Long term thinking = better relationships

Last week I went to two chef showcases. One was organised by {PAIRED}, a collaboration between Carousel and AVA (Audio Visual Arts Festival & Conference) which brings chefs and DJs together for one-off experiences. The event took place in the Corner Bar at the Tate Modern: a multi-course meal cooked by French chef Alex Bijaoui followed by a DJ set by world-famous artist Laurent Garnier; the latest in experiential dining turned entertainment.

I’ve long been interested in the relationship between chefs and DJs and the growing trend for restaurants/ wine bars to segue into nightclubs. The art of the transition – as every DJ knows when lining up tracks and every restaurateur knows when overseeing service – requires talent and good timing. Can a restaurant morph seamlessly into a nightclub? In Ibiza and Mykonos it happens all the time. On the South Bank, I discovered it requires really great drinks sponsors.

The other event was at Planque in Shoreditch: a preview of Cypsèle, the debut solo restaurant from chef Marcin Krol, which is due to open on the Île Saint-Louis in Paris this autumn. Another multi-course menu with some astoundingly good dishes including a kind of sausage roll made with very buttery pastry, filled with baby sweetcorn (rather than sausage) and topped with trout roe.

Sadly I won’t be able to cover either of these events in the Financial Times. They are one-off or short-lived. Readers have no chance of going themselves. In PR terms, however, these events are valuable because they plant a seed and have the potential to lead to something bigger and brighter down the line. The chefs and organisations behind both events are now on my radar. When the time comes, I feel confident about pitching stories about them to my editor.

So much of restaurant PR is last minute – often because publicity is the last thing on restaurateurs’ minds. The PR team is brought in four weeks before opening and expected to perform miracles. In a crowded field of new openings where culinary philosophies based on sourcing the finest ingredients or hyper-seasonal daily-changing menus are no longer novel, it pays to think long term and lay the groundwork with preview events and other initiatives. I also think it pays to partner with young talented chefs and burgeoning hospitality ventures that may not yet have the resources for major PR. Long term thinking leads to better relationships which is the key to better PR. In that sense, the early bird really does get the tastiest worm.