DENVER — EDITOR'S NOTE: This article and video have been updated to include the date Jonathan Davis posted a promotional video.
Nearly a month after 9NEWS first reported on the online scandal surrounding The Denver Foodie, more businesses shared images of cashed checks made out to influencer Jonathan Davis who now claims he’s the target of a coordinated “hit piece” by a rival social media brand.
“If you’re going to do stuff like this, follow through with it. Actually, be a man of your word,” Jaime Zamarripa, owner of Tacos La Morenita in Aurora, told 9NEWS after seeing the first news report.
Zamarripa is among multiple small businesses, many minority-owned, that shared how Davis took their money but never followed up with posting promotional videos until after 9NEWS first reported the situation.
Zamarripa says he paid Davis $350 dollars in March, but Davis never posted any promotional videos as promised. A copy of a check provided by Zamarripa made out to Davis shows it was for a “TikTok Video.”
A review of The Denver Foodie’s TikTok page shows Zamarripa’s video was posted on October 5, four days after 9NEWS first report.
Tacos La Tapatia, also shared a copy of a cashed check made out to Davis for $350 for promotional videos that never came.
“I called him, he never answered. He ignored me completely. I was so mad,” said Tacos La Tapatia owner Oscar Perez.
Some of the businesses that shared their issues with Davis include places like El Nopal Neveria, Jennie Pho, Matsuri Omakase, Fresh Burger Stop in Estes Park, Be Beauty Spa, Reel Fish and Chips, Max Gill and Grill, and Rush Bowl in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood.
9NEWS initially profiled Metro Balderas Aztec Food, Mr. Tang and Chupacabra Paletas in the first report.
Several restaurants did not want to be named out of fear Davis would use his social media pages to attack them.
Influencer claims smear campaign
In the first news report, Davis admitted he fell behind on business deals over the past year because “he bit off more than he could chew.”
In the days following the initial story, Davis made a video in which he claimed a rival social media brand known as "I’m From Denver" coordinated a ‘hit piece” on him. 9NEWS has reported the company behind I'm From Denver has a pending lawsuit against Davis over a contract dispute for using The Denver Foodie name.
Davis shared screenshots of text messages from an owner of I’m From Denver threatening to report him to the media in the weeks before the first news report aired. In the video, Davis claimed I’m From Denver hired a PR company to coordinate a smear campaign. Davis did not name any PR company in his video.
“Now I can't prove it 100%, but I'm positive that that reporter was working with the PR agency that they hired,” Davis said in his video.
The author of this article was not alerted to the online scandal by any PR agency but rather was tagged here on Reddit.
The online scandal appears to have erupted when a social media manager for Max Gill and Grill called out Davis on Instagram, which was then picked up by a TikToker named Zoe, which then led to the Reddit post a week before the first news story.
In his video, Davis also attempted to discredit the business owners in the first 9NEWS report. In one such claim, Davis said he never met Juan Luna, owner of Metro Balderas Aztek Food.
Luna provided 9NEWS an image of a cashed check made out to Davis for $200.
Davis appears to refunding some businesses, posting some videos
While some businesses are still waiting to hear from The Denver Foodie, Davis does appear to be refunding businesses or posting promised promotional videos.
Dimas Asevedo, who owns Reel Fish and Chips in Lafayette, said he was finally refunded a $125 deposit after contacting The Denver Foodie on social media in the wake of the online scandal and news reports.
“I told him, just give me my money back, we’ll just call it even. Nothing, nothing, nothing, until your news article,” Asevedo said to 9NEWS.
“We’re all struggling right now," Asevedo said. "All these small businesses, and we can’t be scammed. I know this is not a huge amount of money, but for some it is."
Rush Bowl in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood said it was surprised to see a video about their business pop up on The Denver Foodie more than a year after they paid Davis for a promotional video in summer 2023.
“I just kinda felt like a betrayal of trust,” said Jason Johnson, owner of Rush Bowl in LoHi. “So when he posted it, I was like, I don’t really know if I want this on my page anymore. Already had a bad taste in my mouth.”
9NEWS reached out to Davis again for comment on this story. Davis maintains he is the target of a smear campaign and that he plans to make another video proving the I’m From Denver brand is behind it.
"... I still have half-a-million followers no one believes you!” Davis said in a social media comment about the 9NEWS story.
“That’s the beautiful thing about having hundreds of thousands of followers that support me and love what I do for the community," Davis said over text. "You really think I worked this hard for years to build my platform just to rip off people for a couple of hundred dollars? That doesn’t make any sense!”
“Was I unorganized and forgot about certain videos? Absolutely and I said that on your last news report,” Davis added.
If you have any information about this story or would like to send a news tip, you can contact jeremy@9news.com.
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> Video below: Small businesses accuse Denver influencer of taking money, not posting videos