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Media Communications

Marketing, Social Media & Crisis Communication

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Social Media Crisis Toolkit

It’s a new landscape for businesses because of the incredible power that social media wields these days. Many restaurant owners have told us that they feel unequipped to deal with these situations.

WRA created a social media crisis toolkit to help our members navigate both offline and online incidents to hopefully prevent these situations from blowing up on social media.

We worked to develop this toolkit in collaboration with our partner Revelation PR, Advertising and Social Media. They are a consulting firm that specializes in hospitality, food and beverage marketing and public relations.

The toolkit outlines some basic scenarios that restaurant businesses often face. It provides suggestions on how to respond, including specific language that you can use as a starting point.

Our PR firm partner is available to take calls from members to give quick advice on a social media crisis that you might be dealing with. Just call WRA and we can put you in touch with them.

Download the Toolkit

Media Interview Tips

Prepare ahead:

Whenever possible, think your communication through before you talk to a reporter.
Try to find out ahead of time what areas the reporter is interested in talking to you about so you can be prepared.
Before the interview, think about the questions a reporter might ask and come up with answers to these questions. Try to think of the most positive way to phrase your answers to reporter questions.
If a reporter wants to set up an in-person interview, find out as much information as possible. For television, it is live or taped? How long will the interview last? What kind of questions do they plan to ask? Are they talking to anyone else for the story? All of this information will help you to be well-prepared for the interview.
It is important to remember that the media are deadline-driven. Be prepared and available to respond to media inquiries in a timely fashion.
Try to avoid on-the-spot interviews whenever possible. You need to respond quickly, but that doesn’t mean you have to talk with them the second that they call. If a reporter calls, you can take the time you need to be prepared before doing your interview. Most reporters will understand if you say you don’t have time at this very moment, but you’d be happy to talk with them in a half hour or so or later that day. Find out what their deadline is and set up a time that works for both of you. Even if you can call back in 15 minutes, you will get a little time to collect your thoughts before doing the interview.

Communicate clearly:

State the simple facts of what you are trying to communicate. Keep statements simple.
Answers need to be as short and succinct as possible. Try not to get lost in your answer.
Avoid limiting your answers to just yes or no.
Think like a reporter: who, what, when, where, why and how.

Stick to the facts:

Have general information and any relevant statistics at your fingertips if appropriate. Reporters like numbers.
If you don’t know the answer to a factual question, don’t panic and don’t try to make something up. You can admit that you don’t know the answer off the top of your head, but you would be happy to get that information for them.
Don't overreact, speculate or volunteer information that hasn't been verified. Indicate that you will find out and get back to them (and schedule a time to do so).
Don’t say anything “off the record” and expect that they won’t use that information. Basically, just don’t say anything you don’t want printed or put on the air.
Be prepared for your statements to be taken out of context. While you hope this doesn’t happen, it is always a possibility so keep this in mind when putting together your thoughts.
For in-person and television interviews, write the 5 main points you want to get across on index cards so even if you panic, you have something to fall back on. When the interview is ending, you can glance at your cards and add anything that you haven’t covered.
Whenever you are talking to someone from the media, remember that they may quote you.

Be comfortable and confident:

Try to relax. Interviews are nothing to be afraid of.
Have confidence in your knowledge of the subject matter.
When asked a question, don’t be afraid to take a brief moment to formulate your answer.
Be careful of leading questions. You have the power to recast a question in how you answer it.
Think of the reporter as just someone who is interested in the subject matter. Reporters are not usually looking for a scandal.
If possible, practice ahead of time so you feel comfortable with what you want to say. Be careful, however that you don’t appear too rehearsed and too formal.

Special tips for television interviews:

Make sure to dress for the camera: don’t wear white or loud patterns.
Usually, you only have a few minutes, so make sure you hit the most important points first.
Try to relax, but sit up straight. Try not to fidget.
Focus on the interviewer, ignore the camera.
Try to be pleasant. Don’t forget to smile.
For taped interviews, you can always ask to take a second stab at answering a question if you are not satisfied with the way you answered it.
If doing a cooking demonstration for a television show, make sure you have all the details worked out ahead of time such as what equipment you need to bring, how the interview will proceed, etc.

Positive Publicity: Tips and How-To’s

Be proactive
While you may have media contact you, you don’t have to wait for them to call. You can take measures to increase the chances that your business gets media coverage.

Establish relationships with media
The most important thing you can do is make sure reporters in your area know who you are, but without being so persistent that you end up annoying them.
The person in the position of reporter, editor or producer can often change, so it’s important to stay on top of who the key contacts are and periodically update your list to keep it current. Find out who the key media contacts are for your area and send a quick email or make a brief phone call to explain that you are available to comment should a restaurant issue arise.

You probably already know the media in your area, but it might be worth a little research to make sure you’re not missing any.

Aside from your local newspaper, you might find weekly newspapers or shoppers that have editorial content. If you have a television station in your area, TV stations often have a morning show and sometimes a noon show, 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. news in addition to the 6:00 and 10:00 nightly news programs. The morning, noon and early evening news programs tend to cover less hard news and therefore might be more likely to be interested in your story.

You can call the producers of these shows and suggest being interviewed or doing a cooking demonstration. They particularly like to have people come in to do cooking demonstrations. And it doesn’t hurt to leave some food for the staff when you’re there! You can usually find out what television news programs are offered by visiting each station’s web site. Sometimes you can find contact information for the producers of the different news programs on their web site (although sometimes it takes a little digging to find) or you may need to call the station to get the name of the producer for each of the news shows.

Keep it newsworthy
When contacting the media, the key is to have something newsworthy to talk about. Only contact the media when you have something important to report.
For example, a new menu item or new uniforms are generally not newsworthy. The governor coming to your restaurant would definitely be newsworthy. You can also position yourself as an expert on restaurant trends and pitch stories to the media about these trends.

You can never, however, completely predict for sure what the media will be interested in. It’s important to use common sense. If you can imagine the story in print, most likely it might be of interest to your local newspaper.

Be creative
The media are particularly drawn to things that are unusual and highly visual. Try to mention things that will get their attention – for example if you’re creating an 80 foot sub for a fundraising event or offer to have your chef make an elaborate dessert for a TV morning show.

Simple is best
These days, you don’t necessarily have to create a beautifully crafted press release. A well thought out email explaining the event going on or the topic you’d like them to cover and including your contact information (cell phone is ideal so they can reach you at their convenience) might be just as effective. If you can, providing a press release can be helpful – especially if you have a lot of information to convey. It’s just not always necessary.

A very brief phone call to follow-up is also generally acceptable – but try not to go on-and-on. Media personnel are very busy and you don’t want them to feel like you’re wasting their time.

Alert media to events at least a few days ahead of time
If you have an event happening, as a general guideline you will want to make sure to let the media know about it before it happens, versus afterward. They will want to come and cover it and get the information themselves and possibly take some photos. They are less likely to cover it after the fact although you can always send photos as a follow up – some of the smaller newspapers may end up doing a story from the information you provide.

Getting media coverage is not easy
Keep in mind, getting coverage in the local newspaper or on your local television news is quite an accomplishment. For all the times you might solicit the media, the times that they actually end up doing a story will be the exception rather than the rule. But the few times you might get media coverage is usually worth the little bit of effort it takes.

Remember that you can’t make the media interview you. They will cover what they want to cover and the pushier you are, the less likely they will be to cover your story – and the more likely they are to avoid contacting you in the future. Experience has proven that the most effective way is to present the information and hope they decide to cover it. If they don’t, at the least you’ve educated them a little bit about the program and increased the likelihood that you might get coverage in the future.

You can’t control the media
You also can’t take it personally that the media might not find something you think is a big deal to be particularly newsworthy. Keep in mind that every reporter is different, every editor is different. And their attitudes may be different depending upon the day you happen to talk with them.

Dealing with the News Media During a Crisis Situation – Tips for Restaurants

Hopefully, you won’t ever have to put these tips into practice, but it’s good to be prepared in case you are ever in a crisis situation where your restaurant is getting some negative media attention.

Be as informed as possible.
Gather the facts and disseminate information from one central information center.
Speak with one voice consistently with a designated spokesperson whom you select. Make sure that person is trained and well-informed.
Be accessible to the media.
Tell your story quickly, openly and honestly.
When you don’t know the answer to a media question, say, “I don’t know.”
If you can’t discuss something, explain why.
Avoid the phrase, “no comment.”
Don’t panic in front of the media.
Bring in professional help when necessary.
Express sympathy. When the crisis has resulted in a negative result for someone, first express your sympathy and concern for the victims and their families.
Don’t blame anyone for anything.
Don’t speak off the record. If you don’t want to be quoted on a particular subject, don’t say anything about it.
Don’t make ad-lib comments. They may be reported out of context.
Be very careful about putting things in writing – anywhere whether it’s an email, comment on social media, etc.
You may want to consider a written statement that is carefully worded and well thought through. Then stick to this statement and its main points in every interview or conversation that you may have regarding the situation.

Emphasize the good record or history of your establishment. If precautions were taken to avoid the crisis, point them out.
If something wasn’t handled in the best way possible, admit this and explain how you are making sure it won’t happen again.
Don’t repeat negative questions or misleading words. If you repeat them in your response, they may be attributed to you.
Correct inaccuracies. If incorrect information has appeared in the news media, be sure that you point it out.
Don’t argue with a reporter, even when provoked. You will invariably end up making yourself look bad in print.
Let the reporter see you’re a good person in some not so good circumstances.
Try not to take it personally. The reporter is just trying to do their job.
You’ll get through it. It rarely is as bad as it seems in the heat of the moment. These things usually blow over in a very short period of time.

WRA can help you through a crisis. Just call the Ask WRA Team 608.270.9950.

Sample News Release

Restaurant Takes Steps to Improve Food Safety

[Insert City, State] - Write two or three sentences describing the situation. Describe who, what, where and when. For example: Almost one month ago from [insert date] to [insert date], several cases of illness from the E. coli bacteria were reported across [insert location]. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture reported that each of the individuals was treated in local hospitals and that two individuals remain sick.

On [insert date], [insert name] was notified by the [insert name] County Health Department about a possible connection between [insert number] of cases and [insert restaurant name]. The [insert name]County Health Department conducted tests at the restaurant and all sets of test results have come back negative, meaning that no evidence of the bacteria was found.

"We are a family owned and operated business and nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our customers and employees," said [insert restaurant name]CEO and founder [insert name]. "Immediately upon hearing that there could have been a link between these cases and our restaurant, we took action. We didn't wait for scientific confirmation or the government to issue orders. We did everything possible to protect our customers and employees."

Although a firm link between [insert restaurant name] and the cases is yet to be established, the restaurant chain took immediate and decisive action to ensure the safety of its customers and employees. Independent testing of food products at the restaurant was done, which has been negative for E.coli. In addition, the restaurant was immediately ordered to refuse customer requests for rare, medium rare or medium cooked hamburger. Undercooked ground meat is a possible transmission method for E.coli.

"[Insert restaurant name] has an [insert number]-year record as a restaurant serving high quality food at an incredible value, together with a strong record of community involvement. All of our employees are committed to continuing that record for many years to come," said[insert name].

[Insert name] is a restaurant established in [insert year]. [Insert restaurant name]operates in [insert number] locations throughout [insert locations].

-END-

What Can I Do to Prepare for a Demonstration?

Demonstration Preparation

For restaurant operators, the safety of employees and guests is paramount.
Be prepared. Operators and managers should review their policies around engagement. It’s important to remember, these are not strikes – they are one-day protests with very few actual restaurant employees, all for the purpose of attracting media attention. Most of the demonstrators are union workers and volunteers.
Remember that protestors are allowed to demonstrate on public property, such as the sidewalk in front of a business.
Employees should not engage with protestors, who may be taunting or trying to create an incident.
If demonstrators try to make noise inside the restaurant, it is appropriate for managers to ask them to step outside out of respect for the comfort of guests.

Managers should have the contact information of a company spokesperson who can handle any media involved.
Operators and employees should be reminded of appropriate safety and security procedures in the rare event that a protest becomes violent or uncontrollable. Managers should be prepared to temporarily close a unit if the situation is at all unsafe for customers or employees.

Smart Cross-Marketing: Building web links to your site

Building linkages on your website
[excerpts taken from 2010 Sept/Oct Wisconsin Restaurateur article]

Websites are an integral part of successfully promoting any business, communicating the essence of your company and helping your business reach new customers. To achieve greater success in the online marketplace, cross-promote with groups you’re affiliated with – like WRA.
When you add a link to WRA on your site, you:

Elevate the credibility of your business by associating with a high-profile brand
Demonstrate your commitment to quality and safety
Let customers know your business is reputable
Inform site visitors you support the foodservice industry
Increase industry sales via the WRA Gift Certificate program
Show customers your dedicated to serving the local economy
Promote your participation in a respected organization

Contact Shane at ssanders@wirestaurant.org for more information on linking your website to WRA.

It’s easy to link to the WRA website!
Copy and paste the following HTML code (indented) into your website editor to add a WRA logo and link to your website:

Horizontal Logo:

Vertical Logo: