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West Hollywood’s place to eat has a hot spot for the biggest stars on TikTok and YouTube.
By Taylor Lorenz
We spend many of our days talking to others about what we see online, looking to make sense of everything. This week at Styles, Wait…, our reporter Taylor Lorenz spoke to the manager of BOA Steakhouse, the Los Angeles place to eat that attracted Generation Z influencers and their fans. Sign up here to get Wait in your inbox.
For Generation Z influencers who need to see and make themselves noticed in Los Angeles, there’s only one position missing: BOA Steakhouse.
Every night, the crowd at West Hollywood’s food place is a who’s who on the Internet. YouTube stars, as well as Tana Mongeau, Jake Paul and James Charles, dined there, and the TikTokers on the A-list made it their favorite place. When one of the Sway Boys celebrates his birthday or a Member of Hype House needs to celebrate his 20 million subscribers, BOA is the best place.
Paul Antosca, who was director of BOA Steakhouse for two years and part of his 20 years of activity, said the restaurant’s popularity among Internet personalities had begun with FaZe Clan, the gaming collective. In 2018, FaZe Banks and his team came to dinner. Mr. Antosca forged a friendship with the organization and began dining there regularly.
When an organization of Members of Hype House took over the extensive 12,000-square-foot FaZe Clan mansion in Hollywood Hills this spring, the BOA tradition continued. “The first time they got here, we wrote ‘Hype House’ on a plate, and they all praised and published about it,” Antosca said. Before long, all the wonderful influencers of Generation Z began to dine there.
Antosca said that this component explains why he believes influencers like BOA are in component due to the remedy of the celebrities they receive. Although they would possibly be C-listers in hot spots like Catch or Craig’s, they are stars in BOA. “A lot of those influencers have my phone number and they know they can call and they don’t want who they are,” he said.
The staff also takes care of their most sensitive customers. “Now there are visitors looking to get an image with those stars, however, we have security on the site at all times,” Antosca said. “We don’t allow images anywhere but your table. If someone points a camera at another table, we don’t allow it.”
BOA staff worked hard to ensure the restaurant’s protection. Waiters wear face protectors, gloves and mask to protect themselves. Guests are encouraged to get away socially while dining on the terrace.
Antosca said that since TikTokers began appearing, she saw that many more young visitors were coming with their parents. They’ve seen BOA on YouTube videos and Instagram posts from influencers and need to post about the experience. “The younger generation is looking to introduce TikToks into the building,” he says. “It’s not unusual now.”
Teenagers flock to BOA in hopes of seeing TikTok stars such as Charli D’Amelio, Addison Easterling and Noah Beck. “It’s like going to Disney World: you know you’re going to see a character at some point, that’s part of the experience,” Antosca said. The BOA Instagram account itself has gained 10,000 new fans in recent months thanks to advertising.
For influencers, dinner at the BOA also includes a photo shoot. Fletcher Greene, the paparazzo behind Hollywood Fix, regularly parks outside at the place to eat, trapping stars at the front and exit. It has become so basic that many enthusiasts wondered if he and the place to eat were coordinating their plans. Mr. Antosca said there was no fact in those rumors, and if visitors need to enter through the side door to avoid Mr. Greene, he will welcome them.
However, the BOA-to-Hollywood Fix pipeline is real. “One day I’m going to go to BOA and I’m going to convince Hollywood Fix that I’m famous,” a Twitter user said. “How do I get an ambush interview with the Hollywood Fix guy? Would you just walk around the meat restaurant?” joked recently.
Mr. Antosca said you don’t need to be an influencer to dine at the BOA. He strives to give all visitors a memorable delight and said that the place to eat did not make food a policy. Many other people have tried, unsuccessfully, to roam the place for skating or preferential treatment. “We get five calls a day where other people say they’re Charli D’Amelio or Addison Rae,” he said. “They record it and need to see how we react.”
As for the food, Mr. Antosca said Snow Beef Wagyu is the influencers’ favorite dish. “It’s expensive and they need to feel like they’re doing wonderful things,” he said. “Many influencers who need to be exhibited get the Snow Beef. It’s 50 bucks and our most expensive item.”
Traditional BOA desserts are also famous. “What we’ve seen is that social media visitors are celebrating a lot of milestones, whether it’s five million followers, or they’re breaking a record, or joining a new house, we’re going to make a special dessert,” Antosca said. “We’re going to traditionalize the number of five million chocolates or write their so-called GI.”
Antosca said he enjoyed meeting the younger generation of BOA-era stars in the spotlight. “Personally, I feel encouraged by so many of those young talents,” he said.
And when they call to make a reservation? “The first thing he says in those days is, “Hey, I’m an influencer,” Antosca said. “I say, “Just so you know, BOA doesn’t make influencer compositions, but I’ll definitely help you get a reservation.”
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