A top London restaurant boss has hit out at ‘entitled’ influencers after his latest opening was plagued by an ‘influenza-like outbreak’ of content creators.
Jeremy King, the man behind some of the capital’s most iconic eateries including The Ivy and Le Caprice, has taken aim at ‘camera-wielding’ customers.
The Park opened less than two years ago, but has already become overrun with influencers who proclaim it’s their new ‘favourite breakfast spot’.
Mr King, 71, whose restaurants have long been hailed by A-list celebrities, said the situation is so bad that he is now losing customers over their disruptive behaviour.
He claims fashion influencers have arrived at the restaurant with suitcases full of different outfits and co-ordinate photoshoots in the ‘beautiful’ lavatories and spiral staircase inside the venue.
Others have complained of their food going cold after leaving their table to take photos, while one group of ten women supposedly blocked access to the loos while snapping pics and even brought along their own sound systems.
Mr King said their respect has been ‘replaced by a sense of entitlement’ and such behaviour has ‘stepped over the line’, sparking complaints from other guests.
He is now cracking down on this influencer invasion by putting up huge signs and employing security staff to intervene when they disrupt other diners.
But, this has seemingly started an online war, with some influencers finding ways to hit back.
Jeremy King is behind some of the capital’s most iconic eateries including The Ivy and Le Caprice. But he says his newest restaurant – The Park in Notting Hill – has been hit with a ‘influenza-like outbreak’ of social media influencers
The top restaurant boss claims fashion influencers have been arriving at his restaurant in droves since the venue opened its doors less than two years ago
He has taken aim at ‘camera-wielding’ customers who routinely visit his west London restaurant, describing it as their ‘favourite breakfast spot’
Mr King said there has been a rise in ‘damning one-star reviews from thwarted influencers’ seemingly left aggrieved by his hardline stance.
‘The problem with some influencers — not all, but some influencers — is that the respect has gone and when respect is replaced by a sense of entitlement, you’re going to have flashpoints,’ he told The Times.
‘When people are turning up with a suitcase because they’re going to change outfits, then that steps over the line. When people say to me “I can do whatever I want, this is a public place”, that’s completely wrong.’
Mr King has previously hinted about making The Park a ‘mobile free zone’, but believes the situation has not yet become so dire.
In a newsletter released earlier this month, he apologised to customers who have been disturbed by ‘camera-wielding influencers’ visiting the restaurant.
‘We take this very seriously, and have already addressed the matter of our over-flattering lighting and stylish interior design with the appropriate parties,’ he wrote.
‘In the meantime. we have implemented protocols to minimise any potential disruption of your meal, and can assure you that you will not end up in the background of anyone’s Reel.
‘We are not quite ready to declare The Park a mobile-free zone, but if another young lady shows up with a three-person camera crew, makeup artist and vanity mirror, we’ll have no choice but to reconsider our position.
‘We hope we won’t be trending for much longer, and thank you for understanding.’
The Park, which sprawls across 8,600 square feet with 150 covers and spectacular views over Hyde Park, is King’s first contemporary restaurant in a new building
Mr King said social media influencers often disturb other guests while recording themselves eating at the Notting Hill restaurant
Others also snap photographs of their plates of food while others are too busy taking pictures in the bathrooms
A host of celebrities have attended the restaurant since it opened in June 2024. Pictured: Geri Halliwell-Horner with Jeremy King at The Park in May 2025
British singer Lily Allen attended the same event as Halliwell-Horner last year
Some influencers have sought to distance themselves from those that behave badly in public, arguing that most people in the trade will film themselves ‘respectfully’.
Gerry del Guercio, who runs Bite Twice Food Reviews with his friend Paul Delany, claims they ‘blend in’ when visiting food stops, adding ‘as long as you’re respectful, there’s no reason why anyone should dislike you being there’.
Meanwhile, others have praised Mr King for speaking up and he claimed to have received a deluge of messages thanking him for raising awareness of the issue which has seemingly become widespread across the capital.
In November, Borough Market – one of London’s largest open air culinary venues – introduced a blanket ban on food influencers creating content at weekends to stop ‘disruption’ to stallholders.
Luxury department store Harrods announced a similar crackdown months earlier by banning people from eating in its famous food hall after being deluged by TikTokkers and influencers filming themselves.
But for the culinary community, the pervasiveness of online influencers has been felt on a global scale, with other eateries around the world also falling foul of their disruptive behaviour.
A Brooklyn cafe called Dae banned filming entirely last year after being overrun by ‘hordes of influencers armed with tripods’, while Folderol, a wine bar in Paris, faced such chaos from TikTok tourists that neighbours called police four times.
Industry experts say the problem has reached epidemic proportions. A 2022 survey by marketing agency MGH found that 30 per cent of TikTok users travel longer than normal to visit restaurants after seeing them on the platform. Over one-third choose dining spots based on videos they’ve watched.
