Some people may know Zest Cincy as a one-stop shop for finding happy hour deals. Or, as an Instagram account with vibrant, hunger-inducing photos of food from local bars and restaurants. If you own a bar and restaurant, maybe you know it as the brand that produced your marketing photography.
Zest Cincy is a dynamic brand, and the people behind it are equally dynamic.
Zest Cincy was started by founder Stephanie Lindsay as a passion project. The original concept was simple: Lindsay realized that there wasn’t a central resource for people to find happy hour deals in Greater Cincinnati, so she decided she would aggregate her favorites on a website. In 2018, Zest Cincy was born.
It gradually grew into a spotlight that shines on local restaurants and bars, as well. Initially, this was done with cell phone photos captured spontaneously and posted to Instagram when Lindsay went on food and drink quests. When Lindsay’s creative partner at Zest Cincy, photographer Catie Viox, came into the picture in 2020, they began selling professional photography and advertising materials to businesses they work with, upgrading the project into a monetized side hustle.
Now nearing 10,000 followers on Instagram, Zest Cincy’s focus leans mostly toward creative advertising services. Lindsay and Viox are professional content creators, after all.
Lindsay owns her own creative design agency called Slay Design Studio, and Viox is a freelance photographer who says she shoots pretty much anything that will pay for her recently installed furnace.
The pair joined forces to create a brand that draws on their respective skill sets — and their shared love for eating and drinking.
“Eating and drinking is fun for me,” Linday says about why she took on this side gig. “There’s a lot of cool restaurants in the city. There’s a lot of great people.”
Lindsay and Viox agree that the food scene in Cincinnati is humming. Viox mentioned how she wants to support the city’s food scene as impressive feats, like the fact that four of the semifinalists in the Great Lakes category of the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards are based in the area.
“We want to give the support back. It’s not just about our growth; it’s about a mutual growth between the business and ourselves,” Viox tells CityBeat.
The two say that in 2024 they plan to focus as much as possible on the profitable side of the business — that is, selling photography and advertising content to businesses. Lindsay says that receiving payment in the form of food from the businesses they make content for has become a pattern she’d like to shake, enticing as free food is.
But while they see themselves ramping up paid shoots, they still plan to use their platform to showcase restaurants that they think people should know about. Lindsay often documents her journeys around the city to shout out good service, meals, drinks and deals. Lindsay and Viox say they pride themselves on showcasing businesses and experiences that they personally enjoyed so that their followers can trust that the businesses they feature are worthy of a visit.
Zest Cincy likes to keep their posts on social media localized to Cincinnati for the most part, but Lindsay and Viox occasionally venture to nearby cities like Dayton or Louisville to give food advice for people looking for a quick trip. A recent trip to Dayton earned acclaim from the Zest crew. “WOW you guys, Dayton is hot. That’s all I gotta say. 100% Zest approved,” they wrote on Instagram.
And for people who are looking for the best happy hour specials in town, Lindsay suggests checking out the Instagram profile’s stories and highlights under their bio, where many of their best experiences are encapsulated. Of course, their website remains a fount of wisdom for happy hour suitors, but Lindsay’s word of caution is to verify deals by contacting the businesses.
“I don’t want people getting mad at me because they go to get dollar oysters and they’re now $3,” says Lindsay.
Even with Zest Cincy’s pivot to a new business model this year, Lindsay and Viox plan to continue “Getting Zesty” by sharing their favorite food, drinks and local businesses with their eye-popping visuals.
For more information about Zest Cincy, visit zestcincy.com.
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This article appears in Feb 21 – Mar 5, 2024.
