In seeking business publicity, restaurant owners can get decent traction in announcing a new opening or similar event. Sometimes, though, owners want restaurant public relations to go to the next step – national exposure. Instead of going the boring old route, a simple solution lies in understanding your city.
In Washington, where Praecere is based, the biggest thing we’ve got going here is election day. Happens like clockwork, every two years, trust us! When it comes to capitalizing on outside events, nothing beats predictability. If you know when a big media field day is coming up, then you have ample time to prepare for riding the publicity coattails.
For example, one way to craft a relevant pitch is to tap into the fervor and national attention focused on elections. This is all about offering the media something interesting, a cool story that goes beyond simple tweaks to your restaurant. It’s one thing to add excitement to your menu, but the better talking point is why those changes were made – that’s what gets the media interested.
In this case, launching a restaurant promotion that reflects on politics – i.e., naming dishes and drinks after political parties, and then keeping a public tally on which items are selling the most – is excellent fodder for media restaurant pitches. Close your eyes and picture 24/7 news channels, starved for content (“… Jill, I’m standing here at Good Dish Eatery in downtown DC, where two days away from election day the restaurant has gained fans with its politically-themed dishes. If the election were based on which dish was most popular, then XYZ party has clearly won the vote…”)
You can see how this plays out, and why such publicity would benefit the hypothetical restaurant. Dare to be creative and aggressive with restaurant public relations, and embrace strategies that go beyond the meat-and-potatoes of restaurant publicity. Bon appétit!
