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‘We don’t like bullying’: Arizona bakery calls out influencer for ‘blackmail’, feud goes viral
An influencer's negative review of JL Patisserie led CEO Jenna Leurquin to reveal alleged attempts of blackmail for favorable coverage.
On October 7, food reviewing influencer Aurora Griffo posted a not-very-flattering review of JL Patisserie, an upscale French bakery in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Aurora criticised the bakery’s pistachio filling as “super fake”, said the coffee was “super sour and acidic”, had a problem with the $5 price for the canelé, and called out the “paper thin” crust of the quiche.
Her review might have been swept under the rug like so many others of its kind, grabbing a few thousand views from Scottsdale residents at most — it certainly would not have made international news — had the bakery not hit back in its own video.
Arizona bakery hits back
JL Patisserie CEO Jenna Leurquin responded to Aurora’s allegations in a clip that has garnered millions of views across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
Leurquin, without naming Aurora in her video, said that the influencer had reached out for a “collaboration” which they “respectfully declined” as they did not have the budget for it.
“Then she essentially tried to blackmail us by saying if we offered the food for free, she would write a good review about us,” said Leurquin, sharing a screenshot of the message that Aurora sent the bakery.
The food influencer’s offer
In her text, Aurora wrote: “When it’s a collab I will still do the honest review and highlight/focus on what I enjoyed and be softer/quicker on my words with what I may not like as much.
“If the experience is terrible I won’t post anything for the kindness of the hospitality.
“The meal will need to be comped including the gratuity,” the influencer and food reviewer added.
What happened at the bakery
According to Leurquin, Aurora showed up at the bakery the following day even though they had not agreed to a collaboration. She later posted a review where she criticized some of the bakery’s offerings.
“So we totally respect a bad review,” Leurquin said. “But we don’t like lying and bullying.”
The CEO of JL Patisserie took viewers behind the scenes to the kitchen, where she showed them the 100% real pistachio paste they import from Italy for their filling, as well as other ingredients that are all imported from Europe.
“The problem is if the next generation is influenced by her to believe it’s okay to bully and disrespect the food industry,” Leurquin said. “We like working with influencers, but acting like the working class is beneath you and promoting this kind of message on social media and bribing us for free stuff is not really something we support.”
