Restaurant PR in New York

[oakapple]

Eater points the way to an article in this month's New York Restaurant Insider, "What Restaurant PR Brings to the Table." The article is written by Jennifer Baum, who is a partner in Bullfrog & Baum, a firm that specializes in the Hospitality Industry.

Baum caught Eater's eye, not just for the cute photo, but because, of the five restaurants named in this week's New York Magazine New and Noteworthy, four have Baum as their PR rep: Jovia, Bar Americain, Cookshop, and Maremma. Only Blaue Gans doesn't have Baum representing them.

The article gives a window into what restaurant publicists do (although it is obviously self-serving):

A PR firm specializing in the restaurant industry provides ideas on service, staff training, design, menu writing, and even the naming of the establishment. They scour reservation lists to alert clients to guests who can have an impact on the public’s perception of the dining experience, and to point out who the big talkers are. This can mean restaurant reviewers or big deals in social circles, the arts, entertainment, or business.

There are three case studies. It's interesting to play "guess the restaurant." The second one mentioned is very obviously David Burke & Donatella, and the third is clearly Thalassa. I couldn't identify the first.

Edited March 7, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[Vadouvan]

At the end of the day, one just has to focus on good food and service, consistency would be nice....absent of that, PR wont save you.

There is an old Joke in the biz about short lived restaurants.

"The only person who made money on this place was the publicist"

[Dave the Cook]

There are three case studies. It's interesting to play "guess the restaurant." The second one mentioned is very obviously David Burke & Donatella, and the third is clearly Thalassa. I couldn't identify the first.

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Il Laboratorio del Gelato?

[rich]

At the end of the day, one just has to focus on good food and service, consistency would be nice....absent of that, PR wont save you.

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That kind of thinking is much too sound to work. I think the people at Del Posto could have used that advice - instead they let their PR machine get in the way. Hopefully the management will shift gears after the early reviews.

[Fat Guy]

Jennifer Baum, who is the daughter-in-law of legendary restaurateur Joe Baum, is certainly one of the top restaurant publicists. She's great at what she does and is handling high profile clients not only in New York but also in Las Vegas and elsewhere. There is no Bullfrog, by the way -- it's just a made-up name for fun. It's her firm, though I believe her husband has involvement as a silent partner of sorts. There are perhaps seven publicists working for Jennifer Baum. For routine journalistic inquiries, I almost never deal with her -- I deal with Helen Baldus, Susan Hosmer or one of the other people on that team.

Bullfrog & Baum handles a lot of good clients -- it's one of the go-to firms for serious restaurant startups -- but I've got to say the coincidence is just a coincidence this time around. There are several other top publicists who could just as easily have a bunch of restaurants hit big at any given time. It goes in cycles. Steve Hall often has several significant balls in the air, and Susan Magrino is a serious power broker. K.B. Network News is always popping up. There are others as well. When hotel restaurants are in vogue, Lou Hammond holds a lot of sway. There are also some excellent individual publicists or very small firms (Diaz-Scholss, Robin Insley) and some of the top restaurants and restaurant groups do their own PR.

[slkinsey]

Another thing that I have found interesting to observe over the last year is that it's possible to get a ton of good media coverage without any publicist at all.

[oakapple]

At the end of the day, one just has to focus on good food and service, consistency would be nice....absent of that, PR wont save you.

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Baum makes that very point, saying:

The ultimate goal for the PR firm is to get people to come through the doors of their clients’ restaurant for the first time. Once they have accomplished that, getting these same people to return is the job of the restaurant – with good food, good service, and a nice atmosphere.

As self-serving as it is, I think there's a lot of truth to this Baum quote: "There are very few chefs or restaurateurs who would dare to open a restaurant, especially in a big city, without the assistance of a publicist."

I think the people at Del Posto could have used that advice - instead they let their PR machine get in the way. Hopefully the management will shift gears after the early reviews.

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Rich keeps saying that, but I just don't see the evidence for it. How is Del Posto different from any of the other dozens of restaurants that open every year, and receive less favorable critical notice than they had hoped for?

[Vadouvan]

I think the people at Del Posto could have used that advice - instead they let their PR machine get in the way

Actually the arrogance got in the way.

They came out guns blazing..."we are going for 4 stars"

What were they thinking.

Only dummies set the bar for which they will be judged higher.

Restauranteurs should learn not to say anything when they open places, bad things happen.

[Fat Guy]

I think something may be getting lost in translation here. No restaurateur who listens to a good publicist is ever going to say anything like "We're going to get four stars!" Publicists are there exactly to help restaurateurs avoid saying stupid things like that.

Being a restaurateur of a certain caliber in New York City is a high-profile, very public endeavor. People in such positions, whether they be politicians or captains of industry, hire advisors to help them manage public and media perception of them and their ventures.

[rich]

Rich keeps saying that, but I just don't see the evidence for it. How is Del Posto different from any of the other dozens of restaurants that open every year, and receive less favorable critical notice than they had hoped for?

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Marc, they were different because of the arrogance as Vaudouvan mentioned. People, whether critics or the public, have memories. What may have been overlooked by some does not get overlooked when dealing with a person or group of persons who is/are full of bluster. New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner had/has the same problem and a publicist (Rubenstein) was hired to be his mouthpiece a few years back.

As Steve mentioned, no top-notch PR firm would have allowed the Del Posto group to "four-star vocalize" in the manner the Del Posto group did. It invites trouble and picky reviews. Either they didn't listen or they hired a bad group or they just did it all on their own. Whatever the case, it did them a lot more harm than good.

That's the problem as I have observed. Now it's time for them to get humble, focus on the food, drop the pretentiousness and get back to what they do best - quality food in pleasant surroundings. The past can't be fixed or erased, but they control their present and future attitude and behavior.

[oakapple]

As Steve mentioned, no top-notch PR firm would have allowed the Del Posto group to "four-star vocalize" in the manner the Del Posto group did. It invites trouble and picky reviews.

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Okay, I agree with that part, and have all along. What I maintain, however, is that Del Posto was doing behind the scenes the same things all major new restaurants do. The mistake was talking about it on the Food Network, instead of letting the food do the talking for itself.

[rich]

As Steve mentioned, no top-notch PR firm would have allowed the Del Posto group to "four-star vocalize" in the manner the Del Posto group did. It invites trouble and picky reviews.

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Okay, I agree with that part, and have all along. What I maintain, however, is that Del Posto was doing behind the scenes the same things all major new restaurants do. The mistake was talking about it on the Food Network, instead of letting the food do the talking for itself.

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I'm sure they were. The only area we seem to differ is whether or not it affected the food. I think there's a possibility the four-star obsession may have caused them to lose some focus on the food. From earlier posts, you don't seem to think that's probable. Neither of us will ever know the truth and I think either scenario is viable.

[Sneakeater]

Isn't the difference that, in the ordinary cases such as Fat Guy adverts to, being a four-star restaurant is part of the business plan, whereas here it seemed to be the business plan?

(Not that we can possibly know, of course.)

[Sneakeater]

(Like, for example, Alto: the concept apparently was, given the current fashionability of Austrian cuisine in New York, let's open a restaurant serving haute Italian/Austrian cuisine from the Alto Adige.

(Whereas Del Posto: the concept apparently was, let's open an Italian restaurant that's four-star.)

[Fat Guy]

You may be overestimating what it is that most restaurateurs aspire to. To the extent someone is saying "Let's open a restaurant serving cuisine in X style and that's as good as the four-star French restaurants," that's a plan that has been pursued more than a few times. I remember the New York Magazine pre-opening story on Gramercy Tavern and it was much the same.

[Sneakeater]

It's funny you should mention that article, because after I made that last pair of posts, I remembered it, too.

Edited March 8, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[oakapple]

To the extent someone is saying "Let's open a restaurant serving cuisine in X style and that's as good as the four-star French restaurants," that's a plan that has been pursued more than a few times. I remember the New York Magazine pre-opening story on Gramercy Tavern and it was much the same.

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And here, it's useful to go take a trip in the wayback machine. Ruth Reichl first reviewed Gramercy Tavern on October 14, 1994, awarding two stars:

Each meal I have eaten has been better than the one before; a year from now, Gramercy Tavern may well have turned into the restaurant of its owners' dreams.

And they are big. New York magazine says the primary owners, Danny Meyer and Tom Colicchio, want nothing less than to "reinvent the four-star restaurant."

Whoever actually uttered that phrase would probably like to bite his tongue. Stars are not the point: Gramercy Tavern is a grand attempt to reinvent the American luxury restaurant.

She closed with: "In six months, if the restaurant stays on this course, it will surely deserve three stars, and with time four stars seem like a distinct possibility. Gramercy Tavern has everything it takes to make a great restaurant. Except maturity."

A bit less than eighteen months later, on February 2, 1996, Reichl was back, this time awarding three stars:

It takes a while for a restaurant to hit its stride. There is no timetable for this; each proceeds at its own pace. It can take a year or two or more before everything comes together in one smooth motion. But when it finally happens, everyone knows it: one step through the door and you can feel the energy running through the room.

She suggested what was missing if the restaurant wanted that elusive fourth star:

Not everything is perfect. There can be waits at the door. The staff is not always on its toes. The sound level is still higher than it should be. Even the food has its off days. But if the restaurant's past performance is any gauge, these things will change.

Ten years later, there is no fourth star, but I doubt that Danny Meyer feels like he's a failure. In contrast, Del Posto has it pretty good, since they got the third star right out of the gate. Edited March 8, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[rich]

Two reviewers (Reichl and the current person), two different philosphies. Reichl seems to be agreeing with Cuozzo in saying restaurants can and do change. The current person seems to indicate the stars generally remain the same over time. It will be interesting to read his first re-review to determine his real stance.

As an aside, his review today was very positive and read better than a one. Plus - how can you dislike a review that references Julie Andrews even if it mentions his dining partner needed three drinks to get through a rough day.

[oakapple]

Two reviewers (Reichl and the current person), two different philosphies. Reichl seems to be agreeing with Cuozzo in saying restaurants can and do change. The current person seems to indicate the stars generally remain the same over time. It will be interesting to read his first re-review to determine his real stance.

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I'm afraid I don't see a difference in philosophy. When Bruni was asked if there are restaurants he's reviewed that have already changed enough that his rating would be different today, he said on his blog:

There probably are and, to be completely honest, I have no way of knowing precisely which ones and how many. Given the number and pace of new openings, there simply aren’t enough days in a year to circle back and re-try all the existing restaurants that were rated the previous year or the year before that.

Among the restaurants I’ve reviewed and rated since June 2004, when I began, there are some that, more than others, struck me as places with the potential to be better a year or two down the road than they were a few months after they opened. I’ll indeed make a special effort to return to these restaurants....

This is not a whole lot different than Ruch Reichl's answer to a very similar question when she participated in an eGullet Q&A. Edited March 8, 2006 by oakapple (log)

[rich]

Two reviewers (Reichl and the current person), two different philosphies. Reichl seems to be agreeing with Cuozzo in saying restaurants can and do change. The current person seems to indicate the stars generally remain the same over time. It will be interesting to read his first re-review to determine his real stance.

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I'm afraid I don't see a difference in philosophy. When Bruni was asked if there are restaurants he's reviewed that have already changed enough that his rating would be different today, he said on his blog:

There probably are and, to be completely honest, I have no way of knowing precisely which ones and how many. Given the number and pace of new openings, there simply aren’t enough days in a year to circle back and re-try all the existing restaurants that were rated the previous year or the year before that.

Among the restaurants I’ve reviewed and rated since June 2004, when I began, there are some that, more than others, struck me as places with the potential to be better a year or two down the road than they were a few months after they opened. I’ll indeed make a special effort to return to these restaurants....

This is not a whole lot different than Ruch Reichl's answer to a very similar question when she participated in an eGullet Q&A.

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Okay, he says that in one sentence then says this in another - taken from one of your posts the "Beyond" thread and I believe the quote was from his recent blog, "...Bruni also concludes (as against Steve Cuozzo of the Post) that star ratings generally—if not always—remain reasonably valid over a long period of time."

Seems to me, the current NY Times critic speaks with forked tongue. Must have attended the same school as Barry Bonds.

[chefboy24]

(Like, for example, Alto:  the concept apparently was, given the current fashionability of Austrian cuisine in New York, let's open a restaurant serving haute Italian/Austrian cuisine from the Alto Adige. 

(Whereas Del Posto:  the concept apparently was, let's open an Italian restaurant that's four-star.)

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when i was at l'impero.

scott & co were hoping for 4 or at least 3 stars. that was his plan.

[Sneakeater]

I'm obviously having trouble articulating this, but the difference with Del Posto is that Del Posto's sole raison d'etre seems to be to be a four-star version of Babbo. And the differences between Del Posto and Babbo don't appear to be directed to making Del Posto better -- just fancier.

A place like L'Impero seems to be trying to get across on the quality of the food: the plan seemed to be, if we could make the food better (and also, I admit, fancier -- but only "also") than at most comparable Italian restaurants, we could get lots of stars. Same with Gramercy Tavern: you got a sense they were trying to be better (not just fancier) than other then-existing "new American" restaurants. With Del Posto, does Batali really believe that the food is better than at Babbo? Or is the plan just to add a lot of fancy accoutrements (tableside service, home-made tonic, valet parking, the works) to kick it up a star level?

I think the problem a lot of us are having with Del Posto (and OK, I'll admit there's only so much I can say without having been there) is that it seems calculated, almost cynical, in a way that L'Impero and Gramercy Tavern don't.

Edited March 8, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[slkinsey]

This is veering away from the main topic of this thread, but in an interesting way that may lead me to split off a new topic if we continue...

Sneakeater, I think you make an interesting point about Del Posto, and perhaps a correct one. But, I think there has always been a belief that Batali's food could be four-star worthy and that what kept his restaurants from achieving four stars was primarily the atmosphere and service component, along with a need for a touch of added complexity and luxury ingredients. In other words, the thinking was, I think, that Del Posto simply needed to be "fancier."

[Sneakeater]

So then the problem might really be that Mario Batali is not, at heart, a four-star restauranteur. (Maybe that's even why he and Joe brought Lydia along for this venture.) So the whole venture seems forced, cuz it isn't being done naturally, by people with a real understanding of this style of restaurant. That's why (I conjecture, never having been there) you read people saying it comes across as "Vegassy".

As has often been said, the way stars are awarded now, four stars aren't necessarily "better" in every way than lesser amounts of stars. My two favorite restaurants right now are probably Al Di La (which got two stars, but which I think deserves only one) and Blaue Gans (which got one star, and I can agree). Four-star is a style as much as a qualitative rating.

Edited March 8, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[slkinsey]

Well, I think it also speaks of the fact that the rating system, and indeed the whole restaurant heirarchy, was designed around and serves best the French restaurant concept. So there is an inherrent difficulty in trying to make an Italian four-star restaurant that still retains its Italianità.