Question:
Dear Advice Guy,
My PR person recently sent a food writer/influencer to dinner at my restaurant, a high- end omakase. She looked bored and like she didn’t want to be there, didn’t engage with the chef, didn’t tip well and I’m not even sure if she’ll write about us. And I had to comp her and her plus-one! My PR person assures me this is important, but I question it.
– Owner
Answer:
Even as a food writer who is invited to dinners and press events, I will say you are 100% right to question this strategy. You are bearing three costs here: the cost of your public relations firm, the cost of the comped meal, and the opportunity cost of not having paying guests in those seats. Of course, those costs could be seen as investments: one glowing bit of content about your restaurant in the right publication or social media channel could recoup those costs many times over in revenue for your operation.
I think there is fault here on both sides. Your PR person seems to have either not used the right strategy or has chosen the wrong writer. And the writer should have declined the invitation if she wasn’t authentically interested in attending.
In general, reputable reviewers pay their own way, whether dining anonymously or not, and engage with staff to ask them questions and learn more about what they are eating and drinking.
My advice is that there is nothing wrong with inviting influencers in for a free meal to experience your hospitality and share their experiences. However, you should insert yourself into the process and give this topic the same kind of vetting and oversight that you would use in selecting a supplier, rather than deferring these decisions to your PR firm. Who are the folks writing about your competitors or other restaurants you admire? Whose posts are you following and liking? Who would you be excited to have dine with you? While having your preferred influencers in-house is no guarantee of a positive experience or positive publicity, it’s a good start.
More on managing influencers here.