There’s no such thing as a free lunch, especially if you are a cheeky food blogger looking for a freebie at this Michelin-starred restaurant in Kilkenny, Ireland.
Garrett Byrne, chef and proprietor of Campagne, had absolutely no time for reviewers who asked for a free meal for two in exchange for “significant online exposure”.
In a tweet on the restaurant’s social media account, Byrne posted a section of the email that said: “We will be in Kilkenny specifically on 10 October.
The start of another week in paradise..🙄 pic.twitter.com/zLP3bhBORV
— campagne restaurant (@campagnekilkenn) September 19, 2017
“In exchange for a vegan meal for two (we would ideally like to try several items on the menu), we would be happy to provide significant online exposure on both our blogs and social media accounts.”
In addition to writing various blog posts, the bloggers also promised they would be “live tweeting, Facebook, Instagram as we visit your restaurant”.
I stopped at several dishes
— campagne restaurant (@campagnekilkenn) September 19, 2017
Byrne, who declined to identify the bloggers, said he gets around 10 similar requests a year but this one, for some reason, got a reaction from him.
“It wasn’t any different to the other ones,” he said. “I was reading this email the first thing in the morning and I thought, ‘Oh here we go again’.
“Normally I wouldn’t even respond but I did to this one. I just said ‘no’.”
Byrne says he finds these requests “really weird”, ading: “I wouldn’t go down to the doctor and ask for an appointment, then ask for something free and tweet about it or put it on Instagram.
“I know requests like these (free meals) happen but I am just not into that kind of thing.”
Byrne’s light-hearted response appeared to be well-received on Twitter, with many coming up with their own hilarious suggestions and demands.
Tell them you'd love to and "live tweet" them receiving the bill – gew on!
— Lisa O Brien (@liobrien) September 20, 2017
In exchange for cash my wife and I would like to eat a meal, and tell absolutely nobody on social media. #OldSchool #Notions
— Stevie Cahill (@StevieCahill) September 19, 2017
Would love to eat there, if you pay for my airfare I'll gladly post positive reviews.
— joshua hascup (@THEJoshHascup) September 22, 2017
Some fellow bloggers appeared to be embarrassed on their behalf.
Urgh. They are giving the rest of us travel writers an awful name. Trust, we aren’t all THIS bad 😞- and idiotic.
— Lara Ceroni (@LaraCeroni) September 22, 2017
Although not everyone agreed.
I don't see anything wrong with this. My blog is my business and I wouldn't make money if I didn't pitch to brands!
— Kirstyleanne 💙✈️ (@kirstyleannee92) September 22, 2017
Byrne said people take photos of their meals at Campagne all the time but they don’t ask him for free meals.
He also added that he understood why some bloggers and businesses do it but said that kind of publicity wasn’t for him.
“It’s just too ridiculous,” he added.
Byrne said his tweet has received a lot of attention from the other side of the Atlantic but believes their “chances of coming here are slim”, although he admits he was surprised by the overall positive response on social media.
And as for free meals at Campagne?
“After this, I don’t think I am ever going to get an email request again,” he joked.
