A record-breaking burger challenge in Sutton Coldfield brought three food influencers together to attempt 45 burgers in one hour. But behind the viral stunt lies a serious question — can creative events like this help Birmingham’s hospitality sector bounce back?
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00:00Right here in Sutton Caulfield, a team of eaters attempted to demolish 45 burgers in just one hour.
00:07Hospitality in the West Midlands is still recovering from the pandemic
00:10and with energy bills, wages and food prices all climbing,
00:14some businesses are thinking more creatively.
00:17Events like this tap into online audiences, generate content
00:21and can bring new customers through the doors if done right.
00:24I don't necessarily think mine specifically because I've got quite a small audience at the moment which I'm trying to grow
00:33but speaking for other competitive eaters and content creators in that same genre, 100%.
00:39Whereas a lot of them are actually invited down to the business with that end goal in mind.
00:44So a challenge could be created to actually get some exposure from the business
00:48as opposed to it being a challenge that goes out to invite people.
00:52It's there to create awareness of the brand.
00:54So yes, absolutely.
00:56The UK hospitality industry employs millions but it's still facing uphill battles.
01:02Staff shortages, inflation and tighter spending mean many local venues are in survival mode.
01:08In Birmingham, hotel occupancy is below the national average and footfall across high streets is slow.
01:15That's where these sorts of out-the-box events come in.
01:17The burger challenge may look extreme but it taps into global audiences,
01:22creates shareable content and potentially gets people back through the doors.
01:28In the business, I would say it's the online exposure, I think,
01:33because it's not just the challenge yourself because it's going across multiple platforms.
01:38So it's not strictly exclusive to one particular media consumption or people that consume one type of media.
01:46It goes across the board.
01:47So yeah, once something goes viral, it makes all the difference for the business.
01:52Traditional advertising just doesn't cut through the noise like it used to.
01:57So smaller venues, the kind that rely on word of mouth and local loyalty, are being forced to think differently.
02:03Bringing influencers through the door and hosting these unusual challenges creates something worth talking about and worth filming.
02:11For the businesses involved, the gamble is that eyes on screens could turn into feet through doors.
02:17But these events only work if the food holds up and the vibe's right.
02:21If it's all a gimmick and no substance, people won't come back.
02:25Yeah, 100%.
02:27We've seen, you know, an increase in the amount of followers we've got across the different platforms.
02:34One thing we've tried to do over the past sort of 12 months ourselves is build our following across multiple platforms,
02:41as opposed to Instagram and Facebook, which we've always used.
02:44You know, we're delving more into TikTok and YouTube now.
02:47But these kind of things only, you know, put us out to a bigger, wider audience.
02:52And the more followers we get from that.
02:55Now, hopefully that kind of equates into extra sales down the line.