Food content creator Henry Monkhouse has spent the past year ranking Ottawa-area restaurants in short videos on Instagram and TikTok, drawing hundreds of thousands of views and a following of local food and beer enthusiasts. Along the way, he has also drawn a steady stream of criticism, from viewers who dispute his rankings to others who mock his accent, which he attributes to being born in Ottawa to British parents. That experience prompted him to ask whether the restaurateurs he features face similar hostility online. His findings appear in a short documentary made with CBC Ottawa's Creator Network, released Oct. 26.
Why it matters
For small restaurants, social media has shifted from optional extra to essential marketing tool, according to the owners interviewed. That dependence comes with a cost: time taken away from the kitchen and exposure to personal attacks. CBC reports that many owners described feeling frustrated by the pressure to keep producing content, with Monkhouse summarizing a refrain he heard repeatedly: "I didn't start a restaurant to have to deal with this. I didn't want to be a marketing person."
A family business learns to post
Nitin Mehra's family opened East India Company Restaurants in 2002, when social media was in its infancy. He told Monkhouse that the landscape has changed completely, and that a restaurant without an active online presence is now forfeiting revenue. Mehra keeps a regular posting schedule, sharing footage of the restaurant's tandoori oven, its buffet and other behind-the-scenes moments.
The responses he receives run the full range, from encouragement to fair criticism to insults targeting his race. Some commenters have told him to go back to India. He continues posting regardless.
Khoa Nguyen, who operates Pho By Night in Ottawa's ByWard Market, said his family's restaurant fields complaints about pricing and accusations that its banh mi, pho and other Vietnamese dishes are not authentic. Rather than absorb the negativity, Nguyen turns it into material, filming skits that gently mock the critics while promoting the business. He told Monkhouse that no post can please everyone, and that the family prefers to keep the tone light. Whatever the comments say, he said, the restaurant is their family story and they intend to enjoy running it.
A friendship built over food
The online work has produced more than friction. Monkhouse said his platform has introduced him to new people and new dishes, and he has become friends with Mehra through their shared interest in food. This spring, the two hosted Best Fest 613, a local food and drink festival, and they followed it with an Oktoberfest event in the fall. Monkhouse credited his social media audience with making both events possible.
He said the encouragement he receives has outweighed the hostile comments, and that the experience has taken him to places he did not expect. CBC identifies Monkhouse as the creator of The Best Eats, a food blog where he shares favourite Ottawa food and drink spots along with cooking videos across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. The documentary was reported and produced by CBC Ottawa's Isabel Harder.
Watch for whether local restaurants formalize their social media strategies, or push back collectively, as the pressure to post continues.
