Influencer reviews can make or break a restaurant. In some cases, they expose real problems. In others, they raise questions about how much power creators should have over small businesses.
We’ve seen both sides play out. A San Francisco café shut down last year after an influencer exposed what customers described as toxic behavior. In another viral case, a food influencer faced backlash after viewers accused him of pressuring restaurants for free meals by posting harsh reviews.
A scenario similar to the second unfolded late last year. The two parties involved were California food influencer @hoodrely and Hyphy Burger, a small burger chain based in California. TikTok creator @daadisnack later broke down the situation, sharing screenshots, clips, and security footage. His video garnered over 8 million views.
What Went Down At Hyphy Burger?
“To the influencer who gave a horrible review to a restaurant—they caught you lying in 4K,” he writes in the video’s text overlay.
He explains that the influencer posted a 2 out of 10 review, claiming the restaurant was unsafe, dirty, and uncomfortable to be in.
“So an influencer gave a restaurant a two out of 10 review,” Daadi says. “Saying that it was dirty and dangerous. Well, the restaurant pulled out the security camera footage—and it doesn’t look good for our influencer friend.”
One of the influencer’s main claims involved being repeatedly bothered while waiting for her food. In her review audio, she says, “Somebody was clearly on drugs who kept bothering me for five minutes straight. It was a very uncomfortable situation.”
Daadi overlays that audio with security footage from inside the restaurant. In the clip, the influencer stands alone at the counter, filming herself. No one appears to approach or interact with her during the time frame shown.
“Now, we could be missing context here,” Daadi notes. “But she goes on to say the restaurant is dirty and uses this clip as evidence of that.”
That second clip shows tables pushed back and some paper on the floor. Daadi points out that the influencer filmed the space immediately after a large group left.
“She leaves out the fact that she filmed this just minutes after 12 people left,” he says. The restaurant’s security footage appears to back that up, showing the group leaving, followed by the influencer pulling out her phone. Timestamps later show staff cleaning the area within minutes.
“And not only that,” Daadi adds, “but the staff clean the mess up like five minutes later.”
What caught Daadi’s attention next was the motivation behind the review. He pulls up a comment from the influencer herself, where she writes that the restaurant “could of reach out to me and invited me for a better experience as a customer.”
“If you go to her comments,” Daadi says, “you will see that she wants to be invited back for a better customer experience—meaning she probably wants free food.”
He ends by encouraging viewers to support the restaurant. “Shout out to Hyphy Burger for defending themselves,” he says. “If you live near one, please go support them.”
Commenters Find Influencer’s Behavior Deplorable
The comments under Daadi Snack’s video were blunt.
“Reviews like that should be liable for defamation,” one person wrote.
Another asked, “Why is there an influx of food influencers scamming or bashing businesses for free food?”
“Blackmailing a business with a bad review to have them invite you back in return for a good review and free food is crazy,” another commenter added. “Glad they posted proof because some people only take one side of the story as truth.”
Others defended the restaurant directly. “Hyphy Burger has bomb fries, decent burgers—think In-N-Out—and really good shakes,” one viewer wrote. “It’s a fast food restaurant that stays busy, so it’s reasonable if it’s a little messy.”
Another summed it up this way: “Anytime you see an egregiously bad review from an influencer—especially a place with decent existing reviews—it’s almost always because they weren’t comped.”
Can You Get In Trouble For Posting A Fake Review?
In 2024, the Federal Trade Commission finalized a rule aimed at cracking down on fake and misleading reviews.
The rule allows the FTC to pursue civil penalties against knowing violators and specifically targets reviews that misrepresent a person’s experience with a business. It also prohibits creating or spreading reviews that imply misconduct or conditions that didn’t occur.
While the rule primarily focuses on businesses buying or selling fake reviews, it also clarifies that compensation, explicit or implied, tied to posting positive or negative reviews can be a violation.
In cases where reviews cross into false claims that harm a business, legal experts have previously noted that defamation laws may also apply, depending on the circumstances and intent.
@daadisnacks support @HyphyBurger #influencer
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BroBible has reached out to @daadisnack via TikTok messages, Hyphy Burger via Instagram direct messaging, and @hoodrely via email for comment.