Social Media Interview

By: Kate Wroblewski

TwoTasteBuddiez is a viral TikTok account run by Rachel Eng & Maddie Gatto. Rachel goes to Northeastern and is friends with my childhood friend Mia. She agreed to talk to me about her story of becoming a food influencer. They started their account four years ago, and said it was really hard to balance school, friendships, and their TikTok that went viral. They started as two friends who really loved documenting the food they ate in Boston, but it turned into so much more. Currently their account has 50.3K followers on TikTok, with over 1.4 million likes. They also have an Instagram that has 27.7K followers.

They would spend a day every weekend together to try and stack all of their shoots for the week following. Rachel told me that they would order anything on the menu that they think would photograph well. They also will take requests from the owner if they wanted anything to be featured on their page. They would go through each food item, photograph it, and take videos. Rachel said after awhile they seemed to get a process down of how the videos should be filmed for the different various platforms. Rachel said it is kind of funny because sometimes when they are filming they do not even talk to each other because they are so in the zone. After filming, they get to eat and try all the delicious foods they ordered.

They do their best, as food influencers, to stay on top of all the food trends and the newest restaurants opening. “We want to be well known as the college student’s guide to food in Boston”. Rachel told me that the success of her account comes straight from the central role food plays in peoples lives. People bond over food, and the types you eat are very unique to each location. It is a big part of culture and that is why people love to follow food accounts. They post photos and videos of food daily, typically showcasing an interesting menu item from a restaurant in the Boston area. On top of that, each Monday they even give their followers a chance to win gift cards or discounts to the restaurants they have on their page.

If it is a pasta shot, they hold up noodles on the fork. If it is Ice Cream, they like to get up close and personal. If it is pancakes or french toast, they will do a syrup pour. This proves that they have they key shots that they are known for and have down pat. Their super exclusive TikTok format goes as follows:

• Walk up shot outside the restaurant
• Going through all the different things they ordered
• Show the drinks and appetizers
• Finally, showing the food
• Overall, taking the viewer through the dining experience with them

Rachel stated how TikTok is such a growing platform, at this time and that the For You Page can curate posts for those who are in Boston. This allows them to get discovered by such a unique audience, they would not be able to reach otherwise, or even on their Instagram.

Restaurants and venders pay Rachel and Maddie for posting photos, messages, and advertisements for their food. During their shoots, their meals are usually free. Most of the money they make, though, goes back into their business to pay for cameras and transportation.

Rachel wanted everyone reading this to know that, at the end of the day if you are not having fun with the content you are creating it is not worth it. Her account is almost like another job, so they strive to make it an extracurricular activity that Maddie and her really get to share. They even were able to strengthen their friendship through this account, and working together has made her college experience everything she dreamed of. In the future, they hope to keep their account going. They want to do bigger partnerships with nationwide brands, and continue to be an emerging force in the Boston food Instagram scene.