Want some new content on your feed? Check out the list of the best restaurant industry experts to follow in 2019.
DISCLAIMER: This content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal, accounting, tax, HR, or other professional advice. You are responsible for your own compliance with laws and regulations. You should contact your attorney or other relevant advisor for advice specific to your circumstances.
Life happens fast in the restaurant industry.
Ingredients, dishes, drinks, and even entire concepts can rise and fall in popularity all within the course of one night's meal service. As a restaurant owner or operator, it's imperative – but time consuming – to stay on top of what's in, what's out, and then tailor your guest's experience accordingly.
Thanks to social media, following trends and the restaurant industry experts who keep a close eye on them is as easy as the click of a button.
At the beginning of a new year, take stock of your inbox and your social feeds and evaluate who you're following and why. As the saying goes: "You are what you read."
With that, we bring you Toast's definitive list of restaurant industry experts to follow in 2019.
This industry report collects data from restaurant professionals and guests to help you understand what it takes to create a successful restaurant experience from start to finish.
How We Created the 2019 Restaurant Industry Experts to Follow List
This list features individuals – not brands or companies – in the restaurant industry. To be included on this list, candidates must be:
A chef or restaurant owner
A restaurant chain professional
A restaurant consultant
A food and beverage tv personality
A member of the media
A food and beverage C-suite member
A thought leader in the food and/or restaurant industry
They also need to have cultivated a strong following on social media and demonstrated that they consistently create and share high-quality restaurant related content across their digital channels.
Restaurant Influencers to Follow in 2019: A Comprehensive List
We've included the Twitter accounts and corresponding personal or professional websites for each restaurant industry expert so you can quickly and easily follow them to learn more about their work and the ways they're shaping the industry.
Adam Platt
Category:TV Personality, Chef, Author, James Beard Award Winner Writer, Father, bilious gourmand. @plattypants | nymag.com
Alton Brown Restaurant Expert Category: TV Personality, Author Host of Good Eats, Food Network Personality and Presenter, Author, Cinematographer, Musician. Thyme lord. @altonbrown - Website
Alan Liddle
Restaurant Expert Category:Media/Journalism Data and event content director. At Nation's Restaurant News since 1984. Also, researcher for Supermarket News Top 75. Formerly: daily/weekly news; restaurants. @AJ_NRN - Website
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Co-founder of Food52. author. former new york times writer. parent of twins. I live in brooklyn, but not the cool part. @amandahesser-Website
Andrew Zimmern
Restaurant Expert Category: TV Personality, Author, James Beard Award Winner Chef, writer, traveler, host of The Zimmern List on The Travel Channel @andrewzimmern - Website
Anne Burrell
Restaurant Expert Category: TV Personality, Chef, Author, chef-food network personality- bon vivant - perpetual optimist - spreader of sparkles and smiles. follow me on instagram @chefanneburrell | Website
Barbara Castiglia Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Executive Editor, Modern Restaurant Management. @bcastiglia44 - Website
Bradley Toft
Restaurant Expert Category: Restaurant Consultant The Restaurant Guy. Husband, Dad, and a work in progress. Risk Specialist at Newman & Tucker Insurance. @BradleyToft - Website
Bret Thorn
Restaurant Expert Category:Media/Journalism Follow the adventures of a New York City food writer. Senior F&B editor, NRN & Restaurant Hospitality. @FoodWriterDiary - Website
Bruce Irving
Restaurant Expert Category: Restaurant Consultant, Podcasts Founder SPM (smart pizza marketing): The #1 Digital marketing platform for pizzerias | Speaker | Podcaster | Host of the top rated SPM Podcast : Family First @Irvingmedia - Website
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism VP of Editorial, NetWorld Media Group. Media maven. Yogi. Mommy. Director of Fun. Send me all your fast casual news. @CherryhFastCas- Website
Cheryl Bachelder
Restaurant Expert Category: Food & Beverage Executive, Author Former Popeyes CEO focused on developing purpose-driven leaders who evidence competence and character in all aspects of their lives. Author of Dare To Serve. @CABachelder - Website
Chris Hill
Restaurant Expert Category: Chef, Restaurant Consultant, Podcasts, Author Leadership and Branding Restaurant Guy - Entrepreneur - Author + 2X TEDx Speaker. IG: The_ChrisHill(Chris was also a guest on Toast's podcast, The Garnish. Listen here.) @bachkitchen - Website
Chris Santos
Restaurant Expert Category: TV Personality, Chef, Restaurateur chef. boxing junkie. metalhead. catch me on food network's 'chopped'. visit me at @vandalnewyork, @stantonsocial + @beautyandessex. les, nyc, vegas + hollywood. @santoscooks - Website
Restaurant Expert Category:Podcasts Creator/host of The Sporkful podcast at Stitcher and the Cooking Channel web series You're Eating It Wrong and The Snackdown. An eater, not a foodie. @TheSporkful -Website
Dana Hatic
Restaurant Expert Category:Media/Journalism Associate Editor @EaterBoston. Former @MiamiHurricanes athlete and native Floridian. There's no such thing as too much hot sauce. @danahatic -Website
Danny Meyer Restaurant Expert Category: Restaurateur CEO Union Square Hospitality Group. Founder Shake Shack. Always Setting the Table. @dhmeyer - Website
David Chang Restaurant Expert Category: Chef, Restaurateur, TV Personality, James Beard Award Winner retroactively retired from @momofuku since 2004. @davidchang -Website
David Henkes
Restaurant Expert Category:Restaurant Consultant Global food/beverage industry trend watcher, consultant, & connoisseur. Senior Principal at Technomic. @davidhenkes -Website
Denise Landis
Restaurant Expert Category:Media/Journalism editor-in-chief of the cook's cook: a community of cooks, food writers & recipe testers. food writer, cookbook author, former @nytfood recipe tester. @thecookscook - Website
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Boston Globe food writer and restaurant critic. Don't want to do the dishes / Just want to eat the food. . @devrafirst - Website
Dominique Crenn
Restaurant Expert Category:Chef, TV Personality, Restaurateur, James Beard Award Winner Watch @netflix Chef's table Season 2. Chef/Owner of Atelier Crenn/Petit Crenn/Bar Crenn. I stay 100% behind my team and my food. Food is art. @dominiquecrenn -Website
Emeril Lagasse
Restaurant Expert Category: Chef, Restaurateur, TV Personality, Author the official account of Chef Emeril Lagasse. @emeril -Website
Eric Cacciatore
Restaurant Expert Category: Podcasts, Restaurant Consultant Host, RestaurantUnstoppable Podcast. Successful hospitality professionals telling their stories of success and sharing their mentorship. @EricCacciatore -Website
Éric Ripert
Restaurant Expert Category:Chef, Restaurateur, James Beard Award Winner Executive Chef, Le Bernardin @ericripert -Website
Francis Lam Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism, Podcasts I write and talk about food and people. I'm the host of @splendidtable, editor at Clarkson Potter, and ex-columnist at the NYT Magazine. I take statins. @Francis_Lam -Website
Gerry Ludwig
Restaurant Expert Category: Chef, Food & Beverage Executive Representing Gordon Food Service through culinary research and development, restaurant trend tracking, food writing and public speaking. @GFSChefGerry - Website
Graham Elliot
Restaurant Expert Category:Chef, Restaurateur, Author, TV Personality Chef, Restaurateur, Cookbook Author, TV Personality @grahamelliot - Website
Heather Lalley
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Editor at Restaurant Business Magazine, new restaurant concepts. Medill + Washburne Culinary grad. Previously at Spokesman Review. @flourgrrrl - Website
Restaurant Expert Category:Food & Beverage Executive National Restaurant Association - SVP, Research & Knowledge Group @HudsonRiehle - Website
Ingrid Hoffman
Restaurant Expert Category: Chef, Author, Restaurateur, TV Personality celebrity chef, author, host simply delicioso food network & top chef estrellas nbc telemundo. professional eater & life lover. @ingridhoffman- Website
Jamie Oliver
Restaurant Expert Category:Chef, Restaurateur, TV Personality, Author, The latest from Jamie Oliver HQ. @jamieoliver - Website
Jenna Telesca
Restaurant Expert Category:Media/Journalism All business about food. Editor-in-Chief, Nation's Restaurant News @nrnonline & Editorial Director of Restaurant Hospitality @RH_restaurant @JennaTelesca - Website
Jenné Claiborne
Restaurant Expert Category:Chef, Author Committed to helping save the world one tummy at a time. @sweetpotatosoul - Website
Jim Sullivan
Restaurant Expert Category:Restaurant Consultant, Author All about restaurant & retail Leadership Strategy at Sullivision.com Author: Multiunit Leadership & The Fundamentals. Speaker, Writer, Omnivore, Dad, Lad, Grad. @Sullivision - Website
Jonathan Maze
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Executive Editor with Restaurant Business Magazine. Egghead. Married up to Haila Maze. Opinions pre-approved by a blue ribbon panel of experts. @jonathanmaze - Website
Jonathan Waxman
Restaurant Expert Category:Chef, Restaurateur, Author, James Beard Award Winner Chef and owner of Barbuto & Jams NYC, Adele's Nashville and Brezza Cucina Atlanta @chefjwaxman - Website
José Andrés
Restaurant Expert Category: Chef, Restaurateur, Author, James Beard Award Winner, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee We all are Citizens of the World. What's good for you, must be good for all. If you are lost, share a plate of food with a stranger...you will find who you are. @chefjoseandres - Website
Julie Jargon Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Wall Street Journal restaurant reporter, mom of three. LA via Chicago via Denver. Hiking, running, West Coast rap. @juliejargon - Website
Ken Burgin Restaurant Expert Category: Restaurant Consultant, Podcasts Helping restaurants, cafes, clubs & hotels to be more profitable - marketing, management, cost-control, training, staff. Plus the Profitable Hospitality podcast. @KenBurgin - Website
Kim Severson
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Southern-based correspondent who covers the nation's food culture and food news for The New York Times and NYT cooking. @kimseverson - Website
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism I write about food and restaurants for BloombergNews. Musings and opinions are my own. @PattonLes - Website
Marcus Guiliano
Restaurant Expert Category:Restaurant Consultant, Author Entrepreneur, Restaurant Business Coach, Two-Time Book Author, Public Speaker, Food Activist. @1ChefonaMission - Website
Marcus Samuelson
Restaurant Expert Category:Chef, Restaurateur, Author, TV Personality, James Beard Award Winner Tasty's Executive Chef in Residence. Ethiopia to Sweden to Harlem. Always #chasingflavors. @marcuscooks - Website
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism, Food & Beverage Executive Editor in chief, CEO, Founder, Author, Filmmaker Foodable Network and ReverNetworks building the next generation of content @paulbarron - Website
Samin Nosrat Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism, Chef, TV Personality Cook, Teacher, EAT columnist nytmag, Author and Creator of SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT on netflix @CiaoSamin - Website
Tiffany Lopinsky
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism A Bostonian documenting my eats in the city. @Boston_Foodies - Website
Venessa Wong
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Deputy biz/tech editor for BuzzFeed News. I also write about food. Native New Yorker. Love to laugh and eat. Former Businessweek. @venessawwong - Website
Zlati Meyer
Restaurant Expert Category: Media/Journalism Covering the business of food, including chain restaurants, retailers, manufacturers and industry trends for USA Today. Formerly @freep. Boston native. Fan of hashtag games and hash browns. @zlatimeyer - Website
RESOURCE
Restaurant Success Report
This industry report collects data from restaurant professionals and guests to help you understand what it takes to create a successful restaurant experience from start to finish.
RESOURCE
