Why are Moscow restaurants considered among the best in the world?

What is a “good restaurant”? Who can say the restaurant is the best? Often our trust is earned through reviews posted online or the satisfied faces of guests at a busy property. Both long waiting lists and time limits contribute to the “fine restaurant” effect. Awards and ratings, mentions from influencers also contribute to reputation formation – it seems that “everyone” is in this restaurant. Ultimately, investors are satisfied with the income generated.

In this article we discuss why Moscow restaurants are the best in the world and how the work of communication and promotion specialists is changing the restaurant map of the capital.

Having worked in the restaurant industry for over 12 years, I travel a lot – I’ve been to over 40 countries around the world. And I think that in any country, contact with the gastronomic part or “soul” of that country is an important element of culture. After all, food is the one that brings us together at the same table where the day begins and ends, where we pamper our loved ones, our childhood impressions, and a cure for sorrows. It so happened that, regardless of geography, the best restaurants for me remain Moscow. Therefore, today I would like to talk about five promotional tools that make Moscow restaurants one of the best in the world. Shall we begin?

Kristina Zhegunova, partner, owner, PR director of the communication group “MAYAK”

Set

All over the world, restaurants are mostly opened by chefs and family members are given tasks according to their competencies; Some are responsible for service, some for finance. This is how a small, cozy place is born on the ground floor of a private house in France or Italy. But in Moscow everything is different. Projects here are rarely opened without investors. You can count the examples on your fingers and sigh sadly because, with rare exceptions, they are all already closed.

Another plan is much more popular in the capital: the investor comes up with an idea for a project, and then comes the location, budget, experienced designers, builders, managers and PR people. After finding a chef, the owner of the business may offer him a small percentage share. True, this practice appeared relatively recently.

Chefs are unique experts in food, but not always in management. Obviously, they are losing against a team of professionals; This leads to financial and management problems and poor service.

Preparing for the opening

In recent years, advanced restaurant operators have been inviting public relations experts to the project during the construction phase, long before the opening. Very modern and relevant. If you create a project from a public relations perspective, you can save on advertising budgets. For example, if you create an interior in which you want to take photos, active users of social networks will publish them. If you put an interesting signature on the mirror that makes you smile, you will want to take a selfie. When there is spot lighting above the table, this is not only an A+ for the designer in terms of zoning, but also an opportunity for the guest to look at the food, admire it and again take a photo and send it to a group of friends. or post on social networks.

As the PR team, we analyze which dishes have gone “viral” by assigning technical tasks to the chef, bartender and pastry chef. Because details are everything! The packaging of the delivery, the postcard included in this package, the numbers in the wardrobe, the correct playlist, the waiter’s uniform, the tactility of the menu and the description of the dishes – the list is endless. But all this is important for the restaurant. Such little things are already PR tools, so you don’t need to come up with a “legend for the institution.”

Start

Restaurant PR begins with the so-called “warm-up”, exclusive to Telegram channels and influencers, attracting attention on social networks and in the media. Then comes the launch; The restaurant opens its doors in a friends and family format, inviting friends of the project, bloggers and journalists. This is necessary to inform a wide audience about the project, collect initial feedback and fix bugs; for example, replacing sofas with more comfortable ones, adjusting the lighting and temperature in the room, or even fine-tuning the concept. The next step is an official opening, usually secular, for the media to write about. From this moment on, the restaurant’s telephone line is disconnected and tables are reserved several weeks in advance. This is the most active phase of PR. Just as you cannot make a first impression the second time, an unsuccessful promotion at this stage can affect the entire future life of the restaurant.

Marketing calendar

If a restaurant wants to see a return on its investment over the next three years and stay on top in the meantime, a single launch isn’t enough. Public relations professionals prepare a detailed operating plan or marketing calendar for the year, not forgetting ideas for the following year.

Celebrates Maslenitsa, Lent, Easter and other dates when you need to prepare a special pancake or Lenten menu. Also the opening of the summer verandas and the launch of the spring-summer menu, which marks the beginning of the autumn season. There is also a preparation program. For example, in order to get into the media with a special pancake, you need to plan it in advance, study it, take photos of dishes and create a menu at least two weeks before the start of Maslenitsa.

Some news events are prepared several months or even a year in advance. The more interesting and new the idea, the greater its reach and chances of going viral and, as a result, direct sales. There are few places in the world where there is such a competition among public relations experts as in Moscow. Some go astray by producing the same thing for decades, others repeat it, and only a few invent something new and interesting and move the entire industry forward. The public relations specialist works 24/7, everything around is ideas for new collaborations. The more observed and inspired, the higher the chance that marketing calendar events will be remembered and made history.

Working with feedback

An important tool that is completely overlooked in tourist areas or places where demand is higher than supply. After all, if the guest doesn’t like something, another comes. This is why standards are falling, from service to the taste of food and beverages, depending on the product selection and the qualifications of the people in the kitchen. After years of such work, “wrinkles” appear in the appearance of the restaurant. It is now impossible not to notice that the hall is poorly cleaned, the furniture is “tired” – the tables shake, the upholstery of the chairs is worn out, and when you visit the toilet, you feel unpleasant disgust. It is extremely difficult to imagine this in Moscow. But this is a typical story for European projects.

In Moscow, they fight for every guest – PR agencies even have KPIs for the response time to reviews. It is considered the highest level of excellence for the manager or chef to personally call an upset guest. If the issue is raised at a restaurant, expect the dish to be removed from the check, a compliment to be given, and an apology from both the waiter and the shift manager.

The next step in working with a guest is to introduce them to the restaurant community and loyalty program. The PR specialist works with CRM systems, creates SMS and email newsletters, creates online surveys, monitors reviews from aggregators, maps and social networks, tries to respond when appropriate, invites bloggers. Also, a good expert makes applications from the restaurant to participate in various awards and tries to attract the attention of journalists to the project in order to listen to expert opinions and implement their recommendations.

Text: Kristina Zhegunova