How Asti Wagner Turned Food Influencing Into a Global Hospitality Tech Platform
When it comes to food influencers, few stories are as compelling as Asti Wagner’s. Known online as @EatWithAst, Asti built a loyal following by showcasing London’s restaurant scene through beautifully edited, fast-paced food videos. What started as a hobby at university quickly turned into viral success—and eventually into a full-fledged tech company now launching in New York City: Invyted.
On this episode of The Hospitality Hangout: Food Fluencers, Schatzy welcomes Asti into the studio to unpack her journey from foodie creator to founder, and how influencer marketing is transforming restaurant growth.
From Uni Student to Viral Food Influencer
Asti’s story starts like many modern creator journeys: with a phone, curiosity, and a love for food.
While studying at university in the UK, she began posting photos and videos from her camera roll—just for fun. At first, only friends followed along. But things changed when she uploaded a restaurant compilation video that unexpectedly went viral.
One post turned into another.
One viral moment turned into millions of views.
One of Asti’s videos hit over 15 million views, launching her account from a few hundred followers to over 10,000 almost overnight.
Instead of focusing on herself, Asti focused on the food: close-ups, plating, movement, textures, and atmosphere. Her style stayed consistent, helping her audience recognize her content instantly in a crowded social feed.
Today, Asti has grown her audience to 50,000+ highly engaged followers who trust her recommendations across London’s dining scene.
The Power (and Pressure) of Food Influencer Marketing
With growth comes responsibility.
Asti explains that real influence isn’t about free meals—it’s about trust. If a restaurant isn’t good, she won’t promote it.
“If I don’t like the experience, I won’t post it. I’d rather give feedback to the brand than mislead my audience.”
This authenticity is what separates real food influencers from hype accounts. Followers aren’t just watching—they’re booking tables, lining up, and changing their dining behavior based on creator content.
Sometimes, that influence even backfires.
After one of Asti’s posts about a new London hotspot went viral, the restaurant became so popular that she couldn’t even get a table herself anymore.
That’s the paradox of success in hospitality marketing today: influencers don’t just promote restaurants—they can create demand overnight.
Why Restaurants Need Influencers More Than Ever
During the episode, Schatzy and Asti discuss how younger generations trust creators more than traditional advertising.
Influencer marketing was $1.7B in 2016
Grew to $16.5B by 2022
Projected to reach $50B+ by 2028
Why? Because Gen Z and Millennials value authenticity over polished ads.
Asti puts it simply: people believe creators because they feel real. When someone they follow recommends a restaurant, it feels like advice from a friend, not a billboard.
The Birth of Invyted: Fixing a Broken System
After working inside a restaurant PR agency and living the influencer life firsthand, Asti noticed a problem.
Brands were:
Scouring Instagram and TikTok for creators
Sending endless DMs and emails
Negotiating manually
Struggling to measure real impact
Creators were:
Missing opportunities
Overwhelmed with messages
Unsure which brands were legitimate
Wasting time coordinating collaborations
So Asti built a solution.
What Is Invyted?
Invyted is a mobile platform that connects brands and vetted influencers for gifted collaborations—focused on authenticity, ease, and real-world results.
Through Invyted:
Restaurants list collaboration opportunities
Influencers discover experiences in their city
Brands see creator demographics and engagement
Everything runs through one streamlined system
Instead of friction, Invyted creates flow.
Real Results: From Cheesecake Shop to Viral Sensation
One of Invyted’s standout success stories came from a cheesecake brand in London’s Knightsbridge neighborhood.
After joining the platform:
An Invyted creator’s video went viral
The brand jumped from 500 to 70,000 followers
Lines wrapped around the block
Production had to scale 4x
New locations opened in Soho and beyond
That’s influencer marketing with measurable ROI—not just likes, but foot traffic and revenue.
How Invyted Vets Influencers
Not everyone gets access.
Invyted uses a mix of technology + human review to ensure quality:
Minimum 10,000 followers on TikTok or Instagram
Engagement rate checks (typically 3%+)
Analysis of the last 100 posts
Detection of fake followers
Audience location breakdown
Manual verification
This ensures restaurants aren’t just giving away meals—they’re investing in creators who actually move the needle locally.
Launching Invyted in New York City
After dominating London, Asti made her next big move: New York City.
With demand already coming from U.S. creators, Invyted officially launched in NYC and quickly grew to:
800+ influencers in just months
A local NYC team
Sales and community managers
Expanding brand partnerships across hospitality
Why New York?
Because it’s one of the world’s most influential food cities—and a natural home for creator-driven restaurant marketing.
Introducing Invyted Academy
Not every creator is ready yet—and Asti knows it.
That’s why Invyted is launching Invyted Academy, designed for rising influencers who haven’t hit the platform’s thresholds.
The goal:
Teach consistency
Build content strategy
Improve engagement
Grow audiences authentically
It’s about empowering the next generation of creators before they step into paid and gifted collaborations.
The Future of Hospitality Meets Creators
Asti Wagner’s story shows what happens when creativity meets technology.
She didn’t just build a following—she built infrastructure for an entire industry.
From posting restaurant videos at uni to launching a global influencer marketplace, Asti and Invyted are helping restaurants grow smarter, faster, and more authentically.
As Schatzy puts it: influencer marketing, when done right, doesn’t just generate content—it drives real business.
