Hunting for Viral Eats: Why Are People Willing to Queue for Hit Foods?

Hunting for viral culinary trends has become a new phenomenon in Indonesia. Many people are willing to spend large amounts of money, queue, and even place pre-orders to sample foods that are currently being widely discussed on social media.

Recently, for example, the ‘Sultan’ asinan Ceri-Ya appeared, priced at Rp600,000. Previously, Dubai Chewy Cookies also became a viral sensation, prompting people to queue and pre-order just to try them.

One food enthusiast from Bandung, Olivia (26), is among those who enjoy hunting for viral foods. She says her love of food means she is always interested in trying new dishes.

‘Eating has been my hobby for a long time, so it’s my self-reward after a tiring day at work. And trying out new viral foods is an exciting thing I like to do,’ Olivia said.

In the city of Bandung, Olivia has willingly queued to try several viral eateries, such as Tjilaki 9, Kopi Makmur Jaya, Tahu Priangan, and BMB Canteen. According to her, most of the food she tried proved to be delicious and worth the price, so she did not regret queuing.

Nevertheless, Olivia admits she does not blindly follow trends. Before visiting a location, she always searches for reviews on social media and Google Reviews to ensure the food is worth trying and not just a marketing gimmick.

‘Because there are some brands, let’s not mention the name, where if you look at their social media content, the fillings look abundant and make your mouth water. But when I checked again, there were buyer reviews saying the filling was just a tiny amount. So the abundant filling was just for content creation. To avoid a let-down, I just skip it,’ Olivia said.

Besides considering reviews, Olivia also always aligns her culinary hunting hobby with her financial situation. As a private sector employee, she usually limits herself to trying a maximum of two viral restaurants per month, with a budget not exceeding Rp400,000.

‘So even though I like trying viral foods, it has to fit the budget. For example, this month I’ll try a maximum of two restaurants, and the range per place is no more than Rp200,000. So if the price of the food is, say, Rp600,000 or Rp800,000, that’s not within my range,’ Olivia said.