First things first, review and discuss your content with the key food and beverage staff.
To create regular content you ideally need full commitment from the chef. Ask yourself the following –
- Is he/she active at attending events?
- Do you want to raise their profile or just that of the restaurant? This will tailor the content created
- Would he/she be happy to hold live Q&A’s or would they prefer to take a back seat?
What other staff can you utilise? Do you have a keen sommelier or perhaps an experienced bartender you might be able to work with?
Understand each of their limits, how much time they can spare and how willing they are to be involved. Aim to get them fully involved in the process from the start, involving the whole team when brainstorming ideas will make them feel they are an important part of the project and will ultimately result in better quality content. Agree a process with them so you aren’t bombarding them with requests every hour of the day.
What makes great content?
Relevancy is key. Creating content that is relevant to your property and the local community will go down well. Always consider who you want to promote the restaurant to so you can tailor the content appropriately.
On your editorial calendar be sure to add any local food events or showcases the chef is attending, any awards you are looking to enter, when you will be creating new menus and if you change suppliers regularly. This should provide several months worth of activities to create ideas for.
Other things to consider for ideas
- Is there anything you do differently which makes you stand out from your competitors?
- Presentation of dishes
- Use of ingredients – local only or garden kitchen
- Preparation or cooking methods
- Why you selected the current suppliers, what makes their produce so special? Do you have solid relationships with them which you could utilise?
Remember the simplest ideas are often the best.
People love recipes with photos of course, so why not share a recipe to launch your new menu or share a weekly tip on Twitter.
Good luck.
We will be sharing tips to creating content using the various departments each month. Next month we will focus on the spa.
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