Doorman hired - Parisian bar becomes a viral hit - now the owners are desperate to get rid of the Tiktokers again
When you get right down to it, Dua Lipa is to blame for the whole misery. She is the one who turned the small Parisian wine bar Folderol, once a local insider tip, into a global phenomenon. Not only did the singer praise the bar in an interview as one of her favorite places in the city of love, she also posted a picture on Instagram showing her drinking wine there. The picture has since been deleted. But the damage was done. The bar had already become a viral hit. It didn't take long for tiktokers to flock in. Unfortunately for the owners, who are now doing everything they can to get rid of the unloved guests.
The little folderol has now racked up more than 95 million views on Tiktok. In economic terms, this is actually like hitting the jackpot. Because the bar, which specializes in natural wine and handmade ice cream, could no longer save itself from customers. For the owners, Jessica Yang and Robert Compagnon, however, this quickly turned into a nightmare. Guests would order their orange wine or olive oil ice cream in the bar just for a photo, only to end up decorating their Tiktok account with the perfect picture, tagged with the hashtag Folderol. And it wasn't long before the whole neighborhood was suffering from the numerous new guests.
Tiktokers overrun Parisian bar
The problem: the wine bar is so small that not even tables fit inside. There is no terrace either. So the new guests quickly turned the area in front of the bar into a "corner spot". "Suddenly it became a thing that people just sat down on the floor outside," Compagnon tells the Business Insider. To the discomfort of the neighbors. They felt disturbed by the crowds. Especially in the evening. There was also repeated trouble with the police because of the noise. Regulars were soon so annoyed by the constant snapping for social media that they stopped coming. "It's kind of scary when you only have one type of guest who drives the other guests away," says Compagnon.
What's more, the new guests seem to come solely for the hype and not because they appreciate what the bar has to offer. Yang told the New York Times that they don't even really try the ice cream: "They just let it melt into a liquid in a bowl and die in the sun." A contradiction to what the couple had wanted. They had wanted to build a reputation for the quality of their products, says Compagnon: "We didn't see it that way."
Folderol launches anti-Tiktok strategy
The attention boost meant that Folderol reached the limits of its capacity. The kitchen is too small to cope with the increasing demand. Customers sometimes waited for hours to be served. The staff were soon overwhelmed. Yang and Compagnon pulled the ripcord and introduced a strict "No Tiktok" rule. A sign at the entrance now indicates this. Eating and drinking in front of the door is now prohibited. A bouncer has also been employed. Although the crackdown is not too harsh, the aim is to bring a more mixed crowd back into the bar.
The decision against the Tiktokers feels like saying no to money, says Compagnon to the "Business Insider". Although the new anti-Tiktok strategy has not yet really borne fruit. On the contrary. Instead of staying away, a new Tiktok trend has now developed. The platform celebrates those who still manage to get into the bar.
Sources: New York Times, Business Insider
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Despite the massive increase in popularity, the TikTokers' obsession with taking photos and videos at Folderol began to adversely affect both the bar's neighborhood and regular patrons. The viral hit, which had initially boosted business, saw visitors ordering only to capture the perfect TikTok moment, disregarding the quality of the natural wine or handmade ice cream. Furthermore, Dua Lipa's fans, inspired by her praise and Instagram post, were largely responsible for the influx of people, perpetuating the viralhit and, consequently, its negative consequences.
Source: www.stern.de
