Zomato connects restaurant owners with foodies

This according to food and lifestyle blogger Leila Saffarian who believes that many people now rely on social platforms to make decisions about most aspects of their lives, especially their food choices.

“Food has become such a huge genre in general. Nobody wants to go somewhere with a bad reputation, so many individuals turn to social platforms to make informed dining out decisions,” she explained.

“Whether it be towards food blogs, food critics or even towards apps such as Zomato – where it’s real people giving straight up reviews.”

Zomato, the online restaurant discovery platform, organised a foodie meet-up with co-owner of Knead Bakery at the Michael Angelo, Steven Michael, who also noticed how consumers have turned to social media to engage with brands.

After being in the restaurant business for 14 years, Michael said one of his biggest priorities was providing quality products to his community.

He believes that it is for this reason and their reasonable prices, that they have been able to get people talking on social media.

He said social media has created a platform for people to either complain or compliment the service they have received at certain establishments, and admitted that this then meant the results made more of an impact than in the past.

Marketing manager for Zomato South Africa, Cara Lee Hedding, believes restaurant owners are catching on to the trend of using online platforms and social media to engage with their customers.

“The Zomato app is not only a great way for foodies to discover new places, but also a platform for restaurant owners to receive feedback on their food and service, and the response from both Johannesburg and Cape Town has been overwhelming.”

Hedding believes Zomato will continue to grow as more restaurant owners also see the value that Zomato adds to their business.