Brunch is no longer just a casual meal. The digital age has evolved it into an event. At one point in time, it was an in-between for breakfast and lunch, but it has now turned into a lifestyle. Think about the last time you went out for brunch with friends. Do you remember how your eggs and toast tasted? Or do you remember the atmosphere, the neon wall signs, where you were sitting on the patio, or even the art in your oak milk latte that made for a great Instagram post? Brunch has now become more about enjoying not only the food but the vibe as a whole that this meal provides.
Blame social media.
Brunch started in the 19th century as a nice get-together meal on a beautiful afternoon, but by the time it reached North America, it became tied to relaxation and luxury. Now, in the digital age, brunch is more about meeting up with friends, putting on a good outfit, and getting an aesthetic picture of your meal.
Social media has completely changed the brunch game. The waffles and pancakes don’t only have to be tasty, but they also need to look aesthetically pleasing for most people to visit a second time. The latte art needs to be photogenic enough for a customer to want to upload it to their social media. Cafes are aware of the power of social media and its increasing influence in our society. This is why menus now feature towering pancake stacks, beautiful drink art, and avocado toast that looks like it should be featured on an episode of Love Island (if you know you know). But it’s not just the food that draws people’s attention; the interior is often designed with social media in mind. Hanging plants are placed around the restaurant to add to the vibe, and neon signs with Pinterest-worthy quotes, so you and your friends can get a cute picture together. At this point, brunch spots are more like photo shoots than your typical restaurant. Instagram, food blogs, and online reviews have also played an important role in popularising brunch because they have been able to increase its visibility and create trends within brunch culture. As a result, certain dishes and brunch spots are constantly drawing in new customers. From this, it can be understood that technology and social media have not only made brunch trendy but have also impacted small businesses everywhere.
It’s kind of a personality trait.
Brunch isn’t only about the food, but it’s an identity marker to show people who you are (or at least how you want them to see you). Brunch at a popular cafe seen all over Instagram is another way of stating that you know the best spots in the city, and that your life is just as aesthetically pleasing as your latte. It’s a way to make a statement without actually saying anything at all. The avocado toast crowd? Minimalists who still keep up with trends from time to time. The person chasing after those coffee refills? They’re always on the go, and you already know hustle culture isn’t anything new to them. The friend who orders a stack of soft powdered pancakes? Certified comfort food enthusiast. Brunch has basically become a horoscope reading that tells you more about your friends than what’s on your plate.
Do you really care about the food?
A lot of the time, the food is just okay and nothing spectacular. Sometimes the toast is too burnt or the coffee is something you definitely could have made at home, but it’s the vibes that keep you there. When you take a moment to think about what keeps bringing you back every Sunday afternoon with friends, you may start to realize it’s the memories, the photos you add to your “food” highlights on Instagram, the playlist with back-to-back 2000s hits, and the funny waiter you always have banter with that you hope ends up serving your table. When it comes to brunch, people are buying the experience as a whole, not just the meal.
The importance of cake.
Before you roll your eyes at all this talk about vibes, think about how a lot of the time, food isn’t always about taste but community and what it represents. I don’t know about you, but growing up, cake has never been my favorite dessert. That may be the case for you as well, but a lot of us choose to celebrate birthdays with cake because of what this celebration represents and the people we get to share it with. ( I tried cupcakes one year, and trust me, it’s not the same.) Brunch is quite similar. It’s the atmosphere and the time you’ve set aside to enjoy yourself with those around you. So is brunch more about the vibe than the food? For a lot of us, yes, and that tells me that a lot of the best memories are based on the atmosphere and the vibes, and hey, maybe that’s what brunch is truly meant to be all about.