Each food and drink business gets chosen a different way: a diner picks a restaurant from a map on a phone, while a grocery buyer picks a brand from a sell sheet. Below is where a news feature fits each kind, two story angles an editor would run, and our clients of that kind.
Restaurant marketing, restaurant advertising and restaurant PR: be the place that checks out
Restaurant advertising, marketing and PR work when they give a diner a reason to pick you over the next pin on the map. Many people choose where to eat on their phone, often within the hour: they search "near me," scan the photos, read the newest reviews and open the menu. For a birthday, an anniversary or a client dinner they look harder, and they search the restaurant's name before they book. Restaurant advertising and a restaurant marketing agency can buy that first look. A news feature answers what a review can't: who runs the kitchen, where the recipes come from and why the place exists. For a new restaurant, it's something to show the week the doors open, before the reviews have piled up. It also gives the hotel concierge, the event planner and the regular who brings friends something to send. Angles an editor would run: "The Line Cook Who Bought the Restaurant Where She Started" or "The Chef Cooking the Menu His Grandmother Never Wrote Down."
Food truck marketing and food truck advertising: be easy to find on a different corner every day
Food truck marketing has a problem no restaurant has: your address changes. Customers who loved your tacos last Tuesday have to find out where you are this Friday, so many trucks live on Instagram, posting the day's spot and hours. The bigger orders often come from bookings: breweries without a kitchen, office parks, apartment complexes, festivals and private parties that hire a truck. The person booking wants to know you'll show up on time, fit where they'll park you, carry the health permit and certificate of insurance the venue often asks for, and serve a long line fast. A news feature gives that organizer something to read besides your menu, and gives a festival committee a reason to pick you from a stack of applications. Alessio Lacco, who runs a wood-fired pizza truck, wrote that the team is "responsive, understand exactly what I'm looking for." Angles: "Why Breweries Keep Booking the Same Taco Truck" or "From Food Truck to First Restaurant: How an Owner Knows It's Time."
Winery advertising and winery marketing: sell the visit before the bottle
Winery advertising and winery marketing sell two things at once: a bottle someone could buy in many places, and a visit they can only make in person. Many visitors plan a tasting day or a weekend in wine country ahead of time. They pick a region first, then compare a handful of wineries on the view, the wines and whether they need a reservation. Wine club members, steady income for many wineries, often sign up after a visit they loved. A news feature that tells the family's story and what makes the land different gives the planner a reason to put you on the list. Antonio Treviño's USA News feature tells how his family's Querétaro retreat became a wine destination after its first wines won international medals. Charmaine Joy, a biodynamic and organic wine producer, wrote that she "received support to identify where my article should be published to maximise results." Angles: "The Winemaker Who Farms by the Biodynamic Calendar" or "Why This Vineyard Pairs Every Tasting With Lunch."
Coffee shop marketing and coffee shop advertising: win the morning routine from the chains
Coffee shop marketing and coffee shop advertising are a fight for the morning routine, because the customer who comes in five days a week is worth more than any single big order. People pick a cafe by habit and distance, so a new one has to break a habit. Remote workers search for a quiet table with outlets and Wi-Fi. Visitors search for coffee near them and choose from photos and reviews in a minute. Next to the chains, an independent cafe's best marketing is the owner, the roaster it buys from and the one thing it does differently, and a feature in a news outlet tells that story to people who haven't walked in yet. Susanna Gevorgyan, who owns a neighborhood cafe, wrote: "Every interaction has been seamless, and they go above and beyond to ensure everything is handled perfectly." Angles: "The Cafe That Hires From the Block It Serves" or "Why One Coffee Shop Brought Back the Paper Punch Card."
Food and beverage marketing for snack, sauce and drink brands: what the buyer and the investor find
Food and beverage marketing for a packaged brand has two audiences before it has shoppers: the buyer who decides whether you get shelf space, and the people who might fund the next production run. A grocery or specialty-store buyer sees new brands constantly, and many retailers review a category only at set times of the year, so a young brand gets a short window to look established. Distributors, investors and online shoppers all do the same thing next: they search the brand. A feature tells the founder's story and the reason the product exists, which the label has no room for. Tatyana Jones, a high-protein snack brand founder, wrote that her articles "even helped get interest from some initial potential investors." Jennifer Brown thanked the team for her hibiscus drink brand's article and "for helping introduce our brand to a wider audience." Angles: "Less Sugar, Same Shelf: The Founder Taking On the Soda Aisle" or "From a Farmers Market Table to the Grocery Shelf."
How to market a catering company: catering marketing that gets you on the venue's list
Catering marketing means winning a booking from someone who often can't taste your food before they commit, so the way to market a catering company is to be the safe choice. Catering clients are couples planning a wedding, office managers feeding a team, nonprofits hosting a gala and families planning a milestone party. Large events are commonly booked months ahead, and the planner compares menus, per-person prices, reviews and whether you've handled an event that size before. A venue's or a wedding planner's recommendation carries a lot of weight, and the couple still looks you up after they hear your name. A news feature gives a planner something to forward to the couple or the boss. Alessio Lacco's USA News feature, "More Than a Food Truck: How Atlanta Pizza Truck Is Redefining Catering in America," sells his truck as a live show at weddings and corporate events. Angles: "The Caterer Who Builds Every Menu Around the Couple's Hometown" or "What a Caterer Wishes Every Office Manager Asked Before Booking."
Bar marketing and brewery marketing: give the weekend crowd a reason to cross town
Bar marketing and brewery marketing work on a short clock: many people decide where to go out the same day, and they choose by the crowd, the events and what's on tap. A taproom has an extra audience in beer travelers, who plan a route through a city's breweries the way wine lovers plan a valley. A bar has the regulars who carry it on a Tuesday and the newcomers who need a reason to try it on a Saturday: a trivia night, live music, a cocktail menu, a patio. Many breweries also sell through other bars and stores, where a buyer decides whether your cans get a slot. A news feature gives the visitor and the buyer the same backstory. Alcohol industry codes ask that marketing speak to adults of legal drinking age, so the feature leads with the people and the place. Angles: "The Brewery Brewing With Grain From the Farm Next Door" or "Behind the Bar That Turned an Old Garage Into a Music Room."
Bakery marketing: earn the custom-cake order before the tasting
Bakery marketing gets a bakery noticed, and a news feature gives the person ordering a cake a reason to trust you with their date. A bakery sells two ways. Walk-in customers come for the bread and the pastry case, and they find you by habit and by search. Custom orders are a different buyer: a couple choosing a wedding cake, a parent planning a birthday, an office ordering for a party. They study your photos, ask friends and book a tasting, because the cake has to be right on one specific day. Specialty bakers have a third buyer, the customer who can't eat what other bakeries sell and searches for gluten-free, vegan or keto by name. A feature on that specialty is what those customers forward to each other. Keto Me, a keto and diabetic-friendly dessert baker, wrote: "I really appreciated the opportunity to review it before publication." Angles: "The Bakery That Sells Out of Sourdough Before Lunch" or "Wedding Cakes for Couples With a Gluten-Free Guest List."
Ice cream shop advertising and marketing: start the summer line earlier
Ice cream shop advertising and marketing are seasonal: in much of the country the busy months are short, so the shop people think of first when it gets warm has the best year. Families and teenagers decide on the spot, by searching for ice cream nearby and picking from photos. What brings them back is a reason to talk about you: a new flavor, a local ingredient, an opening day for the season. Many shops also sell pints to take home and cater birthday parties and weddings, where the person ordering wants to know who you are. A feature at the start of the season gives all of them the story behind the scoop, and a new one each season gives them something new to share. Chris C, who owns an ice cream shop, wrote: "I've used them for four articles. Always satisfied." Angles: "The Shop That Churns a Flavor for Every Local Farm Stand" or "Opening Day: Why a Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop Gets a Line in March."
Coffee roaster marketing: give the bag a story the next roaster can't copy
Coffee roaster marketing sells to two buyers who check different things. Home brewers buy online, often by subscription, and read about origin, roast date and the people behind the bag. Wholesale buyers, a cafe owner, an office manager or a grocery buyer, want to taste a sample, know the roast will taste the same next month, and often ask whether you'll train their baristas before they switch. Both look you up and find plenty of roasters saying the same things about single origin and small batches. A news feature on how you source and why you started gives them a story only you have. Jason, who runs a family roaster, wrote: "I've already seen an increase in traffic on my site." Erik Ray Hill of Global Roast Coffee Company said: "I got my first draft within one day, and then just two days later, I was published." Angles: "The Family Roaster Naming Every Bag After the Farmer" or "Why a Small Roaster Prints the Roast Date on Every Bag."
Distillery marketing and spirits brand PR: win the distributor before the shelf
Distillery marketing has a step most food businesses skip: in the U.S., a spirits brand usually sells to a distributor, who sells to the liquor stores and bars, so the first person to convince is a distributor rep with a full book. Then a store buyer or a bar manager decides whether you get shelf space or a spot on the back bar, and the shopper in the aisle decides last. Each of them looks you up, and in a crowded category they look for what you do differently and what you've won. Andres Duarte's USA News feature on Mezcal Descartes makes that case with ten-year Espadín agave and five gold medals. Cory Lamb of YOLO Spirits, a premium vodka brand, said: "We've used them two times so far and been published in CEO Weekly and New York Weekly." Angles: "Grain to Glass: The Distillery Growing Its Own Wheat" or "What a Bar Manager Looks For Before Adding a New Vodka."
Food distributor and food supply marketing: be the supplier a chef has already read about
Food distributor marketing is business-to-business selling to people with no spare time: chefs, restaurant owners, grocers and institutional kitchens who already have a supplier and switch when the current one lets them down. They ask other operators for names, and they check a new supplier out before they agree to a first meeting or a trial order. What they want to know is reliability: on-time delivery, consistent product and someone who answers the phone at 6 a.m. when an order is short. A news feature on how you source, who you serve and how you handle a missed delivery is the story a buyer can read before your rep walks in. It also tells farms and food makers looking for a distributor who you are. Janica Southwick, who founded a food supply and distribution business, wrote: "Super fast, professional and with personable communication." Angles: "The Distributor Bringing Local Farm Produce to City Kitchens" or "What Chefs Need From a Supplier When the Menu Changes Every Week."
