The most underrated upside is what it does for your team. Kitchen picks up new techniques, FOH sees a different service flow, and the relationships between the two teams tend to stick around after. We've had people stage at partner restaurants off the back of it. We always try to bring a dining room person too so both sides actually get something out of it.
The communication weeks leading up to the event is everything btw. That's the difference between a morale boost and a mess.
Brand-wise — bringing James Henry and Brat over in our early days did more than most press placements by cross-posting on socials. And most visiting chefs want the New York moment anyway, so the motivation is usually mutual.
Economics can also be surprisingly strong depending on how you structure it and who your partner is.
Here in Ukraine, it’s been really exciting to see some western chefs coming to Kyiv to do popups with local chefs - for the many Ukrainians who can’t leave the country it’s a chance to collab with some foreigners they respect - and for customers, a chance to experience something new and exciting. It’s been a really difficult winter and spring and seeing this kind of solidarity and practical support for Ukraine is really important!
brb sending this to every publicist I know.
Done a few of these with Bridges now so:
The most underrated upside is what it does for your team. Kitchen picks up new techniques, FOH sees a different service flow, and the relationships between the two teams tend to stick around after. We've had people stage at partner restaurants off the back of it. We always try to bring a dining room person too so both sides actually get something out of it.
The communication weeks leading up to the event is everything btw. That's the difference between a morale boost and a mess.
Brand-wise — bringing James Henry and Brat over in our early days did more than most press placements by cross-posting on socials. And most visiting chefs want the New York moment anyway, so the motivation is usually mutual.
Economics can also be surprisingly strong depending on how you structure it and who your partner is.
Here in Ukraine, it’s been really exciting to see some western chefs coming to Kyiv to do popups with local chefs - for the many Ukrainians who can’t leave the country it’s a chance to collab with some foreigners they respect - and for customers, a chance to experience something new and exciting. It’s been a really difficult winter and spring and seeing this kind of solidarity and practical support for Ukraine is really important!