21-Year-Old Guy Goes Viral For Going To Michelin Star Restaurants And Pretending To Be A Food Critic

One TikTok experiment at a Michelin-starred restaurant turned a 21-year-old creator into a viral talking point. Josh Slavin walked into a high-end dining room, acted like a food critic, and watched the staff respond as if he belonged there.

The setup was simple, but the results were awkward, funny, and surprisingly polished. From the notebook he carried to the serious attitude he put on, every detail seemed to push the restaurant into treating him differently, and TikTok could not get enough of it.

Now the video has millions of views, and the comments are just as entertaining as the stunt itself. Here's the full story.

Josh Slavin lived out the dream life for foodies out there

Josh Slavin loves sharing food and travel-related content on his social media channels. Most of the content he produces consists of food reviews.

While that has already earned him a good number of followers, it's this particular video of him pretending to be a food critic in a restaurant in Hong Kong that caused him to blow up on TikTok. He didn't even do anything special.

All he had was a notebook and his guts.

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Josh decided that he wanted to pretend to be a food critic at a fancy restaurant and see how they would react

A lot of people would be mortified by Josh's plan, but that didn't matter to him. He just went into that restaurant with a mission.

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To get the staff's attention, Josh tried out different things

At the beginning of the dinner, Josh tried a few tactics to act the part. While sampling the first few items, he started taking some pictures, for one.

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It was the notebook that really got the staff's attention

After a few minutes, Josh whipped out his notebook and pretended to note down a few things, acting all serious like we imagine a food critic would. That's when the staff really took notice and proceeded to treat him like an actual food critic.

As Josh said, they were watching him like hawks, but he didn't let that stop him.

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That notebook seemed to change the whole vibe.

The notebook brought about a slight change in treatment

Josh only ordered two courses, but he was surprised when a server brought over a dessert cart and offered some drinks as well. He was also asked for his email, and he received a message from the restaurant's manager the next day.

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Even the restaurant's manager made an appearance

Even the manager himself approached Josh's table and gave him his personal cell phone number. He also told Josh to call him whenever he needed a reservation.

With all that happened, Josh considered his mission to have been a huge success.

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In an interview, Josh revealed where the idea came from

Apparently, it all originated from a Reddit post discussing the idea that if you eat alone in a restaurant and bring a notebook with you, the restaurant staff might think you are a food critic. Josh thought it would be a great idea to try this out in reality.

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However, Josh admitted that it wasn't the most comfortable thing to do

Josh revealed, however, that while it may seem like a really fun thing to do, he actually felt quite uncomfortable doing it.

“The biggest contrast I have noticed when filming these videos is that the restaurant staff tends to watch you more closely,” he said. “This is not preferable, in my opinion. However, I must say, the service I received was spectacular, and everyone I’ve met at these restaurants has been very kind!”

Here's a peek at all those food critic things he was jotting down in his notebook, by the way.

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Josh also admitted that he noticed some shifts when he started acting all serious like a food critic

When trying to answer the question of whether restaurants treat suspected food critics better, Josh admitted that his own opinion might be flawed since he was visiting that restaurant for the first time.

“I will say that I do notice some shifts when I take out my notebook after a couple of courses of dining normally,” he admitted. “Therefore, one might argue that restaurants treat suspected critics better.”

He also shared an interesting fact that exclusive restaurants conduct research on their guests before their visit so that they can presumably provide personalized treatment for each guest.

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At one point, he was even recognized by staff, but that won't stop Josh

In one of his TikTok videos, Josh revealed that he was actually recognized during one of his outings while trying to do the same thing. The recognition made it hard for him to replicate such content, but he said it would not stop him from moving forward with the project.

“I don’t think it is very feasible for me to continue making these types of videos during my time in Hong Kong,” he said. “However, I will definitely consider making more of these videos when I travel to new locations.”

Josh also mentioned that his love for food is what gives him the determination to keep traveling and trying out new dishes.

“While I am not nearly as qualified as a bona fide, published food critic or a legitimate Michelin inspector, I still enjoy sharing my thoughts on the food I try with my audience from my own personal perspective. This type of video allows me to showcase the interesting food and restaurants I try, but in a way that appeals to wider audiences. I always really enjoy getting to share some of the amazing places I try with my audiences and hopefully sending new traffic to these amazing establishments,” he said.

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His stunt clearly landed with viewers.

As it seems, many people have also loved Josh's ideas and the way he reviews the food places he visits. His pretending to be a food critic video has already garnered more than eight million views.

Many people are also coming out and offering full support for Josh's project. And they're definitely excited about what Josh comes up with next.

Watch the full video of his adventure below:

It gets messy like a betrayed friend sharing a sacred family recipe online.

Watch the full video:

As it seems, many people have also loved Josh's ideas and the way he reviews the food places he visits. His pretending to be a food critic video has already garnered more than eight million views.

Many people are also coming out and offering full support for Josh's project. And they're definitely excited about what Josh comes up with next.

Watch the full video of his adventure below:

Here are also some of the top comments on his video:

He's not wrong

silver

And to be fair, they treated him well

E.B. Teall

Josh is way ahead of the game

Nevawow

As they say, you got to start acting like one to be one

discount_jeans

Hopefully, the manager took it lightheartedly

FoodTheWrongWay

People clearly had a lot to say about the stunt.

Kudos to Josh because what he did was actually brilliant, plus not everyone would have had the courage to do such a thing. He might have really had the chops or was giving off the right vibe to have garnered their attention like that.

Who knows? Maybe a few years down the line, we'll see Josh as an actual food critic.

And to think that it all came from his silly scribbles in his notebook. We all hope the best for Josh!

Want more family drama over food, read about the sister who felt overshadowed.