Focusing on the nuances of reviewing food

Over the past couple of years or so, the food blogging scene has shot through the culinary roof in Qatar. The evidence for this trend abounds in how food reviews are lapped up in online space and social athe words of approval of their trusted bloggers, and this demand for quality food reviews across communities in Qatar is only growing.
To teach you the finer nuances of how to do a good food review or be an effective food blogger, SilverFox Digital will be hosting a training session titled “How to Blog in Great Taste” on February 4, from 1pm to 5pm, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – the fee for the workshop is QR75; you can send an RSVP via Whatsapp to 55570047.
Community caught up with Michael Stellwag, Founder of SilverFox Digital Communications, to know more about the art of fine food blogging and the need for putting out quality food reviews.

Why was there a need to organise this event which serves as a primer on writing or producing a good food review?
SilverFox Digital Communications has several restaurant clients in Qatar, with market experience dating back to 2007. We have seen a remarkable growth in Qatar’s hotel, restaurant, and café market during this time. Whilst the sector growth has been beneficial for the country, and contributed towards Qatar’s National Vision 2030, this has led to intense competition amongst restaurants and cafés alike. This competition has left restaurateurs looking for answers as they seek awareness of their unique menus and services. In a market assessment conducted by us, it was clear that more marketing and visibility tools were needed for Qatar’s restaurant and café sector. Therefore, we partnered with new restaurant review website, RestaurantAdvisor.org, to help develop the food blogger scene in Qatar. Based on our review of the food blogger market in Qatar, there appear to be numerous opportunities to offer a more complete product to serve the readers and the needs of restaurants and cafés. Therefore, I, as a trainer, will tap into my 20-year digital marketing career with companies like UBS, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, and more, to help boost the professionalism and awareness of food blogging across Qatar.

Despite there being so many food reviewers out there, why do you feel food reviews are so much in demand and so widely shared and followed?
One thing we cannot deny is that everyone in Qatar loves their food. In fact, there is an “inner-foodie” in almost all of us. For some Qatar residents, food is a key area of personal identity and expression. In a market like Qatar, which is so driven by word-of-mouth marketing, these food expressionists have a positive effect on increasing trial of food and beverage establishments. Another force that has driven power to the food reviewers is the state of the Qatar economy, which has led to more careful discretionary spending by Qatar residents. This has led Qatar consumers to think twice about where they spend their dining and entertainment budgets. Food bloggers are in an enviable position in Qatar, because many restaurants don’t have a digital footprint of their own, which opens the door for influencers and food bloggers to become key drivers of awareness and opinion of dining establishments.
 
What are some of the most elementary points to follow to create a compelling food review?
SilverFox Digital recommends bloggers learn how to describe all the qualities of a carrot for five minutes. The art of expression comes in many forms, and part of the workshop will focus on the myriad ways you can describe even the simplest of foods. Part of it comes with a strong vocabulary, and the other part comes from having more “human sensors” on at the moment you walk through the restaurant’s door. Aspiring bloggers will be taught to notice the extreme details throughout the restaurant, and even the kitchen. Bloggers will also be taught to think outside of the bun, paying close attention to service, cleanliness, the chef, and the serving process.
 
Why does food blogging interest you so much?
Our firm’s marketing experts have identified blogging to be a key driver of awareness and trial of the many new restaurants and cafés in Qatar. I hold great hope in the future of food blogging as a marketing method for dining establishments, particularly, when professional blogging standards and ethics are adhered to. I’d say I have the restaurant business in my blood, as my grandparents started a 600-store restaurant chain in Champaign, Illinois in USA in 1953, called Dog ‘n Suds. I became a food aficionado at an early age, and have an interest in combining my digital marketing expertise to build a network of trained bloggers across Qatar that serve the public and restaurateurs, alike.
 
What do you feel about the current scene of food bloggers in Qatar?
There is presently a disconnect in the market between food bloggers and restaurateurs. Some of this disconnect comes from a disparate understanding of professional blogging standards. Also, modes of communications are quite fragmented, with too heavy an emphasis on social media. Our upcoming training session on February 4 titled ‘How to Blog in Great Taste’ is part of a series through which SilverFox Digital Communications and RestaurantAdvisor.org are looking to build higher professional standards in the food blogging business, which will benefit both sides of the dining table.