The Top 5 Up-and-Coming Food Influencers in San Francisco
San Francisco 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 San Francisco-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers get about 8 likes and comments per 1,000 followers on a typical Reel.
- 1.
Celine, @celineeats24.9 - 2.
Greg, @bookedbygreg21.1 - 3.
Kaashvi, @thehungrysoul2820.7 - 4.
Pim, @pimchanyum13.0 - 5.
Heather, @heatherr.eats12.4
1. Celine, @celineeats: banh mi, North Beach and date nights
banh mi, North Beach and date nights
- Engagement Strength
- 24.93x the typical San Francisco food account
- Followers
- 12,784
- Avg. views per Reel
- 19,531
- Reels, last 30 days
- 19+
Celine covers San Francisco food and life, with some East Bay stops and sponsored posts. Recent posts include a banh mi debate between L&G Vietnamese Sandwich and Saigon Sandwich, which reached 51,970 views, the bumbola ai broccoli e salsiccia at Cafe Zoetrope in North Beach, which reached 35,764 views, and beef Wellington Wednesday at Dingles in Hayes Valley, which reached 33,188 views.
The strongest fit is a date-night restaurant, a classic neighborhood spot or a place with one specific dish to try. The bio invites collaboration requests by DM or email.
2. Greg, @bookedbygreg: neighborhood classics and restaurant news
neighborhood classics and restaurant news
- Engagement Strength
- 21.13x the typical San Francisco food account
- Followers
- 12,260
- Avg. views per Reel
- 26,179
- Reels, last 30 days
- 4+
Greg covers San Francisco restaurants, from long-running neighborhood spots to chef news, and is building a video-first reservations app called Oro. Recent posts include the Caesar wrap at Broad Street Oyster Co. in Ghirardelli Square, which reached 139,711 views, Elena's Mexican Restaurant in West Portal, and the kitchen line at Dingles during service.
The strongest fit is an established restaurant or a chef-driven spot with a story behind the kitchen.
3. Kaashvi, @thehungrysoul28: sushi, brunch and group dinners
sushi, brunch and group dinners
- Engagement Strength
- 20.73x the typical San Francisco food account
- Followers
- 5,173
- Avg. views per Reel
- 3,570
- Reels, last 30 days
- 3+
Kaashvi posts San Francisco restaurants for group dinners and catch-ups, with a few trips to Boston and New York. Recent posts include the Hokkaido chirashi with crab and uni at Sanraku near Union Square, the new brunch at The Parthenon, and hummus at Oren's Hummus in SoMa.
The strongest fit is a restaurant that works for a group of friends, a brunch menu or a new weekly special.
4. Pim, @pimchanyum: Thai food, birria and set menus
Thai food, birria and set menus
- Engagement Strength
- 13.02x the typical San Francisco food account
- Followers
- 11,616
- Avg. views per Reel
- 4,214
- Reels, last 30 days
- 3+
Pim describes the account as a Thai foodie in San Francisco and covers restaurants across the city, with an eye for Thai food. Recent posts include khao mun gai at Ruay Mitr, birria and the 24K Burrito at Suavecito Birria & Tacos, and the $55 heirloom tomato menu at Bosco.
The strongest fit is a Thai or Southeast Asian restaurant, or a spot with a seasonal set menu. The bio says collaborations are by invitation and lists an email address.
5. Heather, @heatherr.eats: omakase, openings and date ideas
omakase, openings and date ideas
- Engagement Strength
- 12.42x the typical San Francisco food account
- Followers
- 28,074
- Avg. views per Reel
- 31,943
- Reels, last 30 days
- 7+
Heather covers date ideas and invited restaurant visits in San Francisco and down the Peninsula. Recent posts include Sergeant Ma, a new waterfront spot on Mission Creek, the Thai brunch at Tur in West Portal, which reached 85,128 views, and kkori-jjim at Pogu inside Jagalchi Korean Market in Daly City.
Most restaurant posts are invited visits, so a new opening, a tasting menu or a date-night spot fits the format. The bio invites collaboration and invite requests by DM or email.
How to reach San Francisco 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 121 San Francisco-area food accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers and checked each finalist for real San Francisco restaurant coverage. The typical account we screened scored 8. Data collected 2026-09-24.