JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A social media influencer accused by Jacksonville-area businesses of taking money for food reviews and failing to deliver what they expected is pushing back against the allegations, saying he never stole from anyone and that some of the claims against him are false.
Gabe Lustman, a musician and social media influencer who travels around the country producing food-review videos, spoke with News4JAX about the allegations and the backlash he has received online.
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“I did not steal from anybody,” Lustman said.
Lustman said he began visiting Jacksonville as part of his music career and eventually started combining his music promotion with food reviews. He said he uses his song “What’s the Move” in his social media videos and has worked with hundreds of restaurants in recent months.
Lustman said his approach involves contacting large numbers of businesses in a city and offering to create promotional content.
“I would go and message two or three hundred businesses in any given city that I would go to with my script,” he said.
Several Jacksonville-area businesses say they paid Lustman hundreds of dollars for food reviews they expected would bring new customers and followers, but say they saw little to no return on their investment.
One Jacksonville restaurant owner, Sean Daily of Cornbread Bae, has accused Lustman of taking $350 from him without delivering a food review. Lustman denies the allegation and said he never went to the restaurant, never spoke with the owner and never took his money.
Daily said Lustman first contacted him through Instagram around late June or early July, then followed up by phone to schedule a time to come to his restaurant.
“He came by, I gave him the $350,” Daily said. “He said, ‘Oh, no problem,’ and right back and he went to his car to get camera equipment and hauled.”
Daily said the $350 was significant for his small business.
“It may have overdrafted my account so that I could get my stock for the next week,” he said. “So, you know what I mean, $350 was rather impactful at that time.”
Daily said he did not pursue Lustman for the money after the alleged incident.
“I pretty much just let it go,” he said. “I’m not trying to turn my feelings into felonies.”
Daily said he later learned other businesses were raising similar concerns about Lustman after Jacksonville restaurant reviewers started contacting him.
Daily said Lustman later contacted him and accused him of lying about the $350 allegation.
Other businesses say they paid for promotion but saw little return
Other businesses say their experience was different but still disappointing. They said Lustman did create and post a food review after they paid him, but they did not see the business or follower growth they expected.
At Acai-licious, owners David Nouma and Janelle Al-Fakhouri said Lustman contacted the business through Instagram offering promotional packages ranging from $350 to $500.
“He said, ‘We have packages for 350 to 500 and it’s gonna give you about 100 to 200K views and followers and stuff like that,’” Al-Fakhouri said.
The owners agreed to work with him and said Lustman came to their store, ate part of an acai bowl and recorded a video.
But they said the visit was brief.
“He actually had one bite, made a quick video, left the bowl here, and he ran off, basically,” Nouma said.
When the video was posted, the owners said they initially believed the number of views could translate into new customers.
They said the post received about 126,000 views quickly. But they said the views did not translate into business.
“We thought it would be a big hit,” Nouma said. “Seeing 126,000 views right off the bat, you think, could bring you business, but it didn’t even bring us, not even a single customer.”
The owners said they did not believe they received the return they expected after paying hundreds of dollars.
“If you’re paying about $350 to $500, you expect to make and bring in maybe at least 20 to 30 customers,” Nouma said.
The owners also questioned the makeup of Lustman’s online audience, saying they did not see Jacksonville customers engaging with the post.
They suggested some of the views or followers could have come through paid advertising or accounts outside the Jacksonville market.
Lustman denies the allegations
Lustman acknowledged that he uses paid advertising to promote his social media accounts. He said he runs ads in different markets, including internationally, because he is also a musician.
“I run international ads because I’m an international artist,” Lustman said.
He denied buying fake followers or engagement.
Lustman also acknowledged that he has previously told businesses that their videos could receive as many as one million views. He said he runs advertising campaigns in different markets to help generate views.
He said he considers what he sells a marketing service and pointed to his overall social media view count as evidence of his reach.
“I do tell people that I’ve got 17 million views in the last 30 days, which is true,” Lustman said.
The Acai-licious owners said they eventually lost access to the original post after Lustman blocked them. They provided screenshots showing the post was no longer available on his profile and said Lustman sent them the video directly after it was posted.
Lustman disputes that account.
He told News4JAX the Acai-licious video was still online and said he blocked one of the owners after receiving what he described as an offensive direct message.
“I blocked about 2,000 people in Jacksonville for the hate comments and stuff too,” Lustman said.
Lustman said the allegations have cost him business and damaged his reputation. He said restaurants have canceled bookings and other businesses have distanced themselves from him after the allegations spread online.
“I’ve literally lost thousands of dollars in business from other restaurants canceling,” he said.
The dispute with Cornbread Bae is more serious.
The restaurant owner says Lustman took $350 after arranging to come to the business for a food review. According to the allegation, Lustman took the payment and said he needed to return to his vehicle to get camera equipment, but never came back.
Lustman strongly denies that account.
“I never talked to him. I never went to his restaurant. I never took money from him,” Lustman said.
He said he does not use professional camera equipment and instead records his food reviews on his phone. He also said he does not typically collect payment before completing a review.
“I never collect money up front,” Lustman said.
Lustman challenged the restaurant owner to provide phone records or other evidence showing he called or visited the business.
He provided screenshots and other records that he believes support his version of events.
“I just want to clear my name,” Lustman said.
For the owners of Acai-licious, the experience has left them warning other small businesses to be cautious before paying an influencer for promotion.
They said businesses should examine an influencer’s actual engagement and ask for documentation showing where their followers and views are coming from.
“I would ask for screenshots of the actual numbers,” Nouma said.
The owners said they have worked with other influencers, often exchanging free food for a review, and said they have also paid influencers in some cases.
They said the difference is whether the promotion ultimately delivers value for the business.
“If the video goes viral, it’s worth the investment,” Nouma said.
The allegations against Lustman have not been established as fact. Lustman denies stealing money from Cornbread Bae and denies scamming Acai-licious or other businesses.
The owner of Cornbread Bae has not filed a police report which News4JAX confirmed with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
He said he wants the opportunity to continue working with Jacksonville businesses.
“I got nothing but love for you guys,” Lustman said. “I would like to come back and work again with the city and help out the community and do business with the business owners.”