u/Ill-Ant-8943

Btw the QR code is not real and goes nowhere!
When we opened our first bagel shop, there were well over 270 bagel shops in NYC. In fact, NYC is the world capital of bagel domination, packed with iconic, legendary brands.

It was late 2019, we were ready to launch, and bam—COVID hit. No problem; people still need food, especially comfort food.

As a former Nordstrom buyer, SEO marketer, university guest lecturer, and software developer, I threw all my tech-Jedi social media skills at growth. News flash: massive failure. I was in shock. Even as the owner of multiple YouTube and Meta channels with a combined 370k subscribers and followers, it barely moved the foot traffic needle.

So, I switched gears.

I leaned into my Nordstrom guest-services background and customer interaction. I put our Google Maps review QR code on my iPhone, which brought in 18–25 five-star reviews a day. On top of that, I published optimized GBP posts: 150 characters, no hashtags, no keyword stuffing, simple matter-of-fact food photos, and an "Order Online" button.

Within 70–80 days, we were holding down a solid 4.9 rating and well on our way to over 1,100 five-star reviews. Plus, I personally responded to every review by name—good or bad.

I was stunned to see legacy bagel shops around for decades sitting at a 4.1–4.3 with fewer than a few hundred reviews, almost no owner replies, and barely any GBP posts or photos. I knew I was onto something.

Six years later, we are about to open our 8th location. For six years running, we have been the highest-rated bagel shop in NYC and the busiest, with lines out the door. We average 900 guests a day per location, and our flagship serves over 1,200 a day and more on Saturday & Sunday

We spend $0 on ads or paid influencers. I learned a valuable lesson: Never fear competition, never compete on price, and remember that while social media might make you famous, Google Maps makes you money.

THE DEATH OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
Yeah. I said it.
And before you come after me, understand something:
I have more than 1,600 NYC social media clients.
Across those businesses, we generate an average of 10,000–15,000 views a day per client per each social platform.
I know social media works.
I also know where it stops working.
Social media is phenomenal at making you famous.
It can put your face, your food, your brand, your business, and your story in front of thousands of people every single day.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Views don't pay the rent.
Attention isn't the same thing as intent.
A person scrolling TikTok who sees your restaurant is entertained.
A person opening Google Maps and searching:
“best bagels near me”
is looking for somewhere to spend money.
That distinction is enormous.
And AI is creating another layer of high-intent discovery.
Someone asks AI:
“Where should I get the best bagel in Midtown?”
That isn't a passive impression.
That's a potential customer asking for a recommendation.
I've watched this play out in my own businesses.
I have six bagel shops.
We see roughly 900 valued guests per day at each location.
Approximately 98% of those customers come through Google Maps.
The other 2% are AI referrals.
Not TikTok.
Not Instagram.
Not Facebook.
Not YouTube.
Google Maps and AI.
And here's the part that hurts:
I have built a business around social media.
I have clients generating millions of impressions.
And I've had to tell those clients something that could literally cost me serious money:
Stop spending so much time and money chasing organic social media.
That's me potentially shooting myself in the foot.
But I'd rather lose revenue telling the truth than make money selling something I don't believe is moving the needle.
Social media isn't useless.
It's just being asked to do a job it was never designed to do.
Social media makes you famous.
Google Maps makes you findable.
AI makes you recommended.
And increasingly…
Google Maps + AI make you money.
The next generation of local marketing isn't going to be about who can get the most views.
It's going to be about who gets recommended when someone is ready to buy.
That's a very different game.
And if you're still measuring your marketing success primarily by likes, followers and views…
you may be winning the attention game while losing the money game.
The tombstone is already carved.
The Death of Social Media.
Long live Google Maps and AI.
Social Media will make you famous
Google maps with make you money!