After 15 years of handling PR For Restaurants in Chicago, we are constantly learning and adjusting to new things. From the ever-changing media landscape to the constantly changing restaurant industry, we are always adapting to ensure we’re in the know for our restaurant clients. Here are five things Chicago specific Restaurant PR lessons we’ve learned along the way:

Well, this is fitting for 2020 and the COVID – 19 pandemic that is currently happening, which must be the most unexpected situation for all industries, but specifically the restaurant industry. Many Restaurant PR Professionals have dealt with a crisis situation many times, but most of us have never navigated a Restaurant PR Campaign during a global pandemic. During this time, we learned that sometimes things are not in your control, but how can you make the best out of a situation? Our clients were struggling and it was our time to give back in any way we could. This meant adjusting our fees, being proactive with messaging, and keeping them informed in any way we could. As business owners ourselves, we made lemons out of lemonade and used some of our downtime during quarantine to rethink our business model and offer more for our current and potential clients. As we continue to navigate during this uncertain time, we’ll continue to use this experience to think on our feet and be prepared no matter what the world brings us.

We may be biased, but Chicago journalists are some of the most talented and  amazing people to work with. We’ve met so many great writers, anchors, editors, reporters and more, over the years that have turned into relationships that we value. We learned early on that it’s important to build relationships and prove that you can be counted on if a journalist needs information for a story. As one of The Best Restaurant PR Firms Chicago, we’ve learned that the best way to do this is dining with members of the media at your clients! It’s a great opportunity to showcase all of the great things your client is doing and also  get to know someone on a more professional and personal level.

Being the third largest media market in the United States, there are a lot of local media outlets that cover food and restaurants to keep track of in Chicago. The best way to know what reporters are covering or what editors are writing about, is to watch the news, read the newspaper, and listen to the radio. This is the best way to be able to know who to pitch, what to pitch and when.

Chicago is known as one of the best cities for restaurants and as a Restaurant PR Expert, it’s so important to know who the newest chefs and restaurants are, where they are, and what they are doing. Are they getting a lot of press attention? Are they a client competitor? What foods do they specialize in? Our clients rely on us to be experts in the industry and dining out regularly provides that knowledge for us to do our job better.

Everyone who lives in Chicago always knows that the city is broken down by neighborhood and when it comes to Restaurant PR, the media always wants to know what neighborhood your client is located. Whether it’s the popular West Loop or Logan Square or a new up-and-coming area that’s on the cusp of becoming the city’s newest hotspot, it’s important to familiarize yourself with these areas and be in the know on what’s going on.

We love working with Chicago restaurants big and small are thankful for what we’ve learned and will continue to learn along the way!

Founded in 2005, Bettie Bomb is Chicago’s Best Restaurant PR Agency, offering a suite of services from trusted industry partners under one creative umbrella. PR, Marketing, Social Media and beyond…we work as an extension of your team, creating personalized campaigns, building awareness and telling your story when it matters most.

We are a female-owned, Boutique Chicago Restaurant PR Agency specializing in all things lifestyle: food, fashion, hospitality, retail, health & wellness, medical, consumer and philanthropy. Partners Rebecca Kussmann & Laura Collins work closely with businesses & organizations to target key audiences and generate exposure all under the Bettie Bomb umbrella. Work one-on-one or have us build a team. We can be BIG and we can be small…that’s the beauty of it. Small, but mighty with the ability to grow. That’s us in a nutshell.