Restaurants & Bars

Restaurants & Bars Overview

Restaurants and bars are an important part of our society and our culture. They reflect the people who live in their communities, their passions, their stories. Sharing those stories is what we do best. Estes Public Relations can help you define your story and share it with your community — and the world.

Services

Experience

Jamie Estes and her team of PR specialists have experience with independent start-up restaurants, hospitality groups, franchises, multi-unit operations and chains. We’ve worked on more than 100 restaurant openings and are experienced in fine dining to fast casual and everything in between!

Clients Past + Present:

SupperClub SouthEnd

In June 2023, Estes Public Relations was retained to help launch the October opening of SupperClub SouthEnd, a dining and entertainment concept created by Brad Byrd and Andrea Nivens in Charlotte, North Carolina. EPR created a two-part campaign focused on generating media coverage and building relationships to establish it as one of the most anticipated restaurants with a long-term reputation in one of the fastest growing cities.

For the first part of the campaign, EPR designed and executed a grand opening plan to build public interest and garner attention from traditional media, the community and social media influencers. EPR provided media training, coordinated pre-opening events, and planned and hosted two happy hour events, securing visits from more than 15 traditional media, tourism officials and local influencers with a combined Instagram following of 1.4 million. EPR also secured coverage from The Local Palate, Axios Charlotte, Charlotte Business Journal, WSOC-TV, Beyondish and more.

Throughout the following months, EPR continued to maximize positive exposure and brand awareness of SupperClub SouthEnd through media coverage, organic social media engagement, and ongoing influencer relationships. This momentum led to the second part of the campaign, where EPR partnered with local content creators @CLTBucketList to co-host three biweekly influencer events leading up to one big influencer event in April.

EPR facilitated event logistics, curated a targeted invite list, and secured participation from eight Charlotte influencers with a combined Instagram following of 970K. Each influencer invited their followers to the April event, reaching 400 new and current customers and growing the restaurant’s own social media by 1,175 followers within two months.

The House of Marigold

At Estes Public Relations, we relish any opportunity to play a role in promoting a brand or business — and for our restaurant clients specifically, it’s an honor to be able to take some of the work off their plates. With more than 20 years of experience opening more than 175 restaurants across the country, having the privilege to be trusted to help so many respected restaurateurs turn their culinary dreams to reality is….*chef’s kiss*

When Louisville entrepreneurs and husband and wife Kris and Adrienne Cole reached out to Estes Public Relations in January 2023, with plans to open their very own elevated, Southern comfort full-service breakfast and lunch concept, The House of Marigold, in March — less than five months from building acquisition to opening — we gladly accepted the challenge with a tried & true plan in hand.

With the goal of attracting media attention and establishing The House of Marigold as a top local hotspot in the thriving Louisville dining scene, Estes Public Relations designed and executed a robust grand opening PR strategy that included coordinating pre-opening events for media, influencers, friends and family; creating local media buzz to fill the restaurant in the opening weeks; securing several TV appearances with WDRB, WHAS and WLKY, and providing on-air media training; generating national attention for new restaurant lists; and more.

The House of Marigold garnered wide-ranging media attention before the grand opening and throughout the months following from Louisville Business First, LOUtoday, The Courier Journal, StyleBlueprint, LEO Weekly and other outlets; was recognized as one of the city’s hottest spots in the first half of 2023 and quickly became one of the most sought-after tables in the city with long waits expected by guests who were willing to do so. The House of Marigold earned more than 20 media mentions in February and March, with their grand opening on March 25, 2023. Local media called it one of Louisville’s most Instagrammable places and Southern Living named it Kentucky’s Best New Restaurant in 2024. National media including The Local Palate, Fodor’s Travel, FSR Magazine and Plate Magazine shared coverage of the grand opening, and both local and national media continue to seek out visiting the restaurant for story coverage.

Big Bad Breakfast

From Kansas City, Missouri, to Washington, D.C., Estes Public Relations takes pride in the restaurants & bars we’ve represented, the communities we’ve learned from, and the media we’ve connected with along the way. Although our clientele spans across regions, our home base of Louisville, Kentucky will always hold a special place in our hearts.

In July 2021, Big Bad Breakfast — a distinctive breakfast concept founded by James Beard award-winning chef and author John Currence with 10 southern locations throughout Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee — retained Estes Public Relations to break into the Louisville market in the iconic former home of Lynn’s Paradise Café.

Estes Public Relations executed a grand opening plan to yield significant local media attention for the new restaurant opening, its signature menu, and restaurant partner, Endeavor Restaurant Group. EPR planned and hosted a media tour & tasting, securing visits from more than 12 local and regional writers; planned and hosted a tour & tasting for more than 20 key planners and tourism officials, including Louisville Tourism and the Kentucky Department of Tourism; and sent an e-blast to 150+ statewide meeting planners. EPR secured TV appearances from WDRB, WLKY and WAVE, along with  placements from Louisville Business First, LEO Weekly, The Courier Journal, Food & Dining, SyleBlueprint, LOUtoday, Today’s Woman, Forbes and more. In addition to promoting Big Bad Breakfast’s first Louisville opening, Estes Public Relations also developed an opening campaign for Big Bad Breakfast’s second Louisville location, garnering additional local and national media attention.