Borough Market Implements Strict Restrictions on Food Influencers
London’s oldest market, Borough Market, has introduced new rules that prohibit food influencers from creating content on weekends. The decision aims to reduce disruptions for both stallholders and visitors. According to the market, food reviewers are now required to apply for permission before filming. Additionally, filming is completely banned on weekends.
Gerry del Guercio, who runs the social media account Bite Twice with his friend Paul Delany, was in the middle of reviewing a dessert at the bakery stall Humble Crumble when he was interrupted by security. The pair were using a phone to film a review of the apple cinnamon crumble and custard, but after taking a few bites, they were asked to stop recording and leave the premises.
Despite being asked to leave, Mr. Guercio believes that content creators like himself bring attention and queues to the fresh food market, one of the most popular attractions in London. “The modern concept of Borough Market now exists because of social media. It needs it, it’s important to them,” he told the Times. He added, “The whole not-recording thing is ridiculous. We are just two guys with our camera phones. I understand if you’re, say, Channel 4 with a big set-up, camera and lights, but we aren’t getting in anyone’s way.”
To apply for permission, content creators must fill out a form on the market’s website. This form requires details about the purpose of the filming, the planned time, and the size of the ‘crew.’ If someone is caught filming without a ‘permission letter,’ the market has stated that they will be asked to stop and leave the site.
Mr. Guercio had just described the £9 crumble as “slightly better than what I got at primary school” when security approached him and asked if he had permission to film. After being escorted out of the market, the pair expressed their shock at having spent £100 in an hour. Mr. Guercio mentioned that he was aware of other influencers being kicked out of the market for filming without permission.
The moment they were asked to leave was captured by couple Haley and Damian, who run a YouTube channel called We Get Around Travel. They were shocked to see all the content already online. The pair were about to try one of the popular sandwiches from The Black Pig but were stopped before they could get the chance.
They said, “We didn’t get to find out. We actually got kicked out for filming. Surely we weren’t the first people to film there, we thought. Yeah, they are literally 754,000 videos online of the Borough Market, but we got kicked out.” The security guard mentioned something about their microphone looking too professional, though they were unsure of the reasoning.
Tanya Goode, who runs the Instagram account EatingwithTanyaa, described the policy as “ridiculous” for restricting content creators from filming without permission. She explained, “The first thing I do when I’m looking for somewhere to eat is look at what reviews others have filmed. Enforcing this all the time really would limit the opportunities for small businesses in the market.”
A spokesperson for Borough Market stated, “Our filming policy is designed to ensure that activity doesn’t cause disruption to stallholders or visitors, and our security team is trained to ask for the relevant permission from anyone filming in the market. This occasionally means we ask food reviewers to stop filming if they are causing congestion or haven’t got the relevant permission.”