We were lucky to catch up with Amanda Marie Barr recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda Marie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to go to Japan for a study abroad. It was a little over two weeks. This was for a communications course I was taking, and I knew literally two phrases in Japanese. My classmates and I went to a restaurant in Kyoto, and we had some questions about the restaurant. When we asked the waiter, he told us he would be right back. A few minutes later, another young man came in and went over all our questions. He must have spent 10 minutes with us. At the end, he told us that if we had any more questions, we would have to go to the store 3 shops down to ask him! It turns out our waiter didn’t know English, but he knew a young man who worked nearby who did. And this man left his job just to translate for us. I was so blown away by this selfless act of kindness, and I think of it very often.

Amanda Marie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Philly Food and Barrs is a food & drink centric blog that focuses on the small businesses that make Philly.. well, Philly! Philadelphia is a melting pot of different neighborhoods and cultures, every single one with its own local spots, dishes, and reasons they are special. Great food can be found anywhere, so I am on a mission to travel to find it all. I truly believe that, while we all have different background and points of view, food is a true connector, and great things can happen over a fantastic meal!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I was just myself. As cliché as it sounds, I just had to let my authentic voice shine through. I tried to be consistent with my posts and use hashtags, and different media formats like reels and photo set posts, kept up with my stories, but at the heart, everything I say on my page is something I would say in real life.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth is amazing, and so is a good network of friends and other influencers! The Philly influencer scene is wonderful & everyone is so kind & supportive of one another. If I get an opportunity, I usually ask if they need other influencers, and I’ll refer friends I have made, and vis versa!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @phillyfoodandbarrs

Image Credits
Amanda Marie Barr, @phillyfoodandbarrs