Meet Kristen Wile | Editor and Founder, Unpretentious Palate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristen Wile and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristen, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We’re in a time of upheaval in media. Traditional journalism is expensive, and legacy publications are struggling to balance that cost against the belief that content should be free. Against that, you have influencers who don’t adhere to the rigid standards of a newsroom, putting out content that may be advertising without viewers knowing it. I wanted to come up with a business model that would allow us to do independent journalism and in-depth restaurant reviews without having to worry about viral content to bring in advertising dollars. By creating a membership-based platform, our readers are our first and only priority when it comes to our storytelling.

What should our readers know about your business?
At Unpretentious Palate, we do old-school food journalism on a modern platform. Our restaurant reviews are written after three visits, are always paid for by us, and tell the truth about what we experience. We tell stories with context, and if we recommend something, it’s because we’ve been there and think you’ll enjoy it.
It was a risk creating a platform that asked readers to pay to read your stories. Yet our readers quickly learned they could trust us, and understood the value in what we were creating. One restaurant review alone costs us $1,000. We couldn’t write those reviews without that support, and our readers know that.
We still struggle to convince those unfamiliar with our work why it’s worth paying for. In fact, in a recent survey, 13 percent of people said they don’t believe in paying for journalism. Yet those who want dependable, trustworthy information know our value.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve got two kids under 5, and most of my friends are in the same life stage. Some of my favorite kid-friendly places are Seoul Food Meat Company in NoDa, The Goodyear House patio (bring a few construction trucks and sit in the gravel), Optimist Hall, The Market at 7th Street and Discovery Place, the Whitewater Center, and Camp North End.
When we’ve got a sitter, we’d book a 10-course tasting menu reservation at L’Ostrica, head up to Hello, Sailor for waterfront food and cocktails, and listen to some music with cocktails at Lorem Ipsum. With more time, I’d add in Supperland, Dot Dot Dot, and the Treatment at Fin & Fino.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To our readers, who believe food writing is critical to a thriving restaurant scene. We wouldn’t exist without your support.

Website: https://unpretentiouspalate.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unpretentiouspalate/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unpretentiouspalate/

Image Credits
Ryan Allen, Grant Baldwin, Kristen Wile, Tom Petaccia