All hail the Foodgram

If you have an Instagram, you've probably posted at least a few pictures of food. Sometimes a meal just looks too good to not snap a photo before you dive in. But my food Instagrams have become a major habit, to the point where I'm usually "that girl" hovering an iPhone over her meal at a restaurant. It's probably not the most polite thing to do at the dinner table, especially if the restaurant is dimly lit and your automatic flash goes off. Then everybody knows exactly what you're doing.

But I'm not the only one with a food photo habit. In fact, there is an entire Tumblr solely dedicated to "Pictures of Hipsters Taking Pictures of Food". Scroll through it if you ever want a good giggle. It made me realize how silly I look when I do it. Side note-- I'm not sure when "hipsters" became the main culprits of this phenomenon.

I especially like posting pictures of meals when I'm visiting a new city or trying something new. Below are a few of my most recent "foodgrams." The top photo is lunch in downtown Asheville, the center is brunch in Brooklyn, and the bottom photo is the "Carolina burger" from the newly-opened Hickory Tavern in Carrboro.

See? Aren't you hungry now?

I've noticed a few times that staff have given me dirty looks for Instagraming my food instead of just eating it. But what they don't realize is how social media sharing can bring in way more business to the restaurant. Whenever I post a foodgram, I tag the restaurant location. Then when my Instagram followers see a delicious-looking meal, they know exactly where to find it. I shamelessly admit that I've seen foodgrams before that prompted me to actually go out and order the same meal. And even if most people aren't quite that motivated, sharing photos still generates buzz for the restaurant. It's like getting your customers to do the work for you. It also gives restaurants an incentive to keep making top-notch, Insta-worthy meals. The way I see it, foodgraming is a win-win. Perhaps restaurants should get a lot more comfortable with phones at the dinner table.