Coachella Nobu dinner and taxes debate
A social post sparked debate about whether lavish Coachella dinners—like a $350+ per‑person Nobu bill—can legitimately be written off as influencer business expenses. The discussion reflects ongoing scrutiny around creator accounting and what counts as deductible business activity. (x.com)
A $945 Nobu dinner at Coachella turned into a tax explainer after social posts asked whether an influencer could write it off as a business expense. (independent.co.uk) The meal at issue came from a reservation-only Nobu pop-up at Coachella in April 2025. Adelaine Morin said the omakase menu cost $350 per person and included a 22 percent gratuity; the receipt she showed totaled about $945. (independent.co.uk; whiskeyriff.com) Morin’s TikTok had topped 1 million views by April 16, 2025, according to The Independent. Commenters focused on the price because 2025 Coachella passes started at $649 for Weekend 1 general admission and $1,199 for Weekend 2 VIP, before other trip costs. (independent.co.uk) The tax question is narrower than the internet argument. The Internal Revenue Service says business deductions generally have to be “ordinary and necessary,” and meals are usually subject to a 50 percent limit. (irs.gov; irs.gov) The same Internal Revenue Service guidance says entertainment expenses are generally nondeductible, while food can still qualify if it is a business meal and the taxpayer keeps records to prove what the expense was for. Publication 463 says it explains what records are needed to substantiate a deduction. (irs.gov; irs.gov) That means a luxury dinner is not automatically deductible because it appears in a vlog. Internal Revenue Service rules turn on facts such as whether the creator was carrying on a trade or business, whether the meal was tied to business travel or a business meeting, and whether the cost was not “lavish or extravagant” under the circumstances. (irs.gov; irs.gov) Coachella added context for why the post landed so hard. In 2025, the festival’s on-site Red Bull Mirage included a Nobu omakase experience, and one event guide said the setup had just 18 seats at a time with a 50-minute turnaround. (redbull.com; haasunlimited.com) Creators do deduct real business costs, including cameras, editing software, travel, and some meals, when those expenses are directly connected to earning income. The dispute in this case was over where a filmed luxury experience stops being content production and starts looking personal. (irs.gov; irs.gov; finance.yahoo.com) No public tax filing shows whether Morin deducted the dinner, and the online debate did not establish that she did. What the episode did show is that a $350-per-person sushi reservation can now trigger the same scrutiny as any other claimed business meal: receipts, records, and a business purpose the Internal Revenue Service would recognize. (irs.gov; irs.gov)
