andrew steinthal

Feedfeed’s co-founders Julie and Dan Resnick discuss what it takes to build a food media brand from the ground up with Andrew Steinthal, co-founder and CRO of The Infatuation. This discussion with Andrew covers their experiences of creating digital food media companies starting with choosing the right hashtags (#feedfeed and #eeeeeats) and building community. From there, the conversation turns from growth to monetization, discussing everything from what brands to work with, as well as the Zagat acquisition by the Infatuation.

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Chris Stang is the co-founder and CEO of The Infatuation, a restaurant recommendation website and messaging service based in New York. They are most known for publishing restaurant reviews and guides, and as creators of the hashtag #EEEEEATS. In 2018, the company acquired the Zagat rating company from Google.

Chris grew up in Denver and found his way into the music industry after a stint in college radio, working in promotion and marketing for 12 years at Atlantic Records alongside massive acts such as Skrillex, Coldplay, Matchbox Twenty, Bruno Mars, and Santigold.

In 2009, he had an idea to launch a food blog with his now partner, Andrew Steinthal. After some early growth, they both decided to leave their corporate jobs in the midst of their careers to dive into the world of startups. Since then, they’ve grown a loyal community in over 20 cities worldwide and raised millions of dollars in funding (most recently, a $30 million round from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo).

In this episode, Pat and Posh hung out with Chris during one of his trips to LA to learn about his upbringing, experience working in the music industry, the early days of launching The Infatuation, and how he’s been able to manage the company’s massive growth. Chris also shares why they acquired Zagat, the parallels between music and business, the lessons he’s learned as a founder and leader, the next wave of innovation in the food industry, and what’s coming next from The Infatuation and Zagat.

Fun fact: The Infatuation was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2014 for writing a review of a fake restaurant called Underfinger!

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We're joined in the studio by Andrew Steinthal and Chris Stang, the food-lovers behind restaurant review website The Infatuation (and the #EEEEEATS hashtag).

The pair met on the set of MTV's Total Request Live and left careers in the music industry to start their site in 2009, offering "restaurant reviews for the people."

Snacky Tunes is back this week as Darin Bresnitz and Greg Bresnitz feature the first west coast food segment with Andrew Steinthal and Chris Stang, founders of The Infatuation. Launching in 2009, The Infatuation sought to bring a fresh voice to the world of restaurant reviewing where the regular, not super foodie people could turn to for honest and delicious opinions. Sharing how they initially met on the set of MTV’s TRL and eventually transitioned from the music industry to the food world, The Infatuation has become a successful app with branches in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver and now, Los Angeles. In the second half of the show, Greg welcomes musical guest WALTZ to the studio. Talking about his upcoming release, WALTZ shares details on the recording process and how 1980s aerobics videos ultimately inspired the visual accompaniment to the album. Tune in for great live performances and catch WALTZ at Rough Trade on August 12! This program was brought to you by Edwards VA Ham.

“I think it’s a similar craft almost; people who care about what they eat care about what they listen to.” [8:17]

—Andrew Steinthal on Snacky Tunes

“That was what we started to think through – the why’s of people going to restaurants – and often it’s a lot more than, ‘I love to eat great food.'”[12:03]

—Chris Stang on Snacky Tunes