How to Get Your Restaurant Featured by a Travel Blogger

Or: How Not to Make a Total Horlicks of It

So, you’ve got a restaurant. Congratulations. Maybe it’s a bistro with reclaimed wood and burnt aubergine. Maybe it’s a family-run trattoria that still thinks Instagram is a type of pasta. Whatever it is, you’ve realised — perhaps too late, perhaps just in time — that the way to get noticed these days is by having a travel blogger come through the door and write something with a bit more edge than “divine” and “vibe-y”.

But how do you do that without sounding like a desperado in someone’s DMs?

Here’s the straight answer. A bit practical. A bit brutal. But then, so is the food world.

1. Be Bloody Good First

This should go without saying. But trust me, it doesn’t. If your carbonara looks like a broken beige milkshake and your waiter treats eye contact like a personal attack, it’s not the time to invite a blogger in. Bloggers are not magicians. I can’t polish a meatball.

You want coverage? Earn it. Get the food right. Get the service right. Then — and only then — start looking for someone to shout about it.

2. Find the Right Writer (Not Just the Loudest One)

Don’t just spray your invite to every TikTokker with a ring light and a dodgy tripod. Find someone who actually writes. Someone with tastebuds and adjectives. A proper restaurant review blogger — ideally one with a readership who actually goes out to eat rather than just save things into a folder called “date night one day”.

You want the kind of person whose opinion your potential diners respect. Whose praise can shift covers. Whose name on your homepage carries more weight than five dozen Google reviews that say “yum”.

3. Craft a Decent Invite (Not a Cringe-Fest)

Right. So you’ve found someone who gets it. Now what?

Well, don’t send them a Canva graphic with Comic Sans saying “Hey foodie! Fancy a collab?”
Don’t say you’ll trade “free food for exposure”.
And for the love of truffle oil, don’t CC in 87 other bloggers like it’s a mass wedding invite.

Instead, write a human email. Tell them:

Who you are
What makes your place special (and don’t say “passion”)
Why you think it might be a good fit for their readers
What you’re offering — a hosted meal, a new opening, a story worth telling

And for extra points: mention a line from something they’ve written. Not in a creepy way. Just enough to show you’ve read more than their bio.

4. Nail the Experience

If they agree to come — hurrah! Now don’t mess it up.

Let your front-of-house know who they are (subtly, please, not with a parade).
Don’t oversell. Don’t push. Don’t start narrating your chef’s childhood mid-course.
Just give them the full guest experience. Let the food and service speak for itself. If it’s good, they’ll write something lovely. If it’s great, they’ll tell the world.

And if it’s average? Well. Best hope they’re having an off week.

5. Know What You’re Asking For

A review is not an ad. If you’re expecting unqualified praise in exchange for a plate of burrata, you’re in the wrong game. Writers — real ones — don’t sell stars. They observe. They critique. They call it as it is.

So, if you’re bold enough to invite a travel critic into your house, be ready for an honest take. That’s what earns trust. That’s what gets readers booking. That’s what makes it worth it.

Final Word: Don’t Chase Hype — Chase Credibility

Being featured by the right blogger isn’t about viral moments. It’s about long-term impact. The kind of review that sits on Google and sways the dinner decision for months. The kind that says: this place matters.

If you’ve got something to serve that people should travel for — get in touch. And please, for both our sakes, hold the beetroot foam.

📧 Contact Paul Southgate
Email: paul@thetravelcritic.co.uk
Phone: +44 7816 459474
More info: www.thetravelcritic.co.uk