Greenville Restaurants Make Food Built for Instagram Likes

Phone eats first: Greenville restaurants are catering their spaces and menus for social media

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GREENVILLE— When she makes hangover tea for guests at Chef 21 Sushi Burger & Korean BBQ, owner LeRaina Xiao likes to give a show. The cocktail arrives in a glass shaped like an astronaut holding a moon. The fruity, green-tea infused sip is tasty, but drinking it is an experience, too. Chef 21 Korean BBQ caters to social media crowds with fun glassware and viral-ready experiences.

Those who order the wagyu are in for another treat. The premium beef cut is presented tableside, transported in a treasure box filled with dry ice, which creates a dreamy cascade of smoke when opened. It’s enough to make you want to take a photo.

“When I created this, I wanted it to be an Instagrammable spot,” said Xiao, who opened Chef 21 in April 2023.

Social media’s influence is undeniable in this day and age, and in Greenville, the allure of TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook fame is tightening its grip on restaurants. Today, 97 percent of consumers use at least one social media platform, a Datassential study found. And over half of consumers consult social media for food news and restaurant advice. Another 52 percent have purchased a food or beverage item because they saw it on social media.

“That’s very telling,” said Renee Wege, a trendologist with Datassential who studies the food and beverage industry. “It also points to that benefit of if you are posting some of these trendy things, people may never have heard of you before, but if they are coming just to grab that item it is getting that exposure to your business.”

A shifting approach

When Xiao was growing up, her parents owned Chinese takeout and buffet restaurants. They relied on direct mailers to reach potential customers. Xiao tried direct mailers when she first opened, each with a coupon attached to entice people to come dine. Barely any came back. Now, with the demographic Xiao is attracting with her innovative menus, it’s all about social media.

When you enter Chef 21, there is the moon bar. A custom-designed moon hangs above, casting a glow over patrons. If you make your way through the time travel tunnel — an eye-catching hallway that connects the restaurant’s two sides — into the more traditional Korean barbecue side. Sit at the custom-built table with a mini river running through it. Order the lover’s collection to watch a butler’s cart laden with sweet treats come rolling to your table.

“People say location is very important to the success of a business,” Xiao said. “And I still think so, but I think second would be social media and then word of mouth.”

The sushi burger at Chef 21 Sushi Burger & Korean BBQ is made of two fried rice patty “buns”, spicy crab meat, avocado, seaweed salad, and salmon sashimi.

Even for restaurant owners who do not have social media at the forefront of the business, the medium still provides a boost. In the case of The Rabbit Hole, the bar in West Greenville inspired by the rabbit in Alice and Wonderland, you are surrounded by intriguing elements. From the table that sits upside down on the ceiling to the vines that weave through the ceiling and the moss wall that acts as a captivating backdrop, everything is designed to feel like you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. And owner Sebastian Carter is gleeful in his explanation of it all.

But he didn’t do it for internet clout. “I did not build this to be a place people would come and snap thousands of pics,” Carter said. “I just wanted someone to walk in and feel like they aren’t in Kansas anymore.” Still, it’s hard not to want to share.

The bathroom at The Rabbit Hole is decked out with framed pictures of rabbits, a black toilet, dim lighting, and an ornate mirror above the eye-catching sink. Instead of music playing, it’s an audiobook version of “Alice in Wonderland.” Carter combed through nearly 50 audio versions before he found the perfect one. Even if unintended, the bathroom has become a draw, which meant steady business. Come for the bathroom, stay for the food and cocktails.

The Rabbit Hole was not designed for social media, according to owner Sebastian Carter, but people do enjoy taking pictures of the unique decor like the upside-down tea party, which sits on the ceiling.

More than just food photos

Today, most businesses do have some sort of social media presence, which means businesses have to do more to stand out, said Kenny Ridgell, who has worked with a number of local restaurants through his company, Ridge Media. Nice photos are important, but it only gets you so far.

“It’s putting the personality behind the brand,” Ridgell said. “So many (people) now can take good pictures of food. They have food stylists. It’s hard to make yours look different.”

For clients like Restaurant 17, Ridge created content that illustrates the restaurant’s aesthetic but also chef Hadyn Shaak’s passion for local sourcing. Social media posts tell the story of a dish, beginning with the local farmer and ending in the kitchen.

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Ridgell has used a similar storytelling strategy to boost longstanding businesses as well, building a campaign around one iconic item. With Strossner’s Bakery, Ridgell tapped into the specialty and holiday-specific cakes which help the Greenville institution stand out with over-the-top designs. Now, the bakery regularly sells out of those specialty cakes. In 2022 Strossner’s was named the number four top bakery in the South from “Southern Living.”

“It shows the impact having Instagrammable dishes can have,” Ridgell said.

Jeremy Krauze has seen success with showing behind-the-scenes content from his Society Sandwich Bar & Social Club. The restaurant’s social media following has grown without antics or viral trends, but with what Krauze called good old-fashioned engagement. It might be the restaurant veteran’s extensive understanding of hospitality and photo skills, but Krauze has taken a more authentic growth approach. This includes creating an aesthetic. He shoots a lot in film, which gives Society’s posts a distinctive look.

Since opening Society in 2021, Krauze has handled nearly all the social media. Now, he spends at least an hour a day posting content and interacting with other accounts.

“I think that really does drive that two-way street of back-and-forth engagement,” Krauze said. And it’s worked better than following trends, he said. “Reels get engagement,” Krauze said. “But if it doesn’t really show the value of what we’re offering at Society, it’s not really that important to me.”

So while social media helps get people in the door, it won’t keep them coming back. For that, restaurants must deliver something real.

“The physical experience comes first and social media come secondly,” Krauze said. “You eat with your eyes first. You want something to come out pretty and in turn, it becomes Instagrammable.”