R.I.A. Help

Restaurant Intelligence Agency is an online alternative to traditional restaurant public relations. We create, collect and manage full background information and a continuous stream of news about our clients for free access by journalists, 24/7. And we send our clients' news to the media daily through email newsletters, media alerts, trend pitches, and online social networking sites like Twitter.

R.I.A. was created by a restaurant publicist with more than 14 years of experience promoting Chicago's most exciting restaurants, together with a team of seasoned food, lifestyle and business journalists. We developed our custom software for over a year, incorporating our expertise in successful media relations in an automated new process that reduces costs.

Everybody wins in our new two-way exchange. For our clients:

•R.I.A. covers the basics of PR at a fraction of the cost of traditional agency retainers;

•News from each member draws diverse media to the site -- new ones every day -- automatically exposing them to the entire membership and increasing each client's odds of coverage;

•We prompt clients through an annual schedule of events and timely topics with the media's deadlines in mind;

•We use Internet social networking as an integral part of our news stream, keeping our clients top-of-mind in a personal, immediate fashion with a mixed audience of media, industry professionals and the public;

•Our new technology means that for the first time in the history of PR, clients can know exactly who's visiting their press kit.

For journalists:

•All R.I.A. resources are free of charge;

•Research on multiple restaurants is streamlined with thorough, constantly updated, and carefully edited information;

•Our rocking search function makes it easy to research terms and ingredients for all our great clients at once with the click of a few keys;

•We watch for and report on trends and seasonal news on the same schedule as journalists, coaching and prompting our clients to plan ahead;

•We confidentially query our client base with your research questions for time-saving "one-stop shopping," and help manage the responses in a timely and organized fashion.

R.I.A. uses breakthrough technology to generate a continuous stream of immediate and compelling news about our clients and communicate it to the media every day. Our combination of thorough client background information with a pipeline of news is a two-way, time-saving resource that journalists can rely on.

Not only does a daily email go out to an international media list, announcing all the news, but we have an ongoing program in place to direct media to our site.

Clients receive Media Search Alerts when a media person searches for information. The email contains contact information, what is being requested,  and deadlines when appropriate. They also receive notices on the events going on around town so they can participate if they choose.

Restaurant Intelligence Agency:

•Ensures online press kits, menus and facts are thorough and kept up-to-date;

•Distributes news to an extensive international media list;

•Guides clients through an annual calendar of holidays, seasonal news and promotions on with journalists' deadlines in mind;

•Shares media opportunities and generates story ideas, from spotlights on dishes, ingredients and purveyors, to fun Questions of the Day, to drawing out interesting elements of chefs' lives, plans, seasonal inspirations and kitchen goings-on for site features and Twitter posts;

•Tracks and reports media traffic to our clients.

Restaurant Intelligence Agency is free for journalists.  Always will be.

R.I.A. is for any journalists covering the culinary industry. It was designed with them in mind, and was created in an attempt to collect every possible bit of data from our clients to streamline research.

When you log in, your page visits are collected in our database. We do share with our members which media have visited their press kit because this is a media relations site. It's one of the huge benefits of this technology. What we DON'T do is sell our media list, attach insidious spyware, or bombard your inbox with micro-emails.

In the old world of phone calls -- and the new old world of email -- we used to tell our clients when we talked to you and what you said. It was our job. Now, computers do it for us.

Nope. We realize that after eons of sensitivity about food journalists' identities, it's hard to adopt a new mode where some of your actions are "transparent." But really, the fact that you research our site only signals that you have interest or are fact-checking, which everyone already knows is part of your job. Of course, we can't stop you from signing in as someone else. That's between you and your conscience.

One of the greatest benefits we offer our clients is real information about media interest in their establishment. And of course, if we can offer great service to our clients, it means there will be more news in this one convenient location for you to research.

R.I.A. exists to streamline the conversation so you don't receive the "Did you get my press release?" call or email. And so you don't have to pick up the phone and dial multitudes of restaurants and publicists, play phone/email tag, wait for answers that never come when you're on deadline -- you know.

We need you to keep visiting, keep surfing around, and we do promise that, on the whole, you will find this service infinitely better than the old way of doing things. If you don't believe us, we would be happy to call you and see if you got our last press release.

Treat it like you would a press kit that has been fact-checked, edited and updated on a regular basis. (You can get up off the floor now, as we know you fell off your chair after reading that there is a press kit that has been fact-checked, edited and updated on a regular basis, period.)

We strive to ensure accuracy in all posted information, updating menus every two or four weeks, depending on the client, and wine lists every four weeks. And we call and fact-check monthly. We have a designated management contact at each client's establishment, greatly improving our odds of accuracy over a journalist calling and getting whoever happens to be by the phone. But we know even good people sometimes make mistakes. Feel free to let us know if you see one. We want to know if we have spinach in our teeth!

Soon, we will have a place on the site where you can type in a query -- a trend, story idea or future seasonal ingredient that has yet to make the site -- for automatic distribution to our members. For now, just send an email to: media@restaurantintelligenceagency.com

Be sure to include your deadline and contact information, and we will send out a private, secure request to our members. We collect and organize the responses in a timely fashion; any follow-up is done directly between you and the client.

That said, not all clients take advantage of this great feature every time. So we suggest that if you have a specific request about a specific client, you contact them directly. Email addresses and phone numbers for each restaurant's media contacts are listed on their main page.

The Internet happened to exclusives. Basically, it used to be that a publicist could strategically dole out information to the media. Then, the blogosphere ensured that everyone and his brother was blasting out information that was supposedly embargoed, under the radar, on the DL, highly confidential or otherwise super secret. So, a publicist who was trying in good faith to do the job of handing out exclusives could get sideswiped by some errant blogger who happened to be friends with a chef who was out celebrating a new job he just got and blabbed to the wrong person. So, the Internet changed the playing field -- a reality which R.I.A. capitalizes on to everyone's benefit.

That is not our job. Okay, we wanted to say that just once in our lives!

Seriously, you will find the proper media contact listed on every page of each client's online press kit.  R.I.A. is a website and does not engage in traditional public relations activities. Nor are we in a position to speak on behalf of our clients. We suggest that you either try contacting the restaurant again or use another one of our other fine clients for your story.

There is no cost for downloading the client photos posted on R.I.A. Each photo has a credit listed. If it says N/A, there is no credit available. If there is a name, please credit the name listed.

R.I.A., Restaurant Intelligence Agency, Paperclip, inc. or any other permutation of those company names are not appropriate photo credits.

By downloading photography, in connection with certain activities between you and Restaurant Intelligence Agency, LLC ("R.I.A."), you are hereby granted access to certain content developed by R.I.A. and which R.I.A. considers to be proprietary in nature and protected by the copyright laws of the United States ("Copyrighted Images"). In consideration of R.I.A. granting access to the Copyrighted Images to you, you agree that the Copyrighted Images shall not be used, disclosed, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published, modified or broadcast, in whole or part, by you or any of your agents, representatives, consultants or employees ("Representatives") without the written permission of the member whose photo you are downloading and shall be used only for the purpose granted by that member. You must credit the individual photographer indicated for each Copyrighted Image, if one is listed. If you provide the Copyrighted Images to any of your Representatives, you agree that you shall inform them of the terms described herein and you agree to be responsible for any breach of these terms by you or your Representatives and shall defend and indemnify R.I.A. from and against any claims, demands, liabilities, losses, causes of action, damages, and costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to any breach of the terms described herein. The prevailing party in any legal proceeding pertaining to these terms or any unauthorized use of the Copyrighted Images shall be entitled to recover all costs and expenses incurred by such party in such proceeding, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees.

You acknowledge and agree that neither R.I.A., nor any of its agents, representatives, consultants or employees, makes any express or implied representation or warranty of any kind or nature as to the accuracy or completeness of the Copyrighted Images and that none of the foregoing shall have any liability or responsibility of any kind or nature to you or any of your Representatives resulting from the provision of or use of the Copyrighted Images. If you or your Representatives become legally compelled to disclose the Copyrighted Images, you shall promptly notify the member directly in writing so that the menu may seek a protective order or waive compliance with the terms herein.

By accessing the Copyrighted Images, you acknowledge and agree to the above terms and conditions.

Membership is currently open to the culinary and beverage industries. Any restaurant in the country can join. While R.I.A. started in Chicago, we also have members in other cities, and our goal is to develop a national roster of fantastic members so journalists from across the country can access press information quickly and efficiently on more and more restaurants in a self-sustaining network effect. In fact, the one thing journalists complain about most is that we haven't made it to their city yet.

We currently host restaurants, wine shops, and bars/lounges. Coming soon are: Chefs, cookbook authors, industry experts, specialty foods, cooking schools, wineries, hotels, resorts, kitchen equipment manufacturers ... the whole culinary enchilada.

As for our client list, man, we love that question! Especially since we have such a great slate of members. Just shoot us an email at ellen@restaurantintelligenceagency.com so we can show off. Make sure to tell your friends, too, because we are proud of how far we've come in such a short time and it's a great time to get on board.

Our pricing is simple:

• It costs $750 for us to collect your materials and upload them to our site;

• Once your site is built, it costs $750 a month;

• We bill by automatic bank transfer.

That includes:

• Maintenance of your online press kit, updated consistently;

• Email alerts for all journalist inquiries that are sent to R.I.A.;

• Immediate inclusion in our proprietary online, ongoing system for collecting your news, trend data that is pitched to journalists, and fun facts that help drive traffic to our site (and you!);

• Inclusion in a custom-designed concierge portal that distributes restaurant news to concierges throughout the Chicagoland area (coming soon).

• Regular reports on all media visits to your online press kit.

Just shoot us an email at ellen@restaurantintelligenceagency.com and we'll walk you through the process of collecting your press information so we can get you started on R.I.A. 

It is all rather obvious and intuitive -- easy-peasy even -- but thankfully no one else thought of it until we came along.

R.I.A. doesn't require contracts. Contracts mean lawyers and lawyers mean money -- which at this point no one has to just toss around. We're pretty confident that you're going to find the ease and results of the site, well, addictive. So, no, there are no contracts -- aside from the tiny one associated with our bill payment procedures, which are done via ACH transfer. Again, saving staff time, and thus, dollars.

R.I.A. doesn't take hostages. You can cancel your membership without penalty at any time. We will dismantle your online press kit on the day your ACH transfer would have posted.

R.I.A. doesn't hold grudges. We've made it really easy for you to return to the site after a hiatus. Just shoot us an email, attach your current menus, and we'll post your updated press kit in no time.

News. You need news to get noticed. Menu changes and specials; interesting dishes, drinks and ingredients; promotions and events.

Think of your R.I.A. online press kit as your main menu, and your news -- prompted by our ingredient, trend, and feature queries as well as direct media inquiries -- as your daily specials.

Based on experience, we know that traditional publicists spend sleepless nights trying to think up something to say about clients with no news. Now the Internet makes it all transparent -- and on R.I.A., it's easy to see who has news and who doesn't. Don't have any news? Let's ... make ... some.

We find most chefs have a lot more news under the hood than they generally share -- or realize could be news. Our theory is that if you or anyone in the kitchen reacts to a promotion/menu item/beer/wine or anything else with "that is so cool," likely a journalist out there would too.

And there are so many journalists out there looking for so much news that really, if it is interesting, someone is gonna want to know -- and you'll wind up in newspaper and magazines, on television and foodie websites.

Also, RIA walks you through a proprietary process for generating story ideas and planning ahead to meet deadlines for holiday menus and promotions. You don't need to know that journalists may want to write about Halloween candy in July, for example, and you don't need to pay someone a lot of money to tell you. We'll shoot you an email and if you've got some good ideas, we'll forward them to the media.

So share with us anything new you've got going on and we'll help you decide if it's news. If you need some tips and hints, answer our emails and media queries, visit our blog on Facebook, ask us questions, start learning and get moving. We'll guide and prompt you, and you'll get covered. It's easier than you think, cheaper than dirt, and more effective than you can imagine.

R.I.A. is a cost-effective PR alternative that delivers the essentials of media relations. This includes the prompting, collection and distribution of media information into a complete and always current online press kit, along with regular news broadcasts.

We know how to push the buttons of the media so they come check out our clients. Because we have been doing restaurant PR for the likes of Paul Kahan, Art Smith and Rick Tramonto, we've got excellent experience knowing who writes what stories. We use that to drive traffic.

R.I.A. is most effective for those who participate in their own success. Follow our lead, answer our emails, respond to our queries (and make good food/have good service) and you'll find your way into plenty of media.

While many of our clients opt out of using additional PR services, others choose to hire a PR or marketing firm for more hands-on programs like writing professional press kit materials, creating and managing special events and promotions, and developing social networking programs.

In that case, we can also work cooperatively with publicists/marketers to make the process more effective, efficient and timely, relieving them of the basics that, in the old model, were so inefficent and costly in time and staffing.

Just remember, relationships are expensive. Can you afford that luxury? If you can, great! Hire one of the many capable publicists out there. Just hire the right person for the right reasons. Or hire us both for what we do best.

First of all, we know you already have an all-consuming job. Second of all, we also know that the more you participate in your own success, the more you will succeed. So, yes, we encourage our clients to get involved.

The bottom line is, you can pay a lot of money for someone to coax newsworthy information out of you -- or you, or someone on your staff, can spend a little time updating us on your menus and news, and fielding a few daily emails -- and help us lead you to media success.

When we did traditional PR, we used to give our clients copies of "Jerry McGuire" so they could see the scene when Tom Cruise begged his client, "Help me help you."  We begged and pleaded our clients to get involved then. Now, we just beg. We stopped pleading to cut costs.

As long as it is legitimate press information, we'll post it. That's part of the beauty of the paperless press kit. We have just recently launched our streamlined new software, and will soon be adding several exciting new functions -- including for press clips,  videos, and Twitter feeds. So soon, there won't be any kind of attention-getting news materials we CAN'T post on your behalf.

Yes, daily.  Restaurant Intelligence Agency actively distributes our clients' news to media on a daily basis. So, any significant menu changes, promotional events, holiday information or even fun news that is interesting can and does get distributed to a vast and growing list of international journalists, as well as through the ever-growing social networking phenomenon.

R.I.A. is designed for the media; yours is for consumers. Information is presented in media format and updates are sent to the media every day to let them know when news is posted.

Journalists pretty much do not use restaurant websites, as they are generally not accurate or up to date and thus are untrustworthy. It doesn't matter if one given restaurant does have accurate information; as most do not, a media person assumes that the data is not accurate. I don't blame them.

Because there are so many fantastic restaurants on R.I.A., the media are using this site as "one-stop shopping." By relying on your own site, you are simply hoping that the media spontaneously remember you in the midst of deadlines and pending layoffs and such. On a scale of one to unlikely, this is really quite unlikely.

We update your menus, wine lists and fact sheets on a regular basis so you don't need to have someone on-site doing that for you. It is our core competency and the editors who work on the site are diligent about making sure that everything is accurate.

When the media search for an ingredient or holiday round-up information, they can do it easily with our search functions. Does your website have a rocking search function like ours?

Really, doesn't this just make sense?

No one is perfect and to trust us, the media really needs reliable information, so we edit and proof. And we know the kinds of things the media needs to report on you, things you might not think of -- like how long you've been open, your cross street, the actual credit cards you take (because we know how useless it is to journalists when publicists fudge it with "All major"). We also standardize spellings across all member materials (e.g., barbecue, ceviche, portobello) to make the search function really deliver to our media audience. Thoroughness and accuracy are industry standards for journalism, and our goal is to meet and/or exceed all of the journalists' standards so that they view us as reliable and professional -- and thus come back to us again and again when it is time to research their stories.

Call the paramedics. No, seriously, underneath the login, there is a feature for retrieving lost passwords. Please click "forgot your username or password? click here," provide your email address and your password will be sent to you.

Only the recipient of this email can take the next step in the password recovery process. If you don't share your email, you won't have a problem.

Please report the email to us at ellen@restaurantintelligenceagency.com.

Please contact R.I.A. by emailing to ellen@restaurantintelligenceagency.com.

Yes! We want to know if there is spinach in our teeth. We proof every page before it gets posted, so we strive for 100 percent accuracy. We do have that occasional error slip through the cracks. We'd be so boring if we were perfect.

Please let us know if your browser has garbled the website or otherwise made things seem off. We've put a lot of testing into the capabilities for each browser, so we definitely want to know if you are experiencing technical difficulties.