The Infatuation

The Infatuation (formerly known as Immaculate Infatuation) is an American New York-based restaurant recommendation website and messaging service, created by former music industry executives Chris Stang and Andrew Steinthal in 2009. They are most known for publishing restaurant reviews and guides, and as creators of the hashtag #EEEEEATS.[1]

The Infatuation
FormerlyImmaculate Infatuation
TypePrivate
Founded2009
FoundersAndrew Steinthal
Chris Stang
HeadquartersNew York City, New York
Areas served
12 American cities
SubsidiariesZagat
Websitetheinfatuation.com

They have developed an Android and iPhone app,[2] and operate an SMS-based restaurant recommendation service called Text Rex.[3] In 2017 they launched their food and music festival brand EEEEEATSCON.[4]

On March 6, 2018, the company acquired the Zagat rating company from Google for an undisclosed amount.[5]

History

Immaculate Infatuation was established in 2009 by Stang and Steinthal with the aim of providing honest restaurant reviews without accepting invitations from restaurants or announcing their presence to a wait staff.[1] They later shortened the company name to The Infatuation.[6]

Funding

On June 1, 2014, The Infatuation raised $1 million from a first round of seed funding from four investors, including Griffen Avenue Ventures and Empire Angels.[7]

On September 25, 2016The Infatuation raised $2.5 million from a second round of seed funding from Maywic Select Investments.[8]

On September 27, 2018 The Infatuation raised $30 million from a third round of venture funding from WndrCo, the media holding company co-founded by the Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg.[9][10]

Zagat acquisition

On March 5, 2018, The Infatuation acquired Zagat's brand and assets from Google. They did not disclose the amount.[5] They will reportedly operate as two distinct brands, with The Infatuation retaining its editorial-first focus and Zagat will expand user surveys and develop a new tech-driven platform.[11]

#EEEEEATS

In 2012, The Infatuation started to use #EEEEEATS as a way to tag their food photos on Instagram. The 5 E's are explained as a way to make "[what we do] feel fun" and "[to not] take things too seriously."[1] The hashtag was quickly adopted by the food community and now has grown to over 10 million tags.[12] The company also operates 22 different Instagram handles including the main @infatuation account, one for each of their operating cities, and food-specific accounts like @pizza, @avocadotoast, and @burger.[13]

Underfinger

In May 2014, The Infatuation published a satirical review of a faux restaurant by the name of Underfinger, featuring "farm to finger" foods like seahorse sashimi and charcuterie gloves. The fictional restaurant was later brought to life in a pop-up event hosted by Brooklyn restaurant Do or Dine.[14] A short-form documentary was created from the pop-up and later earned the company a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award nomination in the Humor category.[1]

EEEEEATSCON

EEEEEATSCON is The Infatuation's annual food and music festival held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA and Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, NY.[4] The event is described as a "Music Festival Catered Towards Food" and included restaurant vendors, musical acts, and speaking engagements.[15]

Festival Summary by Year
Edition Date Location Headlining Restaurants Musicians Speakers
1st May 20, 2017.[4] Santa Monica, CA Chi Spacca, Pasquale Jones, Jon & Vinny's Lizzo, The Knocks Shep Gordon, Nancy Silverton
2nd May 19, 2018[16] Santa Monica, CA Night + Market, Russ & Daughters, Cento Pasta Bar The Spencer Lee Band, Gavin Turek Missy Robbins
3rd October 6, 2018[17] Forest Hills, NY Shake Shack x Emily, Jon & Vinny's, Rubirosa Batalá New York, High & Mighty Brass Band Adam Rippon, Tim & Nina Zagat
4th May 18–19, 2019[18] Santa Monica, CA Shake Shack x Petit Trois, Triple Beam Pizza, Mariscos Jalisco Young & Sick, Hailey Knox, EVAN GIIA Awkwafina, Dan Levy, Cameron Diaz
5th October 5–6, 2019[19] Forest Hills, NY Shake Shack x Uncle Boons, Hattie B's Hot Chicken Lolo Zouaï, Your Smith, Abir Questlove, Dwyane Wade
6th May 16–17, 2020 (postponed due to COVID-19)[20] Santa Monica, CA N/A N/A N/A

See also

References
  1. "Why two music industry execs quit their jobs to start a wildly popular food site". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  2. "16 of the coolest apps and gadgets you should use the next time you travel". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  3. "This Text Service Offers Personalized Restaurant Recommendations". Observer. 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  4. "The Infatuation launches EEEEEATSCON, possibly the coolest food fest yet". Time Out Los Angeles. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  5. Merced, Michael J. de la (2018-03-05). "Google to Sell Zagat to The Infatuation, an Upstart Review Site". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  6. "How The Infatuation Built a Passionate Community of Millions of Food Lovers". Insights. 2017-05-03. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  7. "Seed Round - The Infatuation - 2014-06-01 | Crunchbase". Crunchbase. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  8. "Seed Round - The Infatuation - 2016-09-25 | Crunchbase". Crunchbase. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  9. Merced, Michael J. de la (2018-09-27). "The Infatuation Gets $30 Million Investment From Hollywood Mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  10. "Venture Round - The Infatuation". Crunchbase. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  11. "Restaurant Review Platform The Infatuation Buys Zagat". Bloomberg.com. 2018-03-05. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  12. "#eeeeeats • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  13. "How Instagram helped the founders of The Infatuation quit their jobs and work full-time on food reviews". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  14. "Underfinger, the Real Fake Restaurant That's Confusing Us All". Observer. 2014-06-03. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  15. "The Infatuation's Debut EEEEEATSCON Is a 'Music Festival Catered Towards Food'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
  16. Baker, Karin E. "EEEEEATSCON Returns to Barker Hangar". Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  17. "NYC's First "EEEEEATSCON" Food Fest Comes To Forest Hills Stadium". Forest Hills, NY Patch. 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  18. "Awkwafina, Dan Levy to Keynote Santa Monica Food, Music and Tech Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  19. "Emerging Artists Shine, Questlove and More Famous Foodies Rep at EEEEEATSCON Festival in New York". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  20. "The Infatuation's EEEEEEATSCON". Retrieved February 11, 2020.
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