What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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DECEMBER 19-25, 2021 WHAT'S UP! 5 YEAR IN REVIEW 'Hangry' no longer Cycling, eating come together for Instagram foodie LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette Editor's Note: This story originally appeared March 18 in the Our Town section. W hen Joseph Nguyen first started his Instagram account — dubbed "Hangry Pedaler NWA" as a shout-out to his twin loves, biking and eating — he didn't expect it to amount to much. For years, he posted pictures of his Northwest Arkansas culinary experiences on his Facebook page and, when friends told him Instagram was a better format for the posts, he thought he would give it a try. Nearly two years later, the account has more than 6,000 followers, and his drool-worthy photo feed has become the go-to Instagram account for folks looking for a new Northwest Arkansas restaurant experience. It's not just the photos that attract new followers, though. Nguyen has a knack for finding smaller eateries that are off the beaten path and shining a light on their offerings. He says part of his secret is always being open to suggestions. "My clients would tell me, 'Hey, I heard this place is opening up,'" says Nguyen, who works at Gloss Nail Lounge in Fayetteville. Nail art is in his blood; his sisters own Gloss, and Nguyen started out working for his father at Natural Nails in the Evelyn Hills Shopping Center in Fayetteville. "I don't always find things on my own, that's for sure. I get a lot of help, and my clients know what I do, so they are always hitting me up on Instagram, saying, 'Hey, can you check out this place?'" He doesn't have a lot of rules when it comes to which restaurants he features: He tries to limit the selection to local businesses instead of chains, and he prefers rich comfort food — hamburgers, tacos and the like — to salads and vegetarian fare. His posts about juicy cheeseburgers, thick milkshakes and eggs Benedict swimming in Hollandaise sauce are among his most popular. "Like, healthy places, I guess?" he says, laughing, when asked if there was a type of restaurant he might avoid. "Salad bars? That's horrible to say. But I feel like the more unhealthy stuff I post, the better the feedback!" "Because of you, I put everything I was working on down and immediately drove here," wrote one of his followers under his post about the food truck Beavertails and their salted caramel pastry. "I regret NOTHING." Nguyen's avid bicycling helps balance out the calorie intake, he says. Plus, "it looks like we eat out all the time — but we don't. We eat at home a lot, so when we go out, we splurge." He says he and his girlfriend — a covid-19 nurse whose year has been very, very busy — try to limit their dining out to around every three days: enough to keep the Instagram feed fresh, but not enough to wreck their health or empty their pockets. After all, though Nguyen's posts may result in a boost for the eatery he posts about, he doesn't receive any monetary compensation for what he does. "I've never reached out to a restaurant and said, 'Hey, I'll trade you positive posts for free food," he says. "I have never done that. All of my Joseph Nguyen joined his two passions — eating and biking — when he started the Instagram account called Hangry Pedaler NWA. (Courtesy Photo/Joseph Nguyen) FYI Follow along with Joseph Nguyen's food and bicycling adventures on Instagram @ hangrypedalernwa. See Hangry Page 6