SOCIAL TWO WAYS:
THE BOSTON BRUNCHERS Written by Jodie Lynn Boduch Photography by Scott Erb and Donna Dufault
Let’s do lunch. No, check that. Let’s do brunch instead. That’s what food blogger Renee Hirschberg and a handful fellow bloggers did in fall 2010. The young, vibrant group enjoyed a delicious brunch at Lord Hobo in Cambridge and looked forward to the next one. But you know how people get together for a good time over food and say, “We should do this again some time?” Sometimes everyone gets busy and, despite good intentions, such future gatherings never transpire. Then there are people who enjoy bonding over great meals and sharing their experiences with a likeminded audience. Boston Brunchers, your table is ready. The group has since been joined by another few hundred food enthusiasts over the course of many brunches. Their goal takes a page out of the How to Be a Passionate Foodie Handbook—to try every brunch in Boston and the surrounding towns, though sometimes they go further afield to places like Newburyport. Two words set the Boston Brunchers apart from other dining groups: social media. Almost all of the Brunchers have Twitter accounts. Many of them have food blogs—though the overall network consists of more than 1500 Boston-area bloggers of other topics (lifestyle, travel, nightlife, fashion, etc.), food writers, Tweeters, reporters, PR pros, and other influencers in the food world. In addition to trying great places, their objective is to promote the brunches via social media.
88
Foodies of New England
And in case you’re wondering just how much buzz they can generate, consider this: the first four brunch locations for the Boston Brunchers became ranked in the top 10 “Talk of the Town” listing on Urban Spoon within 2 days of their visit. They’ve been featured in the Boston Globe and on Public Radio Kitchen, Yelp, the Boston Local Food Festival blog, and a number of other publications and media. They also attend conferences such as FoodBuzz Fest, Eat, Drink, and Be Social, Winemaker Magazine’s Annual Conference, BlogHer Conference, and the International Food Bloggers Conference. How’s that for being full of passion and energy? Hirchberg, who writes Eat.Live.Blog, believes that the collective social media influence of the Brunchers has brought visibility to restaurants many people wouldn’t expect to have a brunch option, such as Temple Bar in Cambridge or Dorado Tacos in Brookline. Members of the group also serve as informal reviewers, letting readers know that some of the brunches with a higher price tag, like The Langham, are well worth it. Reviews from the individual bloggers are posted on the individual blogs as well as on the Boston Brunchers website. Although food has been the essence of the group, the Brunchers have recently begun exploring events that are not solely food-centered, such as a tour of the Boston Jewelers Exchange Building in Downtown Crossing and participation in a Zumba class at Hill Studios in Watertown. It’s a testament to just how much this group relishes discovering new experiences together.