Gordon Ramsay shares blunt warning about 'influencers' who take photos of their food
Gordon Ramsay is known to be someone who's not afraid of speaking his mind - in fact, he's built his entire career on it.
Mind you, given his sprawling restaurant empire and multiple Michelin stars (17 in total over the years, if we're counting), it's probably fair to say the man knows what he's talking about.
He's also been in the business for decades, having started out under the likes of Marco Pierre White, Pierre Koffmann and Albert Roux before forging his own gastronomic path with his first restaurant in the late 90s.
Since then, there's no doubt Ramsay will have seen the landscape change dramatically: online bookings have replaced the chore of picking up the phone, TripAdvisor reviews mean we're no longer at the behest of the critics, while Google Maps allow us to navigate ourselves to dinner on time without getting lost.
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But many of us might worry that not all the change is good.
Speaking to LADbible Group ahead of the launch of Burger King’s new Wagyu meal, he took aim at the rise of people documenting their day-to-day lives through their phones - something we can all relate to, whether it's at the dinner table,
However, Ramsay's frustration isn't directed where you might assume.
“It's what's happening, right?" he said bluntly.
"It's different. Going to see a concert today and watching Coldplay today is completely different to it was 15 years ago, because now everybody's got their phones, their lights are on, and then that's part of it."
"It's the same in the industry."
He warned chefs and other industry workers that they should 'embrace it', explaining: "We have some of the best viral moments are caused by foodie influencers, and chefs have a little bug bear because ‘Why are they more famous than me?’
"Because they're highlighting your food, you doughnut. So embrace it."
Ramsay added: “Something that I literally jumped on years ago. And if you'd said to me, I think when I got past that first million followers, we're now 130, 2 million across all five platforms. 42 million on f**king TikTok. It is ridiculous. So embrace it."
That said, there's one caveat that seems justified.
“Don't let it get too cold," the chef warned.
"Take a photo and devour that thing.
"But chefs are funny because a lot of them get sniffy, it's the customer's prerogative. They're f**king paying for it. They can take as many pictures as they want. They own that burger. Shoot away, girl.”
He also feels strongly about the burger in question, saying there's one major 'red flag' to look out for.
Ramsay - who is helping Burger King launch its ‘most premium product to date’, The Wagyu - continued: “Burgers need to sit and rest. So, when you temper and mess around by stuffing them with blue cheese or courgette - no, keep it simple and don't over garnish it.
“But the big red flag for me is when you can't f**king see the burger, be careful what you're eating.
“Because the secret to a great burger: The bun, top and bottom.
“Then you got some peppery rocket, or some salad, some form of Sriracha, mayo. But you want to see the colour and make sure it’s caramelised.”
Worse still, if it's 'grey', Ramsay warned: "Get out.”
Interview by Jess Battison
Jess Hardiman