The Hustle
Years in Tampa Bay
10
Hustle (job)
Food journalist and publisher.
What do you do?
We write about all of the fabulous eats and treats in St. Pete. We are here to uplift and support our burgeoning restaurant community. As opposed to other sites that allow reviewers to tear places down, we write about the best our gorgeous city has to offer. We are not here to put any place out of business, therefore, we are not food critics. We are food writers, looking to share our love of the best food in St. Petersburg.
Why do you do it?
This business was completely by accident. And now we do it out of a love for boosting our local community, and our love for great food and drink. Many locals and visitors alike visit our website to see what’s new and shaking – whether it be a new restaurant, a new menu or a new chef. Or just to see some great food porn. We love St. Pete and we want to watch it continue to grow and prosper!
What was your Catalyst? (How did you get started?)
We started dating in late 2013. We went out to dinner 4-5 nights a week and took pictures of our food and posted it on our own Facebook timelines. This didn’t go unnoticed. We had inadvertently branded ourselves. The catalyst for forming our Facebook group – St. Petersburg Foodies Restaurant Reviews – was that we were added to another area review group, a group that was reviewing Applebee’s and Longhorn Steakhouse … really? So we formed our own. It took off, and three years later we have close to 8,000 organic members that are all hand-approved.
What’s a common misconception or unknown aspect of what you do?
Some believe that we eat free everywhere we go, when the truth is we pay for 95 percent of our meals. We are invited to do new menu tastings, etc and obviously we don’t pay for those. But when we dine out, even when we write about it … we pay.
What’s the most challenging part of your Hustle?
Our growing waistlines.
What’s the most valuable piece of business advice/insight that’s helped you?
Haters are always going to hate … move on.
What St. Pete food spot do you like to visit when you want to take a break from the business?
We order BiteSquad and stay in.
