As no photography, cover charges and minimum spends take hold in London’s top spots and stories appear in the national press about businesses losing patience with the swarm of influencers descending on their establishments claiming local hotspots as public spaces, restaurateurs and coffee shop owners are fighting back.

There’s definitely been a shift, I’ve noticed it, in more and more places; pick your phone up to take a picture of the place or worse still a picture of the food and the atmosphere changes. Like you are one of those people not there to enjoy the atmosphere, food and service but to get your images whilst spending as little as possible and leave.

I like to take pictures, and I like to write reviews not as a business, usually to share things I love and help the business but more and more, in wonderful long established spots like Scalinis, Daphnes, Kahani, Claude Bois at Bibendum, or newer restaurants Dinings SW3 2017 or Fellini 2024 the staff (and sometimes the customers) are giving out the camera away vibes. And can we really blame them?

I have overheard dinners complain about too many people taking pictures and saw one table tell an incessant snapper to ensure they weren’t captured on camera. Embarrassing for the person taking too many pictures. They had to stop and finish there meal with everyone talking about them.

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.  

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.

When restauranteurs are having to apologise to customers in their newsletters and implement signage and policies to stop the influencer invasion the tide is definitely turning

When speaking to the Daily Mail Mr. king said

'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’

Jeremy King is clearly not alone.

At the most expensive hotel in London the New Chancery Rosewood in Grosvenor Square there’s a £200 cover for a table in the bar. To keep the influencers out. And Claridges and The Ritz American Bar have also stopped anyone just wandering in. In Claridges recently a business meeting where we had a pizza to share, a couple of cocktails and a bottle of wine the bill was over £400, we were met in the lobby and shown to a table in the bar we needed a reservation for, no waltzing in and definitely no photographs.

The same goes for Scalinis, my favourite spot, an old school place, older than the hills my parents liked to take us to as a family where I would always order Spaghetti carbonara. It’s so good and so unchanged I rarely order this popular Italian dish anywhere else because I know it won’t taste like Scalinis.

There wasn’t a sign up saying no pictures but there might as well have been. I snapped the cheeky picture inside of the sign without getting caught but that was it.

Borough Market, somewhere I love and have written about; Security have escorted out food influencers for filming without permission and the market now requires permits for filming to prevent congestion.

It’s been reported in the Evening Standard numerous times over the last year about gentrification and areas around London being overrun with Tiktok and Instagram people and the negative effects it’s had on business and neighbourhoods.

For me it’s great to see the places I love to go, dealing with the problem directly with steely stares, polite but direct communication from staff about respect for other diners. And even bold customers speaking up and slapping down the influencer types not welcome in their favourite haunts.

It’s a new dawn and personally I’d be happy to see a cellphone ban for customers restauranteurs don’t know. It would encourage more people to frequent the best places regularly and get to know staff at those establishments if you want to be allowed to have your phone at the table.