The Top 5 Up-and-Coming Food Influencers in Milwaukee
Milwaukee food influencers who punch above their follower count: 5 up-and-coming creators with up to 3 times the typical engagement of their size, and how to book a visit.
Most Milwaukee-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers get about 9 likes and comments per 1,000 followers on a typical Reel.
- 1.
Ivon, @justatastemke28.6 - 2.
Tony, @webighungry26.7 - 3.
Daniel, @silversspots18.2 - 4.
Jenna, @hangrymke14.6 - 5.
@milwaukee_eatandplay, @milwaukee_eatandplay14.4
1. Ivon, @justatastemke: bilingual reviews, supper clubs and fair food
bilingual reviews, supper clubs and fair food
- Engagement Strength
- 28.63x the typical Milwaukee food account
- Followers
- 12,488
- Avg. views per Reel
- 80,254
- Reels, last 30 days
- 4+
Ivon posts food Reels in English and Spanish, mostly from Milwaukee-area restaurants and events, with the occasional Chicago trip. Recent posts include a hosted visit to 4th Base, a family-owned sports steakhouse, which reached 33,324 views, the Red Circle Inn supper club, open since 1848, which reached 122,140 views, and the tiramisu at Il Ponte.
Because every caption runs in both languages, Ivon suits a restaurant that wants to reach Spanish-speaking diners as well as English-speaking ones. Several recent posts are marked hosted or AD, so a restaurant with a long history or a signature dessert can pitch a hosted visit.
2. Tony, @webighungry: new spots, food trucks and fair food
new spots, food trucks and fair food
- Engagement Strength
- 26.73x the typical Milwaukee food account
- Followers
- 5,121
- Avg. views per Reel
- 3,186
- Reels, last 30 days
- 7+
Tony covers new openings and cheap eats around Milwaukee and lists everything ordered in the caption. Recent posts include chicken fingers and Ozo mac and cheese at OZO Chicken in Waukesha, jerk chicken at the new downtown Uppa Yard on Water Street, and $1 chicken tacos from the food trucks at Burnham Park.
The account is small, so it fits a new or casual spot that wants an itemized first look. Invite Tony to order across the menu, since the captions spell out each dish.
3. Daniel, @silversspots: scored reviews with meal prices
scored reviews with meal prices
- Engagement Strength
- 18.22x the typical Milwaukee food account
- Followers
- 16,113
- Avg. views per Reel
- 6,350
- Reels, last 30 days
- 9+
Daniel scores each visit on food, price and service and lists what the meal cost, mostly around Milwaukee. Recent posts include the new fall menu at Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. in Walker's Point, a $23.28 meal at Buona in Oak Creek, and a $139 dinner at Three Brothers in Bay View.
The rating format suits a restaurant that is confident about value, since price is scored right next to the food. The bio invites collaboration requests by DM or email.
4. Jenna, @hangrymke: dinners, brunch and suburban spots
dinners, brunch and suburban spots
- Engagement Strength
- 14.62x the typical Milwaukee food account
- Followers
- 9,422
- Avg. views per Reel
- 4,034
- Reels, last 30 days
- 5+
Jenna eats around Milwaukee and its suburbs, from Wauwatosa to Oak Creek, with a few road trip stops mixed in. Recent posts include everything the table ordered at The Waddle Inn in Tosa, the bruschetta salami at Transfer Pizzeria Café, and a dinner at Saffron.
Jenna's posts show a full spread of dishes, so a restaurant with a broad menu, a brunch or a date night offer is a natural fit. Invite a small group so several plates make it into the video.
5. @milwaukee_eatandplay: new menus, food deals and global eats
new menus, food deals and global eats
- Engagement Strength
- 14.42x the typical Milwaukee food account
- Followers
- 63,312
- Avg. views per Reel
- 56,023
- Reels, last 30 days
- 9+
This is the largest account on the list, covering Milwaukee-area openings, new menu items and food deals, with a few weather posts in between. Recent posts include the Machete birria taco at El Tlaxcalteca, which reached 115,348 views, the Bring Your Own Bag walking taco at MKE Chicken Gyro, which reached 81,589 views, and the global menu at Potato Papa on South 1st Street, which reached 32,349 views.
The strongest fit is a restaurant with a new menu, a limited-time item or a deal that is easy to explain in one video. The bio invites collaboration requests by DM.
See @milwaukee_eatandplay's Instagram
How to reach Milwaukee food influencers and get a visit booked
Finding someone you want to work with is the start. You still need a reply, agreed terms, a visit on the calendar and the content afterward.
Find their business email, follow them and reach out
Look for the email button on their Instagram profile, a business-inquiries address in their bio or a contact page on their linked website. If they list a manager for collaborations, use that contact.
Follow the account and watch a few recent restaurant videos. Then email a specific invitation: which restaurant you run, where it is, what you would like them to try and what you are proposing in return. Mention a relevant post of theirs so they can see why you chose them.
Send a short DM pointing them to your email. If their profile asks businesses to DM rather than email, start there. The goal is to get the invitation seen through the channels they use for work.
Follow up and get your terms in writing
If you do not hear back, follow up after a few business days. If there is still no response, move on to another good fit. Stop if they decline.
Once they are interested, agree on the food credit, any cash fee, guest count, content they will produce and posting deadline. Include raw footage and commercial usage rights if you need them. Permission to advertise from the influencer's account is separate from permission to run their video from your restaurant's account.
Get those terms in writing before you book. A friendly yes does not tell you whether you are getting a Reel, a few Stories or any files you can use afterward.
Schedule the visit and tell your team what was agreed
Offer specific dates and service windows. Confirm the influencer's name, party size, arrival time, dining credit and who they should ask for when they arrive. Give your team the same information.
Send a reminder before the visit. If the date changes, update the booking and your team so the new plan is not buried in a DM.
Follow up until you have the content
After the visit, check the posting deadline, review anything that requires approval and collect the files you agreed on. Follow up if the content is late. Save the finished video, raw clips and written permissions together so you can actually use them later.
Keep track of the influencers whose content, attitude and follow-through you liked. Those are the people to invite back. You do not need to start a new search every month when you have relationships worth continuing.
Want local influencers without managing all that back-and-forth?
You can do this yourself. The work is keeping a dozen different conversations moving: who replied, who agreed to your terms, who needs a date, who rescheduled and who still owes you content.
Remy gets interested local influencers to apply to work with your restaurant on your terms. You approve the influencers and their content. Remy handles scheduling, reminders, rescheduling and content follow-up, and you keep the relationships so you can invite good people back.
Instead of chasing every person on a list, you can choose from influencers who have already applied to work with you.
Looking for another city? See our food influencer lists by city, including New York City, Boston and Las Vegas.
About the numbers
Engagement Strength is the likes and comments a typical recent Reel gets per 1,000 followers, using each account's newest Reels from the past 90 days. We screened 26 Milwaukee-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers and checked each finalist for real Milwaukee restaurant coverage. The typical account we screened scored 9. Data collected 2026-09-24.