Farm-to-table
Despite the growth in the farm-to-table restaurants the movement has been met with some criticism. Critics argue the interest in knowing where your food comes from and ensuring it is locality sourced is just another food fad for millennials. Furthermore, the higher price point that many restaurants are forced to demand, given the higher costs of production and lower economies of scale, also make farm-to-table food less accessible for many people. The movement was originally closed tied to "tree-hugging elitists," who were able to afford farm-to-table food. Lastly, critics argue that the farm-to-table term is not fully understood by consumers. For example, foods advertised as farm-to-table are considered healthier regardless of actual nutritional content.
Restaurant media
Online review platforms are not the only form of social media that has revolutionised the restaurant industry. Even the large social medias such as Facebook and Twitter have had a huge impact on the industry. An example of this was KFC's release of the Double Down burger. Whether the topic of discussion was positive or negative regarding the Double Down, conversations through Facebook and Twitter especially had a greater success of reaching consumers than any advertising campaign for the burger did. The hype and controversy over the burger in May 2011 made it the most desired item on the Kentucky Fried Chicken menu. The idea of using a social media in the restaurants advantage is to get people talking about a restaurant or a menu item. This is essentially free advertising. Not only is it free, but also 92% of all consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over any advertising campaign. Restaurants want to utilize the opportunity for free advertising via Facebook, as it is a platform that can be constantly updated with new items, deals or even new store locations. Photos and videos are a far more effective advertising medium, which makes Facebook a perfect media to use for advertising product.