Opeyemi has become one of the most famous food critic in the country from his continuous and unwavering review of major/minor restaurants and drink outlets.
His bio online reads:
"Nigeria's Biggest Food & Wine Critic10/10 is for God9/10 is for Me8/10 is for the best Dish I taste"
Opeyemi Famakin prides himself on being Nigeria’s number one food critic and he wants you to know it.
Over the years, he has grown to become one of the biggest Instagram accounts in Nigerian cyberspace, dolling out opinions about restaurants and food vendors, surpassing Eat Drink Lagos, an account that started documenting the Lagos food scene long before Opeyemi Famakin took his Instagram seriously, has a namesake festival.
Opeyemi Famakin has a university degree in Mass Communication, from the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where as a student, he worked for big media brands like Pulse Ng and BellaNaija. He had first-hand experience in both the young content economy and round-the-clock journalism experience, going on to become a senior editor at a music blog. At the blog, he tried to push food content. But it wasn’t their focus, so they pushed back.
On how he delved into food criticism, talking about food and what his thoughts were on the food/hospitality industry in Nigeria is that food amazes him and he sees it as both art and science. Also, his family travelled a lot for food. Everytime they did he would document his experience and share on social media and give reviews.
Opeyemi grew up in a household where they didn’t believe that women belonged in the kitchen and they would also go on holidays to different countries just because of the food. The two small acts from his parents (most especially his mother) contributed to his love for food.
His perception of the food industry in Nigeria and globally is he wished that chefs would cook more Nigerian dishes and reinvent them rather than cook french and italian dishes.
In 2019, Opeyemi Famakin contacted an advertising agency close to where he lived and asked if they would bring him on board. With no advertising experience, he started a new role that later saw him manage campaigns for brands like Globacom, Mouka Foam, and Golden Morn.
When a food brand approached the advertising agency that it wanted to launch a product and needed influencers, his colleagues bounced around names of beauty and fashion influencers. He asked why not food influencers instead. They suggested some chefs. He suggested himself and his 5000 followers’ Instagram account.
He was laughed at. By market metrics, with 5000 followers, he wasn’t even a micro-influencer. So he took up the challenge. It was 2019, and he said in a year, he would become the biggest food influencer in Nigerian cyberspace. He did it in nine months.
Then he made his first dough, 30 thousand Naira from Maggi. But he still took it as a hobby. Opera News had come into the market and was looking for a lead brand strategist. He went for the interview. An offer was made. But a clause in the contract said he had to abandon his newfound fame as a food critic.
He observed the market and found that the players at the time didn’t cater to middle-class Nigerians. They zoomed in on glamorous pictures with flowery short captions. They sold a narrative that food content on Instagram didn’t involve ordering food from vendors or posting videos with friends munching trays for chicken wings at a new spot. They documented content from upscale restaurants exclusively. They denied the existence of roadside Lagos food in their bid to cater to the elusive one per cent and all those that seek to be invited to that club.
When the lockdown happened in 2020, an opportunity presented itself. With high-end Lagos restaurants shut down, he was able to find a wider audience for his content, young Nigerians who didn’t know where to get food while sheltering at home.
Now he spends his time visiting universities across West Africa, announcing which vendor made the best alternative to meat at Babcock University and if Ghanaians had to high tolerance for alcohol. He has reviewed the spiciest noodles in the world and outlined all the problems with Don Jazzy’s Jazzy Burger.
Don Jazzy’s Burger Review
Earlier this year, the Popular Nigerian food and wine critic, Opeyemi Famakin took to Instagram to raise alarm after he received death threats from Don Jazzy‘s fans over the review of Jazzy burger.
Opeyemi had done a review of Don Jazzy’s burger, 3 months ago when it was launched, then he decided to do another review 3 months later, to cite improvements.
However, there were a few lapses and disappointments, including the fact that he did not get a side of fries for a burger of N12K.
In the process of the review, he called out Don Jazzy.
See his post on Instagram:
