Influencer attempts to get free family meal at restaurant in Spain, and this was the owner's reaction

Deals between social media influencers and restaurants have become a common practice - the latter offers free food in exchange for advertising. The pool of foodies and their followers is experiencing one of its most profitable moments, but some restaurateurs are reluctant to invite these content creators to promote their businesses.

This hesitation was reflected in a recent chain of messages shared by the Spanish content creator Jesús Soriano, known on social media as @soycamarero, after an influencer contacted pizzeria Il Taroncello in the Valencia town of Alzira.

The original influencer's idea was to go to the establishment with his family for lunch or dinner and eat for free in exchange for posting stories and reels on Instagram as a way of promoting the restaurant. In response to Soriano's request, the owner of Il Taroncello simply asked if he would like to see the menu prices.

"What for?" asked the influencer, after which he said that there might have been a misunderstanding. "We would come for lunch or dinner (for free) and in return I advertise for you (for free). That's why it's called collaboration," he said, but never received an answer. He later followed up asking whether they were interested.

The restaurant owner decided to respond with irony, making it clear that they didn't understand these 'collaborations'. "Do you want to come on a Friday or calmly on Saturday?"

"If you want, we can come early so that there are not too many people and we can film everything. We can't on Friday, but Saturday is good and we can also come on Sunday if there are fewer people," said the influencer.

"Thank you for thinking of us. I understand that you wanted to dine for free, it would be weird if you didn't try. But look, we cook real food here, not followers. So if you ever want to try what we do, we invite you... to make a reservation like everyone else," said the pizzeria owner.

The responses from people in the comment section quickly criticised the influencer for his lack of tact.

"Bravo, without losing your manners and with an educated reply", " people have more face than back" and "it's really tacky that an influencer has to beg for an invitation," were some of the responses.