We've Built a Better Soapbox

Soapboxes — really, they’re just humble little boxes invented to ship and store soap. But back in the day, they were also a technological innovation. Think about it — a person would flip one over, step on top, and just like that, his or her head was above any crowd. And when speaking, they could be heard.

Soapboxes, those humble little boxes, were the innovation that allowed speakers to rise a head above the rest.

And that’s basically what we’ve done at Restaurant Intelligence Agency — we’ve built a modern day soapbox. It's an Internet version of a humble little soapbox that helps chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, mixologists and even beerologists reach the people that matter, however they matter.

There ain't two ways about it, PR is broken.

Traditional restaurant PR doesn't work anymore. The way our world communicates has changed.

And it isn’t because publicists aren’t doing a good job. It’s because they can’t. No matter how smart, imaginative, dedicated or dogged they are, they just can’t keep up with the speed at which information now travels.

We know this because we were doing traditional restaurant PR and no matter how hard we worked, it just wasn’t working. It was too expensive, too complicated, too last-minute and frankly, there were never enough results.

Restaurant PR is broken. And it isn’t going to be fixed by adding social media or meeting with the client more and more. It needs a major overhaul!

So, we set about making things a lot simpler.

RIA is pretty simple — in fact, it's everything you need and nothing you don't.

We start with a digital version of a paper press kit for each client. We keep it updated every day, so the media knows what you are up to now, not a few months ago. Then, we collect our clients' news, write it up, and add it to their press kits. We also send it out via email to the media, concierges and even diners.

Everyone who needs to know what's going on at your restaurant does.

Endless meetings, vague reports, high-falutin' promises — PR has gotten pretty confusing!

At RIA, we tend to like things simple and straightforward. We're not the only ones.

Media appreciate how simple RIA is. They just log on, get what they need, and maybe do a little browsing to see what’s up while they’re there. In fact, we’ve got about 3,500 media who are registered users of our site, representing nearly 10,000 media outlets. They visit our site more than 4,500 times a month.

Clients appreciate how simple RIA is. They just answer our information requests online and follow our daily tips and hints, and when the media come calling about a story, they're ready. In fact, about 90 percent of the clients who’ve signed up with RIA are still a part of RIA.

But there's a lot more going on!

SpoonFeed — it's like Facebook for chefs, only better! We’ve got a saying at RIA — if you put a computer on a stove, it melts. This reminds us that chefs aren’t about technology, email, or, when it comes down to it, even phone calls. They work in a kitchen, not an office cubicle.

And yet the world, more and more every day, is about technology, email and, when it comes down to it, it's even about phone calls. It's how business gets done.

So, we built SpoonFeed to help our clients manage the onslaught — and the opportunities.

Through SpoonFeed, we connect with our clients to collect menu changes, event news, current trends, and questionnaires that uncover what makes restaurants tick. We’ve set up a calendar with reminders to keep our clients prepared, ahead of time, so they aren’t scrambling at the last minute to create a menu or promotion.

Shortly, the media will also connect with our clients through SpoonFeed, keeping those important conversations top-of-mind and easily accessible, instead of buried in a sea of emails. And those are just a few of the features of SpoonFeed — a simple-as-pie system that connects your restaurant to RIA, connects you to the media, and connects your team to get the right work done.

So, hop on top the Soapbox

The world has changed, but PR hasn’t kept up. Restaurant Intelligence Agency has — in fact, we’re a few steps ahead! Join us, it’s everything you need and nothing you don’t — at a cost you can afford.

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