Restaurant owners in Dubai have hit out at purported social media influencers who promise to post content about their business in exchange for free food and then fail to honour the agreement.
As a result, restaurateurs can end up heavily out of pocket with next to nothing in return. While it is mandatory in the UAE for influencers to be licensed, there are still those who abuse the system to get as much for free as they possibly can.
The National spoke to hospitality and industry experts who advised on how best to identify those who will add value to a business and stay clear of freeloaders.
Fadel Fabour, owner of Big T BBQ, said he now only trusts influencers passed on to him by acquaintances and friends to avoid falling prey to people who buy followers, often bots rather than real people, to get food without paying.
“It has gotten to the point where I needed to train my employees to reject influencers coming to barter 'exposure' for free meals,” said Mr Fabour.
“Having a restaurant that sells a lot of protein and meat means that giving out these free meals really costs us.”
Mr Fabour estimates that each influencer offered barter deals ends up costing his business as much as Dh1,000.
He said that many influencers have visited his restaurant but the genuine ones would wait in line, get their meals and pay for them, as opposed to the fake influencers who would demand free food.
Hricha Saraf, owner of Bol Gappa Restaurant in Dubai said she stopped hosting influencers entirely, primarily because some influencers do not have genuine followers and often take undue advantage of the restaurant's hospitality.
“What was happening is when we invite them, we didn't put any limit that, I thought we would give them the option to order whatever they want,” she said.
“So I have seen that people order too much food and then they take it home.
“And not only that, many of the influencers came to me and they said, can you pack it for two places so that, you know, I can drop it at my cousin's place?”
For each influencer, she estimated it cost her up to Dh300.
Spotting the right influencer
“When they are legitimate, the demeanour is very different,” said Kevin Joshi, director of marketing and PR for Atelier House Hospitality.
“The fraudulent ones on the other hand, if we discuss a table of two, they'd bring three or four instead and they are hardly ever interested in the concept of the restaurant and just want as much food and beverages as possible, sometimes they even ask for extra to take home.”
Since July, any influencers making money from their social media collaborations in the UAE must be licensed or face fines of up to Dh10,000 ($2,720).
The licence costs Dh15,000 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai but the costs vary in other emirates.
Natasha Hatherall-Shawe, chief executive of Dubai marketing company TishTash, estimates that a quarter of influencers have a permit but most still “operate on a gift-giving or barter basis”.
“If you don’t have an agency or someone to steer you in this area, ask some basic questions of everyone who approaches you,” she said.
“Ask for their media kit of audience insights so you can understand who they are and who their following is.
“This should be easy for most to provide and if someone won’t, then warning bells do flash for me.”
She acknowledged some restaurants might not be able to afford analysis tools but says there are some simple steps anyone could take like looking at basic things like “type of content, quality of content, how many people are viewing posts versus the number of followers”.
“Set out clear guidelines to anyone you work with in terms of what you will give them and also what you expect in return from them and have this in writing,” she said.
“A lot of the issues I see is where this has not happened and there is no clear boundary and influencers turn up with 10 friends and order endless expensive wine and drinks all night.
“Asking for Google reviews of Trip Advisor reviews as a deliverable is something we’re doing a lot more now, as this is more valuable to a business over and above content today.
“Think what will benefit your business more and ask for that.”
Taking advantage
Ms Hatherall-Shawe described social media influencers who are taking advantage of businesses as fraudulent.
“I’m very honest about my views on this area and it is fraud,” she said.
If you’re presenting yourself as something you are not and accepting goods, services or even paid deals for something that is not real, then it is fraudulent and should be tackled accordingly.
Ms Hatherall-Shawe said that most agencies keep blacklists for unethical or fraudulent influencers. She added that the market is small and such influencers could find themselves with fewer jobs due to their bad reputation.
“It is always the case that a minority ruin it for the majority and this is the same when it comes to influencers, as truly fake influencers are I do believe in the minority.
“[However they] are definitely on the rise as an increasing number of people aspire to be an influencer for the perks and lifestyle it can potentially offer.”
Genuine influencers are detaching themselves from the word and are now opting for the term “content creator, she added. "True influencers really take pride in their craft, work tirelessly on their content and do it as a full time job, so take it very seriously and with solid ethics and integrity. Influencers should treat it as any other job or career and be professional in the way they approach and deal with restaurants."
“Send a professional and polite message or email, present your profile and media kit to restaurants, showing clearly who you are and your audience as this shows you see it as a business transaction and you’re not just after a freebie.”
She said while those caught exploiting restaurants may evade punishment, agencies who would seek to work with reputable influencers would take steps to distance themselves from unscrupulous operators.
“There is no real consequence for people who deal in gifts and bartering but PR agencies have blacklists for fraudulent influencers,” said Ms Hatherall-Shawe.
“The market is small and as a result, they can get a bad reputation and not get jobs because of it.”
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
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Persuasion
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
65
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EScott%20Beck%2C%20Bryan%20Woods%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdam%20Driver%2C%20Ariana%20Greenblatt%2C%20Chloe%20Coleman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THURSDAY FIXTURES
4.15pm: Italy v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: Egypt v Mexico (Group B)
6.45pm: UAE v Japan (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
Chip: Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: 64/256GB storage; 8GB RAM
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, Smart HDR
Video: 4K @ 25/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR, Centre Stage; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Stereo speakers
Biometrics: Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours on cellular
Finish: Space grey, starlight, pink, purple, blue
Price: Wi-Fi – Dh2,499 (64GB) / Dh3,099 (256GB); cellular – Dh3,099 (64GB) / Dh3,699 (256GB)
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
Midfield - Angel di Maria (€47m); Adrien Rabiot (youth academy); Marco Verratti (€12m)
Forwards - Neymar (€222m); Edinson Cavani (€63m); Kylian Mbappe (initial: loan; to buy: €180m)
Total cost: €440.4m (€620.4m if Mbappe makes permanent move)
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
