compensation in the form of
food, right?
I think that's a fair request, if you don't want it, don't take it, right?
So what?
So I don't blame them for trying, there I said it, go.
>> The audacity to have like 5000 followers, like ladies,
listen, there is nothing better than looking at that Chanel bag,
and saying to yourself, I don't need the Chanel bag.
But if I wanted to buy it, I don't need to suck up to some dude, I don't need
to do a damn thing other than pay for my own damn account, because I work hard.
I make my own money, and I don't need a handout from anyone
including a Turkish restaurant, or a dude to buy me the designer back.
I'm just saying like find what your passion is,
and go for that, and get your money, okay?
I'm tired of this culture of like, let me just show my ass on Instagram and
pretend like I'm an influencer, and I'm doing something that's worth anything.
It's not, like we get it, you're a thirst trap, we get it.
You wanna show us your ass?
We get it.
You want free lunch?
Just it's annoying, it's annoying, it's annoying, no, like go work for something.
Don't expect people to give you something because you're just a cute girl,
who likes to post on social media.
Like I get it if you already have a significant following, yeah,
people do want to give you free stuff, because it's free advertising for
them if you do post about it, but they don't even have a following.
They're just like, yo, let's and by the way the other thing,
a lot of people who do have a big following didn't even earn it,
a lot of times they buy their following, they buy their following.
>> I know well, then don't do deals with them.
Okay, look.
>> Exactly, don't do deals with them, and then no one's allowed to cry when
the restaurants, or whatever the owners of whatever business turn them down.
>> No, look, I want to be clear, on your empowerment speech, I agree 100%.
So there's no disagreement on that.
On the button issue on Instagram, I think I've been clear, right?
In fact, if you didn't see my point, I'd like to make the point behind this.
[LAUGH].
Okay, so in terms of fake stuff, are you kidding me?
TYT has been competing with fake digital media companies for 20 years now.
>> They always get caught, and it's so delicious.
>> I know, and they all make billions before they get caught,
that's a different thing, right?
And so no one should be more bitter about it than me, right?
But hey, I don't hate the player, it is what it is.
The people who gave them money based on fake accounts, and fake views and
fake subscribers, that's their problem, not my problem.
You wanna waste your money?
Have at it, so I don't, by the way, the restaurant owner also not guilty, so
he doesn't want the deal.
And they reached out publicly, he reached back out publicly.
>> Not publicly,
he sent them a direct message on Instagram replying to their offer.
>> Then he's even more not guilty.
>> I agree, I agree.
Well, we want to know what you think.
So, but the question is posed a little differently for you all.
So go to TYT.com/polls, to take part in this poll.
And the question is,
was the restaurant owner too harsh in his response to the would be influencers?
And I say would be influencers, cuz they ain't influencing a damn thing.
They have no following.
And you've got two options here, yes or no.
>> But you know what?
Even there, I would say, yes, because there's no need to get angry about it.
Well, he said he didn't know where to put his rage [LAUGH].
So it sounds like it might be a dead angry.
That's why I thought, he might be Turkish.
>> But it's clear that he dealt with the rage before responding, and
I respect that.
>> Okay, yes.
>> That takes willpower, that takes a discipline.
>> Yeah, so if you come to Anna's restaurant, the salt pit,
do not try that influence bs, it ain't gonna work, okay.
So super last thing though, and this is interesting.
In Australia there's now a little bit of a movement against these influencers,
trying to get free stuff.
>> Love it, Australia, I love you.
You're better than us on this issue, okay?
Yeah, the hashtag couscous for comment.
>> Yeah.
>> You guys gotta come up with a better hashtag, I'm just keeping it real, right?
>> That I didn't even understand that.
>> I know it's a different culture, so
maybe it's something that we just don't understand.
But it's a term coined by Australian social media,
in which influencers are shamed, God, I love it so much, for asking for
free food in exchange for, I got it.
I just, Jake, it just clicked, it just clicked, it just clicked.
My God, because I was trying to figure out what is it about this story that gets
under my skin so much, right?
And I want to be clear, it's not personal, right?
I like I have, I don't even know who these women are, it's not personal,
it's not about them, I realized what it is.
It's because I'm so tired of people asking you to do things for
free, in exchange for exposure.
That practice runs rampant in media, rampant, okay?
Entire media organizations are built on, we want you to do this for free.
But don't worry, it's not really free because you're getting exposure.
Take the exposure, and shove it up your ass, okay?
Pay me bitch.
>> [LAUGH] no.
>> Yes.
>> Totally disagree, how's that for another twist?
Hold on, hold on, Anna you have the luxury of being able to say that,
because you're already incredibly face.
>> God damn right, so don't come at me with please do free stuff,
I'm not interested in.
>> So that's fair from your perspective, okay?
But I remember when nobody knew me back in the day, you know what I'm saying?
Okay, anyways [LAUGH] and Huffington Post
offered to give me basically an Op-Ed column.
Now, it turns out they offer that to a lot of people,
and the offer was for in exchange for $0.00.
And I worked a lot, I put up tons and tons of blogs,
it took me a long time, I hated those things five times over.
It drove my family crazy how much I worked on it, and I got nothing for it, and
I did it anyway.
>> You know what else you didn't get?
>> What? >> Exposure,
you think that Huffington Post is what made you?
No.
>> Not even close, not even 5%.
>> No, listen, Anna, just look, at Huffington Post made me of course not,
right?
We've been working super hard doing 1000 things, but did it help?
Yes.
So I would get booked on TV shows because they saw my blog on Huffington Post,
because they were at the time the media was all reading Huffington Post.
>> Did you get on TV shows?
>> Okay, but back then Anna, that was a big deal,
because that was exposure we needed for young terms.
>> No, no, I hear you, but I've been working with you for 15 years.
Like, how many times did you get booked on TV shows from your.
>> Couple of times, couple of times.
But by the way, other major outlets reached out for Op-Eds, was it a lot?
A couple of times.
But people would recognize me in those circles, because they saw my writing.
Now you could say, hey, you know what Jake?
You didn't get a good enough deal, maybe that's fair, right?
But would I do it again?
Yes, because I needed that marketing, and
I was willing to work for free for marketing.
Cuz we're in a business where you need attention, and
I don't want to do ass shots on Instagram.
And trust me that no one wants me to do ass shots on Instagram.
So I did Op-Eds.
>> I'm sure there are admirers of so called bears.
>> Thank you, I appreciate it.
Fair to me.
Okay, all right, I'm not sure that was entirely fair to me,
but [LAUGH] okay, so I did it.
So look, you guys, you the restaurant is perfectly free to say no,
you're perfectly free to say no to free things.
Everybody is free to do anything they want.
But I don't mind those women asking for the free lunch,
they're trying to do their thing, and they're growing.
And I bet you, by the way that they grew tenfold now, because of that controversy.
So they probably loved what happened there,
because that's how the attention business works, right now they have more attention.
>> I hope they're happy.
Don't come at me, because every once in a while when we do these types of stories.
The women get real upset, or whoever we're talking about get real upset, and
they make videos about it, don't cry about it, you're getting the exposure.
But with that said, look, my issue again is more about the fact that there's
this expectation to do things for free, and it takes work to prepare a meal.
It takes work to show up to the remote studio that CNN is asking you to go to,
to then sit around for an hour for
like a five minute segment that you don't get paid for.
That kind of stuff enrages me at this point.
If you're asking people to do things, especially if they're a regular
contributor, especially if they're a regular blogger for your website.
If they're doing work, they should be compensated for their time,
that's where I stand on the issue.
>> All right, I hear you, but I think a lot of people get opportunities that
they otherwise wouldn't have had in that kind of system.