Building Your Business With an Irreverent Twitter Feed

Richard Easton loves the mixed grill special at Mangal 2, a family-owned restaurant in the gentrifying East London neighborhood of Dalston. But what first drew him there wasn’t the Turkish fare. It was the humorous, profanity-laden commentary on the restaurant’s Twitter feed, which has amassed more than 11,000 followers. “It’s very focused on London life and making fun of groups like hipsters,” says Easton, who visited the restaurant last month after following it on Twitter since the summer and pronounced himself “impressed.”

Composed by Ferhat Dirik, the restaurant owner’s 25-year-old son, the Mangal 2 tweets have as much to do with soccer and current events as with kebabs or koftas. “Don’t be too surprised when Facebook buys your Mum for $3 billion,” declares one. During the Olympics, Dirik posted: “Today’s special is the Sochi Kebab: same kebab but served ice cold. Gay customers get 40 percent off. Putin’s not welcome.”