"I've opened a restaurant and I need publicity. What do I do?"
"Our adult education department is starting a series of cooking classes. But the local newspaper isn't interested in writing about them. How can I get … [Read more...]
BBQ restaurant in Philly needs ideas for promotion
Michael Smith of Philadelphia writes:
"My brother is the chef/owner of Fletcher's BBQ, a restaurant that opened in September in a working middle-class neighborhood in the Philadelphia suburbs.
"It offers take-out and delivery … [Read more...]
Wine bar/bistro can’t get a restaurant review—ideas?
This week's Help this Hound question is from Timothy Nishimoto, owner of Vino Paradiso Wine Bar & Bistro in Portland, Oregon:
"My business is known as a wine bar, but we are trying to transition into more of a restaurant, meaning we … [Read more...]
Italian restaurant in Texas hurting; needs marketing tips
Deborah Lott of Giddings, Texas, writes:
"My husband and I opened a casual pizza and Italian restaurant in the small Texas town of Giddings, population 5,000, on … [Read more...]
Cheap PR tactics for independent restaurants
One of the best PR tactics is dirt cheap, and I'm surprised more businesses don't take advantage of it: offering free meeting space. Banks do this all the time, and it's particularly powerful for restaurants, which have been hit hard by the recession. In the latest issue of [Read more...]
Social media tips for restaurants, bars and nightclubs
If you own a restaurant, bar or nightclub, don't miss the fabulous tips from Restaurants & Institutions on how to participate in social media. Senior editor Alison Perlik offers sound advice on how to do more than just create a presence on Facebook and Twitter. Her tips are so valuable that they can be used by the owners of almost any … [Read more...]
Restaurants entice food bloggers with free meals
What's behind that four-star rating of a restaurant review at your favorite foodie website? Diners can't always know for sure.
That's because as online food sites become increasingly influential in the restaurant business, chefs and owners are offering bloggers complimenary meals to get good write-ups, explains [Read more...]
Restaurant reviewers report on dirty restrooms
When I worked as a restaurant reviewer back in the 1980s, I paid just as much attention to the quality of the restrooms as I did to what was on my plate. I mentioned things like filthy floors, overflowing wastebaskets, empty soap dispensers---and worse. Most other reviewers do, too. An article titled [Read more...]
Bad restaurant review? 2 ways to recuperate
Linda Baldwin, associate publisher of Isthmus, the alternative weekly in Madison, Wisconsin, wrote to tell me she liked the advice I gave to restaurants that get bad reviews. In short, don't complain to the newspaper that the … [Read more...]
‘Hudson Restaurant Week’ in New Jersey needs publicity tips
Tamara Remedios of New Jersey writes: "We're doing a restaurant promotion July 24-August 4 in northern New Jersey. It's Hudson Restaurant Week for Hoboken & Jersey City (across the river from Manhattan). I created the event last year. I own a local magazine and it was an idea brainstormed with one of my advertisers. It's a 10-day dining … [Read more...]