Restaurant press release: How to, template, examples, tips & more

So, you're finally doing it. You've got the menu, you've got the passion. You secured a storefront and a big white chef's hat. Now, you're a soon-to-be restaurant owner.

Or maybe you have an existing restaurant that is launching a big new menu, hosting a special event, or hiring a new world-renowned chef.

Regardless of where you are on your journey within the restaurant industry, a press release is a fantastic tool that you can use to get your news out there and delight potential customers.

So, how should you launch your restaurant press release? How can you best get the news out to your community (and beyond)?

You've come to the right place.

Press releases, at their core, are documents that share your news.

They're also so much more than that. A good press release doesn't just tell rote facts; it excites readers and motivates journalists, food critics, and food bloggers to share your restaurant news with potential customers through their publications.

While a well-crafted press release can be appreciated by the general public, they're often meant for food industry experts, such as food reviewers and other industry insiders.

A press release is not an advertisement, per se. It’s far more detailed than an advertisement and serves a more functional purpose.

So, why write a press release? Why not just release ads, post on social media, or send fliers?

Now more than ever, journalists are stretched thin. While local publications love stories about restaurant news, community events, and local interest pieces, they often don't have a ton of time to read through local business social media feeds.

A restaurant press release is meant to target journalists, stakeholders, and industry insiders so that they'll turn around and share your news with their audiences. For many business owners, this is a far more efficient method than search engine ads and fliers alone.

Most of your PR efforts will cost you a pretty substantial amount of money. 

Search engine ads, TV spots, fliers, and influencer campaigns can add up quickly. 

That’s often why small business owners draft press releases to help them connect with journalists who can amplify their news to their audiences for far less money than buying an advertisement would cost.

Unlike other forms of news sharing, press releases can include quality images, professional executive chef headshots, images of the restaurant, menu PDFs, videos, and other visual imagery that journalists and bloggers can easily download.

This is especially true if you use a PR tool like Prezly, which allows you to create customizable, shareable press releases with easily downloadable visual assets.

A press release, instead of just a blog or social media post, gives your small business an air of professionalism.

Especially if media coverage is your priority, sending a compelling press release with a carefully crafted headline to a journalist is far more official and respectable than sending a tweet or blog post and hoping to garner coverage.

Press releases alone will probably not get your website to the front page of Google. However, it can help you rank for specific local keywords and be part of a comprehensive PR SEO strategy.

Technically speaking, you can write a press release whenever you want. Nobody will stop you. And some companies go a little bit PR-crazy and make a release for every little event. 

However, a general rule of thumb is that you should draft a press release when you have something newsworthy and noteworthy to share that will interest the general public.

For the restaurant industry, this can include things like:

• A new restaurant business is opening
• A new branch or location is opening
• A new head chef is hired
• Exciting new menu items are being released
• A community event is being sponsored
• A fundraiser or charity drive is hosted by the restaurant

A press release can be a powerful marketing tool as long as you aren't flooding journalists and food critics with too much irrelevant news or blatant self-promotion.

Press releases used to be heavily structured and formulaic things. Especially when they went out on newswires, the PR format was pretty rigid (not to mention boring as hell). 

Nowadays, thanks to digital press releases and online newsrooms, you can be a lot more creative and visually interesting with your press release.

To avoid driving yourself crazy, wait to draft your press release until you have all of the key details.

If, for example, you're still waiting on venue confirmation or industry sponsors to confirm their participation, you could hold off until you have all the details. This avoids endless rewrites or outdated information going out to journalists.

There's no shame in a first draft.

Write out all the basics, get them on paper, and don't be afraid of sounding a little awkward. Press releases, in general, are a little awkward, and that's okay.

Once you have your first draft, reach out to relevant folks (owners, executive chefs, or other media contacts within the agency) and ask them targeted questions to pull fabulous quotes for your press release.

You might be asking, why not get the quotes in step one when you're gathering all your information? Great question. 

Getting your quotes after you've written out your first draft will give you a better idea of the kinds of quotes you'll need, where things fit, and the topics you want to discuss with your sources.

Gathering quotes too early might give you ill-fitting, irrelevant quotes. A first draft that your sources can react and respond to could save you some back-and-forth.

But hey, it’s your world! If getting quotes first works easier, then go for it.

Every good restaurant press release needs to have, at the very least, high-quality images. Video, sound bites, and logos are also highly recommended. 

Whether you're sharing images of your restaurant, menu, new staff, or event, it's better to show rather than tell. Make sure your graphics and visuals are high-resolution enough for journalists to download and use.

Now that your quotes are quoted, your images are perfectly placed, and your story feels compelling and ready for the public, do another once-over.

Then, have a trusted colleague give you some feedback. Ask them to check for grammar, readability, and flow.

Only then are you ready to start your press release distribution.

Take a peek at these gorgeous restaurant press release examples, made using Prezly’s all-in-one press release publishing tool. McDonald’s Belgium shares its yearly breakdown and looks to the future with Prezly.

Example: McDonald’s Belgique partage le bilan de l’année 2018 et ses perspectives pour le futur

See full example

Restaurant Reymond uses Prezly’s multimedia capabilities to delight journalists with beautiful images of their upcoming summer deals. 

Example: Where To Keep Dry This July

See full example

Piccolina Gelateria announces its newest location opening with Prezly. 

Example: Hat trick: Piccolina Gelateria opens it's third store in St Kilda

See full example

Feel free to copy and paste this (admittedly very basic) template as your highly rough draft for your restaurant press release.

Headline: Make it compelling, snappy, and informative
​​
​Date, city/country: Give a brief, concise summary of what your press release is about. Keep it very short.
​​
​[Add a high-quality illustration]
​​
​Add a couple of short, brief sentences outlining your key details.
​- Include bullet points
​- And engaging formatting
​- When applicable
​​
​When able, add quotes from interesting, high-profile, and relevant people.
​​
​Include all necessary information, event details, dates, and other important info.
​​
​[Insert a multimedia gallery of relevant images]
​​
​About [your organization]
​​
​Include your company boilerplate.
​​
​Contact information
​Name of your media liaison
​Title
​Phone number
​Email

A good press release is a short one. Particularly for journalists, your readers don't have much time to comb through a long, Tolkenesque narrative. Try to stick to the facts as much as possible without too much fluff and embellishment. 

Having visual assets will help your journalist contacts visualize and sell your story much easier than a wall of text would.

Few people are going to find your company's news as interesting as you do. 

When writing your press release, think about the reader. What will they get out of it? What will they find compelling?

Many public relations folks are still creating press releases using bloated PDF files.

Journalists don't love these.

They are large, clog up email inboxes, and are quite cumbersome to navigate.

Instead, consider using integrated newsrooms and online press releases.

They are easy to update, add SEO value to your website, and are much more convenient for journalists to scan, pull assets from, and pitch to their publications.

You're proud of your restaurant. Let it shine by sharing your news using the right tools.

Prezly is an all-in-one PR tool for brands and agencies. With Prezly, you can create gorgeous newsrooms filled with multimedia press releases for easy scanning, quick access, and unparalleled professionalism.

You can also send email campaigns straight from Prezly to your local (and global) media contacts, stakeholders, bloggers, restaurant critics, and future customers, all housed within your team's CRM.

You can also track media mentions and analytics within the Prezly software, giving you all the key info you need to continue fine-tuning and improving your future outreach.

A restaurant press release should include all the key information for journalists, food bloggers/critics, and members of the public to determine if this restaurant opening is worth their time and attendance. This information should include opening dates, types of cuisine, RSVP information, menus, and any other details that set the restaurant apart.

A few questions to consider when writing a restaurant opening press release include:

• What are the most pertinent details that journalists need?
• How can I make this restaurant opening a compelling, engaging story?
• Did I include all the key information?

Whether opening a new restaurant or revitalizing a beloved local institution, ensure your restaurant press release is optimized to amplify your message.

Send all the essential details and high-quality visuals in a format that journalists love with Prezly.

Try Prezly for free for 14 days with our no-credit-card required trial to see if it's the right fit for your business.

Bon appetite!