Attention, food bloggers: the chef-owner of Origin and Colborne Lane, Claudio Aprile, has established some rules about dining at his restaurant on his blog:
A short message to all people that have or plan on coming to Origin with huge zoom lenses and flashes that induce seizures, the food critics and wannabe food critics who end up just being lonely bloggers in front of their Mac at 3 a.m.
1. Do your research before you arrive. Have an open mind.
2. Understand the concept and accept the fact that Origin is not Colborne Lane.
3. If you can do a better job than me and my staff then why aren’t you doing it?
C.
We’d like to add one more: telling the staff that you’re a critic-blogger in hopes of bypassing the lines or getting a free meal. Yes, we’ve seen this happen before and it has to stop.
• Never Met A Kid “Who Wants To Be A Critic When They Grow Up” [Origin blog]
What he is doing is resulting in the opposite of what he wanted
April 15, 2010 at 4:01 pm | by SambotsWhile I agree that those people Toronto Life deems “critic-bloggers” should not be telling staff at restaurants that they are just to bypass lines or get free meals, I disagree with Claudio Aprile — since when was it illegal to take photographs of food in a restaurant? Those who choose to take pictures of the food they eat should not be frowned down upon if they haven’t disturbed anyone in their surrounding vicinity. We are all entitled to our own opinions, and though I can somewhat sympathize with your frustrations, Mr. Aprile, at the end of the day… there may not be anything you can do about it.
April 15, 2010 at 11:17 pm | by ShelleyI had a great meal with a friend a few nights ago at Origin, and thought “I should have brought my camera” because the plates were lovely. Aprile’s arrogant post isn’t just going to annoy food critics, but also food lovers that like to talk (the ones that are willing to spend $75 on the night’s special lobster plate.)
April 16, 2010 at 12:40 pm | by Angelaamen, minor league bloggers complaining about what they think they know about food is very irritating. and yes you can do something about it, you dont let them in your resto if they were ever too come back.
April 16, 2010 at 1:04 pm | by bittlesSure can tell who has never owned a restaurant in these comments.
It takes only one comment on a blog to create a wave in a restaurant’s business – good or bad. Rookie bloggers, especially younger bloggers, have little understanding of how hard it is to own and operate a restaurant. I can set up a blog in 5 minutes, which could conceivably kill a business. I really think that this chef blogger is correct in calling out bloggers. You aren’t paid for your work, so really it has NO value other than hearsay. The chef blogger is simply stating the internet’s version of the obvious, No shirts, no shoes, no service. Some customers actually need the sign so they ‘know better’. Rookie bloggers often don’t know better.
I shoot pics of food that I like without a flash, usually with an iPhone, and usually surreptitiously. Every camera can can shoot without a flash and if the blogger can sit still long enough to produce an unblurry picture, the results should be perfect.
As for shooting pics of food in general, one MUST REMEMBER that you are likely shooting pictures without permission of the owner, and usually on the private property you are dining at. (Different story if food is delivered to you) If the owner has a problem, they have every legal right to ask you not to shoot pics and possibly asked to leave. A sign in the restaurant usually is all the owner needs to cover his/her butt.
The chef blogger is just saying leave the fancy lens at home and turn off the stupid flash. Really, have we lost all sense of common decency!? I would be pissed to have a pic taken, ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, without my prior knowledge. And I like having my pic taken.
April 16, 2010 at 2:33 pm | by A. Shannonto A. Shannon,
some reasonable points regarding not using a flash out of courtesy to the restaurant and its guests, as well any sort of attempt to rec’v special treatment by claiming to be a critic or blogger is poor taste.
but your comments about a single blog taking down a restaurant are baseless. in one breath you claim that bloggers very often have no idea how to run a restaurant or that their work has no value because it is hearsay, and the next breath you claim their worthless comments can do real damage.
this kind of anger directed towards food bloggers from both aprile and yourself is indicative of just how powerful of a force food bloggers have become. save the uncouth tendencies noted from flashes and VIP claims, people can in fact help a restaurant or hurt it only if those reading their blogs take them seriously. if thats the case, one would hope a 5 star establishment has enough respect for its patrons to believe that not only professionals are capable of making lucid and informed observations.
April 18, 2010 at 9:55 am | by dr. cosa@dr. cosa – what anger? No question that food bloggers are powerful. With any power should also come personal responsibility, and awareness of that power. I generally only worry about negative reviews and would wish for an opportunity to fix a problem personally rather than repeatedly fix the same problem a blogger makes much worse, especially with irresponsible bloggers that choose to have vendetta. One of our competitors is especially nasty ‘as a food blogger.’ I use chowhound.com and urbanspoon.com as a place to get the word out about my fave places and usually remain silent about those places I didn’t enjoy. I would much rather tell an owner of a poor experience that blather away online in a blog.
Still perplexed by the ‘kind of anger’ remark. Maybe one shouldn’t read emotion in my response as I was rather blahhhhh when I wrote the original reply. Oh well. :-)
April 19, 2010 at 10:29 am | by A. ShannonClaudio Aprile – like most chefs that pretend to be good – are all what I call ‘PR chefs’, and this is further evidence. If he was really sure of his cookery, he wouldn’t be worried what professional/blogger food writers say about his cuisine.
April 20, 2010 at 6:51 am | by Dick RichardsI work for a company that houses a community blog board on our main website – for consumers to do research on our product, to connect with past clients and to meet new clients embarking on our product. We do NOT ‘powder fluff’ this area of our website. We do not ‘edit’ andy of the comments put up and we only take them down if it’s impeding on someone else in the community room or it’s derogatory.
This ensures that our product feedback is TRUE to what our product actually delivers. We are completely confident in our product – why would we not want to hear constructive criticism? It only helps us make our product better!
Obviously there is something to hide or the chef is not 100% confident in his wait staff (who are amazing by the way) or his dishes (doule kudo for the dishes as well).
My husband and I recently ate at Origin and had an amazing Friday dinner complete with ridiculously delicious cocktails and we were 110% happy with every dish that was set in front of us.
I DID take a photo on my iPhone – but it wasn’t of the food. It was of my empty cocktail glass, the menu and the drinks pamphlet and it was more of an artistic Facebook update with a quirky quote and imagery.
I suggest the chef start believing in his restaurant – quickly – and stop worrying about what his clientele are taking photos of and reporting back – most likely, if you haven’t pissed them off by telling them not to take a photo, the reviews are excellent!
April 20, 2010 at 7:25 am | by P8n8lop8Wow, bitter. Now I’m going to look up which food bloggers Aprile is talking about!
Hey Claudio, if you can’t stand the heat, well, you know what they say… I wonder if the bloggers were saying nice things about your restaurant if you’d feel the same way.
I’m not a food blogger, but in this day and age, if you want to become a paid food critic (not a “wannabe”, although I’m not sure where the line between “wannabe” and “actual” food critic is drawn?) a blog is a great way to get some experience. And, much like a restaurant’s success depending on a volume of patrons, a blogger’s success depends on a certain volume of readers. If the blogger isn’t any good, nobody will read the blog and it doesn’t matter what he/she says b/c nobody’s reading it.
I think I’m gonna borrow a giant camera and make a reservation at Origin just to annoy Mr. Aprile.
April 20, 2010 at 8:18 am | by mary eva donanWake up Claudio…. I was there and was the worst waitress who didn’t know between a gibson and martini??? Are you scared of foood critics… You should stay behind your stoves instead of writing on blogger..It’s 2010… relax man.. we want be back to your place.. there are better foooodies joint in town..
April 20, 2010 at 12:02 pm | by aldoCiao
Opinions are like a++holes every one has one.
April 20, 2010 at 1:02 pm | by fat chancesome great comments and opinions! it’s great to see that our collective passion for sharing the ideas and values that we each hold dear is not lost.
that said, i am a blogger [www.ithinkyoushould.com], albeit not a food blogger, but now and again i will often comment on an experience i’ve had regarding the universal experience of food consumption positive or otherwise. i’ve also written my share of rants and raves about the things that i too find interesting or annoying. and how if it was “up to me” i’d change a few things. i do, however, draw the line at slander, and making myself a public nuisance for the sake of my own PR was never the reason i got into blogging in the first place.
I think that if somebody were to tell me that i cldn’t hold an opinion or exercise my right to participate in an activity that i find enjoyable simply because they’ve had a bad experience with “people like me,” then i’d wonder why that individual is in the business of providing a service to the mass public. it stands to reason that not all people were meant to enjoy and idolize the same experience, nor is it reasonable to assume that all bloggers, like professional food critics are created equally—the “lonely 3am” wannabees notwithstanding.
people generally enter into business food or otherwise, because they have a gift and a desire to share that creative gift, not because they want to control and edit somebody’s experience. the beauty of experience is that no two experiences are alike. experiences are subjective and fickle at best. one person’s mark mcewan might be another person’s susur lee, might be another person’s claudio aprile. perhaps the difference can be measured by the size of the ego?
i think that mr aprile should “get over himself” bloggers are here to stay. Some of us are cool, some of us are not so cool. And thank God that’s the case because how utterly boring and mundane would our lives be if we were all the same?
i think that mr aprile should “get over himself” bloggers are here to stay.
April 20, 2010 at 2:16 pm | by bolaji williamsI am guilty of taking photos of my food. Low light makes for unwieldy images but a flash can create the opposite affect and washes everything out in white (from the reflection off a bright white plate into everyone’s faces). Inevitably, I give up and just enjoy the food. Frankly – sometimes I know I should have done this all along.
Funnily enough, I remember Aprile’s food to be very engaging (and beautiful to look at) and thus, when you think you should have taken a photo, you’ve already somehow managed to dive in. It’s a pity to think that people are removed from whatever atmosphere he is trying to create in order to get material to update their blogs. Bloggers abound, it’s fine to write about your experience and have a photo to back it up but a constant cataloging of what you’re doing can often take away from the experience itself. In short, smell the roses… don’t itemize them.
And to be clear, Aprile’s food hasn’t always been spectacular for me. There were some FANTASTIC dishes – for sure but there were some that just not appealing to my tastes at all (i.e. I chose not to finish what was in front of me despite what my mother taught me). However, I still think about both kinds… and I think that’s what an artist is after – evoking thought and personal experience, good or bad. No offense to those who want to tell me what it was like – I want to experience it myself and maybe he wants that too.
April 20, 2010 at 4:25 pm | by HezWho is Claudio Aprile? But who cares, he does not understand the first thing about opening a restaurant. It is a hospitality business, not a hostile business.
May be he should stick his head out of his molecular a _ _ hole and start living and enjoy life, or he can join hell kitchen and do the dishes? Or may be go back to kindergarden and learn how to be a nice person.
Have a nice original nite.
jojo
April 20, 2010 at 7:53 pm | by jojo