Gordon Ramsay’s public endorsement of Influencer Marketing over traditional press comes as Fox Entertainment launches a creator-focused division featuring the chef.

Gordon Ramsay says restaurant influencers have displaced traditional critics as the most important force in the industry, according to a Restaurant Magazine report. 

Speaking in the first episode of the Netflix documentary “Being Gordon Ramsay,” which chronicles the opening of five Ramsay concepts at London’s 22 Bishopsgate, including Lucky Cat, Bread Street Kitchen, and Gordon Ramsay High, the chef described a deliberate pivot away from legacy food media.

“Ten years ago, we were depending on their pens. Ten years ago, we were depending on their insults. Ten years ago, we were depending on their egos,” Ramsay said of traditional critics. “They destroyed restaurants over 25 years.”

Prior to the opening of 22 Bishopsgate, Ramsay hosted a hard-hat event for what he described as “100 of the most powerful influencers,” explicitly positioning it as a message to the traditional press.

Ramsay’s influencer strategy aligns with his broader media positioning. In January, Fox Entertainment launched Fox Creator Studios, a digital-first division, with Ramsay’s Studio Ramsay Global, established with Fox in 2021, among its debut partners. Ramsay currently has around 115 million social media followers.

Source: Restaurant Magazine