Social media has grown to become the preeminent mode of marketing for nearly every industry worldwide, with influencers — those select few who boast large followings and cultural sway — holding the keys.The Toronto restaurant industry is no exception. While traditional forms of getting the word out about restaurants, like legacy media, advertisements, and marketing, still play major roles in driving business success, over the past decade, social media has eclipsed them all.It's become something of a symbiotic relationship: influencers (some of whom prefer the term content creators) go to restaurants for a typically comped meal, post about their experience, and, in return, the restaurant gets exposure for the nominal price of the free food.But the now-inextricable relationship between restaurants and influencers is starting to show signs of strain. In January 2026, celebrity chef Massimo Capra (Restaurant Makeover, Chopped: Canada) took to Instagram t...