Chefs and restaurateurs have zero-tolerance policy for free meals

It’s all too common to see D-grade celebrities and influencers using their 15 minutes of fame to score free food and drinks in exchange for social media posts.

But some of Australia’s top chefs and restaurateurs are saying no to such requests, as it doesn’t translate into dollars.

Matt Moran, of Aria and Chiswick restaurants, told The Daily Telegraph on Sunday that he always refuses and enjoys ‘watching the bill go out to the table’.  

Freebie-free zone: Australia’s top chefs and restaurateurs including Matt Moran [left] are refusing to give influencers a free lunch in exchange for social media posts. Pictured on the right is Love Island Australia’s Erin Barnett 

‘Shows like My Kitchen Rules, The Bachelor… shows like that. They have a few thousand followers, then they hit you up for free food,’ Matt added. 

Justin Hemmes of hospitality empire Merivale and Maurice Terzini of Icebergs in Sydney’s Bondi, have also taken a ‘freebie-free stance’.

Maurice told the paper that with his venue playing host to A-list stars on the regular, ‘everyone pays’.

‘We would be giving away more than we could afford if we did,’ he explained. 

After their TV debut: ‘Shows like My Kitchen Rules, The Bachelor… shows like that. They have a few thousand followers, then they hit you up for free food,’ Matt added. Pictured is The Bachelor’s Laurina Fleure 

Paying customers only: Justin Hemmes [pictured] of hospitality empire Merivale also refuses to give free meals to D-grade stars 

The comments come after Adelaide-based chef Duncan Welgemoed leaked e-mails from MKR star and self-proclaimed ‘food blogger’ Andy Vignati requesting free meals from his exclusive restaurant. 

Andy’s correspondence with the the chef was published in the Adelaide Advertiser earlier this month, with the TV star writing: ‘I’d love to come and try some food.’   

However, rather than shelling out for the hefty-priced meal, she continued: ‘In exchange I can post food shots and stories on my Instagram page.’

‘Everyone pays’: Maurice Terzini of Icebergs in Sydney’s Bondi, told the paper that with A-list guests on the regular, that wouldn’t be able to afford dishing out free food 

The pay-with-pictures request fell on deaf ears, with Duncan posting Andy’s e-mail on his Instagram page along with the hashtags: ‘#payforfood #payforstaff #f–kexposuredollars.’ 

Meanwhile some cafe owners are all too happy to donate food in exchange for social media posts.  

One well-known insider told Daily Mail Australia last September how easy it is to get a free meal from Melbourne venue Legacy Camberwell.

‘It’s great, I get free food at Legacy whenever I want. There’s no limit and I can take anyone with me,’ the source revealed.

‘Sometimes I feel guilty, so I’ll do two posts on Instagram and [an] Instagram Story for more publicity. But at the end of the day, they don’t really mind.’  

Repeat offender: Telverne Williams of Married At First Sight, is known to post photos at cafes on the regular 

Leaked e-mails: MKR star and self-proclaimed ‘food blogger’ Andy Vignati [pictured] was recently outed by Adelaide-based chef Duncan Welgemoed for requesting free meals from his exclusive restaurant 

One restaurant owner told Daily Mail Australia that they consider different factors when working out which customers go without a bill. 

‘[The celebrity] will usually direct message us asking to collaborate,’ the source said last September. 

‘To be honest, it doesn’t matter how many followers they have – it’s all about whether their brand is a good fit.’

The source continued: ‘I don’t feel taken advantage of at all when they keep coming back because their Instagram posts pay off for us.

‘We’re the place to be right now. It’s hard to measure [but] I’m sure one $20 meal will come back five times… the exposure you get from Instagram is a powerful tool.’  

Not having it: The pay-with-pictures request fell on deaf ears, with Duncan [pictured] posting Andy’s e-mail on his Instagram page along with the hashtags: ‘#payforfood #payforstaff #f–kexposuredollars’