At 40,000 members, this Facebook group knows Atlanta’s Asian restaurant scene inside and out

Korean street food dishes from Kukga Topokk in Duluth and Suwanee Courtesy of Winnie Nguyen With million people living in metro Atlanta nearly of those residents are of Asian descent according to the census Multiple are also members of ATL Asian Eats one of the largest online communities in metro Atlanta influencing the Asian food scene Karly Giang owner of Milla s Macarons a pop-up specializing in desserts like macaron ice cream sandwiches and dacquoise founded the special interest Facebook group in Primarily comprised of Asian public members the group now includes over people who invariably seem to know the best places for hot pot sushi or all-you-can-eat dim sum well before majority of traditional media outlets ATL Asian Eats remains a private Facebook group only admitting new members once they ve requested to join and been vetted Keeping it private helps protect the group s integrity making it a trustworthy source for unbiased restaurant recommendations Members must agree to a set of guidelines when applying i e no bullying no spamming and no self-promotion and adhere to these rules once accepted into the group The level of control Giang and fellow moderators maintain isn t to prevent people from having a voice but rather to allow them to feel safe to speak She sees ATL Asian Eats as a welcoming society where all questions and opinions are treated with respect Despite membership being majority Asian non-Asian people regularly join the group and see it as a place to learn about Asian heritage and food Largest part ATL Asian Eats members stay on top of up-to-date Asian restaurant openings and closures in metro Atlanta the new dishes to try price updates and even changes of ownership That insider knowledge comes from being well-connected within the Asian locality ATL Asian Eats founder Karly Giang at Shabu Courtesy of f atlanta kravings Pho beef rolls from Lo Banh Uot Saigon opening June one of plenty of grand opening announcements posted to ATL Asian Eats by members and restaurant owners Courtesy Winnie Nguyen It is my hope that our ATL Asian Eats family serves the Atlanta area as a welcoming platform to provide our food recommendations over Google s SEO search recommendations Giang declared of its fundamental purpose While majority members post basic updates or pop on to ask a question chosen people publish reviews along with photos like top ATL Asian Eats contributor Raven Jade She prefers this group over other consumer-driven review sites like Yelp because she finds the members more informed and educated about the restaurants and food experiences they re sharing Sometimes members offer personal insights like reflecting on a dish they ate at a restaurant that reminded them of a meal their mom made or a dish that reminded them of one from back home Jade prolifically posts her food takes on the group s Facebook page to highlight mom-and-pop restaurants that while familiar to greater part of its Asian members may help make non-Asian members feel less intimidated about visiting and exploring new cuisines If she can convince one person to try a restaurant she enjoyed her job is done she stated Related stories The Philippines bulk communal feast is the calling card at Kamayan ATL Atlanta s hot pot scene is booming Here are six places to tryAnother member Bruce Hein views ATL Asian Eats as a district of food lovers He appreciates that members provide a different perspective on how to determine if a restaurant and its food are worth checking out While people on Yelp factor in a combination of criteria such as ambiance decor utility price and food in their restaurant feedback members of ATL Asian Eats tend to emphasize the food above all else A lack of a buzzy vibe or Instagrammable decor at a Chinese restaurant wouldn t deter most of group members from heading in for dumplings that might just be the best they ve had in metro Atlanta Courtesy of Raven Jade Courtesy of Bruce Hein Jade and Hein don t consider themselves influencers Instead they call themselves foodies who are passionate about Atlanta s Asian food scene constantly exploring tasting documenting and sharing their knowledge with group members For Jade and Hein the food is the vibe To reduce the number of redundant questions on the group s page like where to find the best place for ph for example ATL Asian Eats offers food guides organized by town or cuisine to make it easier to search And while spamming is prohibited there is a section dedicated to self-promotion where restaurant owners can share information The impact of ATL Asian Eats on smaller restaurants various of which can t afford PR firms or include owners inexperienced in setting up a website or social media account has been vital Selected restaurants see a noticeable surge in business after an ATL Asian Eats review similar to when TikTok restaurant reviewer Keith Lee visits restaurants Related story Soupbelly and Sweet Auburn BBQ owners launch Asian food tour Yum Cha GSU mapping project explores ATL s South Asian diaspora through restaurantsMembers also don t hold back sometimes offering brutally honest opinions of their restaurant experiences A few restaurant owners see this as highly beneficial no matter how critical or negative the feedback using the information to improve operation and or food Ming Han Chung of Minhwa Spirits in Doraville likes that the Facebook group isn t algorithm-driven and SEO based calling the restaurant recommendations on ATL Asian Eats as real as you re going to get Glancing at a photo of spring rolls won t automatically make more spring roll images appear in your feed nor are posts ranked in any way Distillery and tasting room Minhwa Spirits in Doraville also hosts Asian-owned Postern Coffee and pop-ups like Ganji Korean Courtesy of Colette Collins On the Facebook group I can straight up reply as the owner and have a real discourse There aren t various places where you can just chat about whatever Instagram comments aren t the same Chung disclosed who finds the feedback on ATL Asian Eats more helpful and trustworthy as a business owner Peter Tong a group expert chosen by the admins to help answer questions and share his knowledge announced restaurants can see spikes in business after even a single member visits Related story Add these Atlanta-made gins and sojus to your home bar A friend of mine has a family restaurant out in Marietta that serves Vietnamese and Thai dishes They ve been there a pretty long time Tong stated Knowing they had certain ingredients in the kitchen I demanded him if I could order something off-menu a bowl of ph but with a Lao-style spin to it Tong posted about his positive restaurant experience on ATL Asian Eats That same week his friend announced the family s restaurant had new and returning customers requesting Tong s special dish The restaurant ran the special for a while before discontinuing it due to supply issues The dim sum cart at East Pearl Seafood in Duluth Courtesy of Winnie Nguyen ATL Asian Eats also offers a safe space for deeper discussions concerning topics such as business food costs cultural appropriation and other more controversial issues about the intersection of food beliefs and the Asian diaspora Sometimes these discussions become heated but often lead to constructive dialogues that encourage people to try to understand multiple perspectives regardless of agreement That networking is central to Giang s vision for ATL Asian Eats She admits it s a lot of work to maintain a group of -plus members especially while operating Milla s Macarons and working full-time But for Giang it s fundamental to continue cultivating ATL Asian Eats so members can connect over their love of food For members a multitude of of them immigrants or children of immigrants ATL Asian Eats provides a sense of group something they may be missing in metro Atlanta And a simple greeting that shows love care and concern between Asians has now become the Facebook group s ultimate icebreaker question Have you eaten at this new restaurant yet The post At members this Facebook group knows Atlanta s Asian restaurant scene inside and out appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta