ST. LOUIS – A local St. Louis social media influencer didn’t start out wanting to become internet famous, but instead, to help small businesses gain revenue during COVID-19.

Despite his original intentions, Orlando Peyton, owner of Its Epic Eats on Instagram, has used his following of 85,000 fans to help St. Louis area small restaurants get noticed. Peyton only focuses on the St. Louis area.

Peyton said that he saw how COVID was affecting small businesses, especially restaurants, forcing many to close. He has no affiliations with the restaurant industry; food reviewing is simply a hobby alongside his job as an accountant. He just wanted to help small business by doing free food reviews.

During his reviews, he captures both video footage and photos of the food, occasionally documenting his immediate reactions to tasting it. He provides a detailed account of the flavors, highlights what appealed to him, and shares his overall impressions of the dining experience.

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Peyton’s favorite food is wings, whether St. Louis style or regular. He recommends Felix Pizza Pub in Dogtown for delicious “trash wings.” But he loves trying new food, he focuses on how it tastes, how the ingredients complement each other and the overall experience.

While he hasn’t reviewed any restaurants on The Hill yet, he plans to explore more of St. Louis’ culinary scene. Peyton encourages people to send him recommendations for “Mom and Pop” restaurants or any family-owned businesses they want to see get more exposure.

“I do all different kinds pizza, wings, desserts, Italian food, different ethnic foods. Anything that’s local,” said Peyton.

For every meal he tries, Peyton pays for it himself to provide unbiased reviews.

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“I buy the food first and then review it on my own and give a unique authentic review,” Payton said. Peyton promises to keep his reviews positive but honest. “If I go to a restaurant and have a horrible food experience, I’m not going to bash a restaurant.”

Since his social media presence is about getting local businesses attention, he isn’t going to make it negative.  He said he’ll explain his experience, what he ate, how it tasted and whether he would eat there again.

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“But it might have just been [my experience],” said Payton. “[I] encourage people to still go to the restaurant because they might have a different experience. I might go back to the restaurant just to see if it was just that one-time thing. I try to support the restaurants the best way I can.”

Check out his Instagram for more restaurant reviews.

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