Wisconsin ‘foodies’ swap recommendations on a quickly growing Facebook group

As a touring musician, Dan “Spiffy” Neuman from Madison has always had a food philosophy: Don’t eat on the road what you can eat at home.

“I’ve always been the guy that wanted to be like, ‘Where’s the hole-in-the-wall (where) the locals eat?’” Neuman said recently on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “Even if I’m only going as far as Appleton, I want to eat something in Appleton that I can’t get in Madison.”

In 2019, Neuman started traveling to Milwaukee on a regular basis after he got a job as a music director at a church there. He turned to social media for recommendations on where he should grab a bite. That’s when he stumbled on a Facebook group called Milwaukee Foodie.

Neuman realized that Madison could benefit from a similar group. So, after searching around and finding none that were currently active, he created Madison Foodie in December 2022.

For the first year or so of the group’s existence, Neuman said membership stayed in the hundreds or low thousands. He was the main one posting to keep the momentum going. 

Then, earlier this year, Madison Foodie saw a huge influx of new members. In short order, it went from a relatively quiet page with a couple thousand participants to an active hub for nearly 50,000 members. Over the past month, the group averaged 80 posts per day.

“Food is something that everybody’s passionate about,” Neuman said. “Everybody is going to have a strong opinion because everybody eats.”

Madison Foodie posts largely consist of restaurant reviews, both positive and critical, and requests for recommendations. It could be for finding a romantic date-night spot or looking for the best ramen in the area. While most of the discussion revolves around dining out, group members also share recipes and post photos of homemade meals.

And posts about where to enjoy the best beer brat, fish fry or frozen custard in town give the group a distinctly local flavor. While the group is based in Madison as the state capitol, Neuman wants it to be an inviting place for people all over Wisconsin.

“It’s a very ‘all are welcome’ attitude,” he said, pointing to recent posts soliciting restaurant recommendations in La Crosse and Green Bay.

Though the term “foodie” can be associated with high-end cuisine, discussions in Madison Foodie are often about affordable eats from food trucks, burger joints or hole-in-the-wall takeout spots. 

Neuman calls himself a “budget foodie” and is glad to see the group celebrating budget-friendly options.

“People are looking for ways that they can elevate their lives without spending a lot of money,” he said.

Over time, Madison Foodie has become “more than just a Facebook group,” Neuman said. He first noticed this when a local restaurant posted a glowing review of another restaurant from their business account — a rare occurrence on the internet, he said.

Neuman was also struck by the neighborly feeling of the group when Madison Foodies recently rallied around a grieving family to provide food and financial support after the sudden death of their young daughter.

“That was really a great example of community,” he said.

As Madison Foodie continues to expand, Neuman hopes it remains a friendly and welcoming landing place for foodies all over the state to celebrate their favorite local joints and offer honest reviews and commentary.

“Who knows, it could just be the perfect storm, you know?” he said. “It may work forever, and it may not.”