Promoting Restaurants with Celebrity Endorsements?

There are two types of food critics here in Hong Kong: one is called Food Critic (食評家) and the other type is called Eating God (食神).  The term Eating God has become very popular after the release of Stephen Chow's 1996 movie called The God of Cookery:

The other day I walked by a restaurant and saw a picture of a well-known Eating God (he's known as the Young Eating God) with the restaurant owner posted on the front doors of the restaurant.  I cannot help but wonder if a celebrity says he/she patronizes this restaurant, will I be tempted to patronize the restaurant myself as well?

Celebrity endorsements used as a marketing tool for products and services are quite common.  Personally I never understand the appeal or effectiveness.  In the context of a restaurant business, would I intentionally go to a restaurant just because a certain celebrity endorses or visits it frequently?

Restaurants or food are different from other products or services in the sense that people have great differences on why they like to eat certain kinds of food.  The likeness factor is very personal.  Some people love spicy food but I cannot eat it.  So if my favorite movie star says he often goes to a particular curry restaurant, that's not going to affect me because I don't eat or like spicy food.  Nothing he says is going to change that fact.

What makes us like to eat a certain kind of food?  Is there any criteria for likeness?  It is very difficult to come up with a laundry list of reasons because everyone can have very different preferences.

A better promotion strategy for restaurants is to use social media.  When 10 friends say that this particular is restaurant is good, I will at least try it once and see what happens.  On the contrary, one person (celebrity) says I should try it doesn't make it persuasive enough for me to take action.