Vegetarian Means Vegan, Right?

Actually vegetarians tend to differ from what Vegans consider themselves to be. The exact reasons for why, evade me at the moment.

I eat plenty of vegetables but also enjoy eggs so I think this means I may be a vegetarian but I am not a vegan because eggs are not on their menu. I need to watch my calories and weight.

Veganism, if I may, seems to be more like a religion than just a healthy eating regime. I think the term is applied to not only eggs but even to wearing things that may have once been alive, like leather.

I have no feelings on this one way or another and think our life choices are just that, our life choices.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Develop a Restaurant Public Relations Plan

By Jose L Riesco

A restaurant public relations plan is a pivotal part of an overall marketing initiative and must be put in place before you start. A successful entrepreneur always worries about his marketing and has a PR plan specifically tailored before the opening. You need to worry about how you are going to attract new clients and convince them to return as regular patrons.

Good restaurant public relations starts with a plan for the grand opening of the establishment. A minimum of two weeks before your big day, send out press releases to a variety of local media outlets to help you get advance coverage and appear in local event calendars. Be prepared for a good attendance and prepare everything to be ready before the big day.

During a grand opening, your restaurant public relations person must be on hand to give out media kits, which are professionally produced documents with facts and figures, biographies of the owner and head chef and those all-important menus. Bring in a professional photographer to take valuable snaps for future use.

Cross promotion is a significant part of any restaurant public relations initiative and you should try and become involved with local chambers of commerce and/or nonprofit organizations as much as you can. Utilize their list of media contacts and get them involved in your restaurant's opening festivities.

Focus on the calendar during the first few months of your business as special events can be pivotal to restaurant public relations success. You might like to start off an annual or semiannual wine festival, or feature an art show tied to certain events. These initiatives will expose your business to a whole new raft of potential clients and give you excellent PR exposure.

Local newspaper editors are often looking for material to fill their pages and you should try and make friends with them, most especially if they have a significant food and drink section. If you can establish yourself as an authority figure and provide a lot of good news and material to them on a regular basis without pitching your business, then this would pay dividends. Whenever they need advice or input they will think of you and the resulting column inches can be valuable PR exposure.

If you have collected a permissions-based mailing list try and send out food related stories and information whenever you have a realistic opportunity. Be careful how often you send out mailings, of course, but whenever a holiday linked to a certain kind of food is approaching, such as Thanksgiving for example, then you could send out great recipes and ideas for family get-togethers, parties, etc. without selling your products. This is restaurant public relations at its best.

Good restaurant public relations revolves around a plan and you must always have one. Maintain a calendar of events and key dates and take action when required. Develop personal relationships with important people locally.

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