Savvy celebrities are social media machines. They can use their large followings to drive diners to restaurants, giving them a leg up on their big competition. • The celebrities who opened restaurants between 2019 and 2024 had an average of 15.1 million Instagram followers. For example, comedian Kevin Hart can use his 179 million Instagram followers to publicize his fast casual vegan burger Hart House and compete with the likes of Mcdonald’s (5 million followers), Wendy’s (1.1 million f