If you believed social media, you'd think the hospitality industry now revolved around people photographing every meal before taking a bite, carefully angled cocktails and people announcing they're "collaborating" with a café in return for a free brunch.

The word ‘influencer’ has become one of the most overused labels of the last decade. Somewhere along the way, having a healthy following became a profession. Restaurant launches now seem to attract as many phones as people, with diners more interested in getting the perfect shot than taking the first bite.

But here's the thing. The most influential people in hospitality have never described themselves as influencers. They're simply customers.

Every person who walks through the door has the power to shape a business's reputation. One recommendation to family or workmates can fill tables for weeks. One poor experience can do exactly the opposite. Ask any publican who's been around for more than a few years and they'll tell you that word of mouth has always been the best form of advertising.

That hasn't changed. The difference is that word of mouth no longer stops at the garden gate. Today it appears on Facebook, Google Reviews and TripAdvisor for everyone to see. Instead of telling half a dozen friends, people can tell hundreds before they've even left the car park.

Most of those opinions aren't sponsored. They aren't rehearsed and they certainly aren't filtered through a commercial agreement. They're simply honest accounts of how somebody was treated.

That's where the real influence lies.

Some operators become fixated on accounts with impressive follower numbers. Fair enough if it brings people through the door. Sometimes it does. Quite often it doesn't. A creator with 200,000 followers scattered across the country may never return, while the retired couple who call in every Friday know half the town and never fail to recommend the place when somebody asks where to eat.

I've seen businesses bend over backwards for invited guests while regulars wait patiently at the bar. That's a risky game. The regulars are paying the bills every week of the year, not just creating a burst of attention for an afternoon.

The local regular has always been an influencer. We just never gave them a trendy title.

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard someone shrug off a complaint with the words, "It's only one customer." It never is. That one customer has neighbours, family, colleagues and friends. Chances are they've also got a smartphone and a review account. Hospitality isn't judged only by inspectors anymore. It's judged every single day by ordinary people who simply expected a decent meal, friendly service and value for money.

The businesses that consistently get it right understand something very simple. You can't fake hospitality. You can impress someone for five minutes, but you only build a reputation by treating everyone well, every day. That's far harder than staging the perfect social media moment, but it's also far more valuable.

Every table deserves the same welcome, whether it's occupied by a food writer, someone with fifty thousand followers or a couple celebrating forty years of marriage. None of them should receive better treatment than the others.

Treat every customer as though they'll tell somebody about their visit. Because they almost certainly will.

Hospitality has always been about people. Social media hasn't changed that. It has simply handed everyone a bigger megaphone.

So perhaps it's time we stopped worrying about influencers and started remembering who really influences whether a business succeeds.

It's the people who pay the bill, come back next month and quietly tell everyone else that it's worth a visit.



Woody (Edward) Barlow, founder of Bear Inns, has worked in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, opening and establishing a number of award-winning venues. Woody is a member of the voting academy for Top 50 Gastro Pubs and is passionate about creating amazing pubs that have a joyful, lively atmosphere created by people, not only its guests but those delivering genuinely great hospitality.