Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Wong.
Hi Amanda, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started Austin Food Adventures when I was a sophomore in college at UT Austin. At the time I was studying to get into nursing school and I was in a long-distance relationship with my high school sweetheart. Growing up in Austin, I’ve always been a fan of eating out and I found Instagram to be the perfect spot to post my finds and favorite spots. My food account started initially with the idea of posting the food spots I ate on the weekends with my long-distance boyfriend, who is now my fiancé. Over time I was blown away from the growth and level of support I received through Instagram. Many people messaged me that they loved my recommendations on restaurants and I found that my childhood spots were actually hidden gems that many new Austinites had not tried. Since then my account has grown from a casual hobby to a mini side hustle with multiple restaurant visits a week and food opportunities I’ve never thought I’d have, like interviewing Aaron Sanchez from MasterChef! I’ve seen so much in the food scene, I’ve been a celebrity judge at the Austin Ice cream festival, and I’ve covered many food festivals in Austin including, ACL, Hot luck, Austin Food and Wine, Cochin, and Taste Maker Awards. I’d like to think my account is a place that locals or travelers can look at to decide what they’d like to eat and do in Austin.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Instagram was definitely not a smooth road, with being an “influencer” there was always a lot of stigma behind it. In the past, as in 5 years ago, it was normal to reach out to collaborate with restaurants as you had a mutually beneficial relationship. I struggled with the collaborations because I felt it was ethically wrong for me to not give a stellar review when I was the one who reached out for a partnership. Over time, I decided it was a better idea to stop reaching out to businesses and instead allow them to reach out to me for reviews. During covid 19 in 2019, I felt so bad for the restaurant industry that I stopped accepting free meals entirely. I could not justify getting comped meals from the restaurants that were struggling and instead ordered as much to-go as I could. As the restaurant industry has slowly gotten better, I’ve only recently starting taking restaurants up on comped meals again but I would say maybe 8/10 meals are funded by myself and I’ve never been happier with my account till this year.
The latest difficulty has been the covid 19 pandemic, I’m a nurse and above all else, I placed human life first. I had to completely rearrange my food Instagram and only do to-go or contactless pick up for a long time until the numbers for covid went down and I was vaccinated. I also went through the ethical dilemma of all the racial hate that occurred with the death of George Floyd and used my platform for the first time, as a voice for others, despite being a food account. I am happy with these dilemmas as they have shaped me into the account I want to be and allowed me to learn more about what I want for the future of Austin food adventures.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So outside of being a foodie, in my day job, I’m a registered nurse, I work with kids on an acute care unit at Dell Children’s Medical center. I’m currently in school at UT, pursing my master’s to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. My job is very morally gratifying but the stress that comes along with being a nurse during covid 19 is real. What helped me get through the difficult time was my food blog. A few times, I’ve even organized food donations for the nurses at the hospital. I wouldn’t say anything sets me apart in terms of being a nurse but in terms of being a food blogger, it’s rare to find one that’s a working professional who’s also going to school full time!
As a food Instagrammer, I do accept paid collaborations at times from big brands but overall I don’t charge restaurants or local businesses for any content or reviews. I usually visit a restaurant and take a series of stories and photos. I share details on the meal with my followers including dish prices and descriptions and what to order. At the end of the meal, I post a “thought” story where I let them know how I felt about the restaurant. I use my thought stories to disclose whether a meal was comped as well. This system has been working for me for years, and it’s my favorite part of my account! I’m probably the only food account in Austin that is truly anonymous, I haven’t ever shown my face on my account ever and my goal is for the page to be 100% about food only. Sure it makes it hard to make friends in the community, but I like my privacy and the mysteriousness of the page. I pride my account on honesty and that includes no fake followers and no fake likes. I want my followers to trust me, and I think that’s my favorite part of my account.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success as happiness. Your hobbies and jobs should make you happy. But above else, my happiness is also defined by personal growth, and my goal is to ultimately grow my career and Instagram to new heights. Don’t give up and try giving your hobby or interests a chance. You never know where it will lead you!
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Image Credits
Austin Food Adventures
