How To Correctly Use PR For Your Restaurant

How To Correctly Use PR For Your Restaurant

Leveraging the power of Public Relation (PR) can work wonders for your restaurant. If you do not have a PR strategy in place here are a few ideas to get you started.

Create interest

One of the best things about a PR campaign is that you may not need to pay for a lot of coverage. Provided you give media outlets and journalists newsworthy stories you’re pretty much covered. This means that your restaurant has to be seen doing things that pique people’s curiosity and draw their attention. You can do this by coming up with events that draw people into your restaurant. Some restaurants have built newsworthy stories by staging world record-breaking events. In addition to drawing people’s attention, these types of events also have the potential to make your restaurant a lasting attraction as people would want to visit the restaurant that has the world’s largest sandwich, for example. However, your restaurant does not need to go to such a large scale. Even small events could do the trick. Just find something that your target market will relate to and that will draw media attention. When done correctly, your PR campaign should give your restaurant longevity in customers’ minds.

Reach out

You could partner with local companies to offer complementary services. This will help spread the word about your restaurant to your partner’s networks.

As a company, it shows a measure of responsibility to reach out and have a positive impact on the community. Think of what your brand believes in and stands for. This will give you a hand in coming up with initiatives that can benefit those in the community. It goes beyond donating to the needy and it is a commitment to effecting positive change. For example, if you offer vegan meals probably most of your customers would be health conscious. You could organise a health and fitness activity such as a fun run or spinathon, partnering with a local gym or go it alone. If organising your own event seems like a daunting task, you could partner with local organisers who already have activities such as marathons and sponsor the event in part. By doing this, your restaurant will get mentioned wherever the event gets publicised. Both on traditional media, such as television, as well as on social media. 

Get your restaurant to sponsor a fun run


Network

Work with influencers on an ongoing basis to keep your brand fresh in people’s minds. When it comes to influencers, it is not the quantity, but the quality of their followers that you should look for. The influencers you work with do not necessarily have to have a large following. They just need to have followers who would be interested in your restaurant! Look for food bloggers that your target market follows and work with them to share the word about your restaurant.

Make it your goal to get to know the food journalists and critics in your area. When you have a new offering, they should be among the first people you contact to try out your meal. Their opinion may help to draw people into your restaurant.

Use food bloggers to your restaurant's advantage

A well-planned PR campaign can help build your restaurant’s image and help people to see your brand beyond the food you provide. It can assist by bringing the story behind your restaurant’s brand to life and win the hearts of consumers.


At Napkin, we have successfully arranged for influencers to attend a private sitting of a restaurant’s new menu. If this is something you would like to try out for your restaurant then drop us a line. Let’s give these food bloggers something to write about!

Malebogo Tshosa

Brand and communication expert,
Copywriter for Napkin

www.instagram.com/ikon.brands

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