Some people (most food professionals) can't stand Food Network and other TV shows about food; some (most customers) can't live without it. I'm somewhere in between, so in today's and tomorrow's posts, I'm going to riff on some of the positive and negative restaurant PR lessons I've gleaned from watching food TV.
 
We'll start with the good stuff: programs such as "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," "No Reservations," and "Check, Please!" that allow viewers to experience a restaurant vicariously through the host and the people he or she interviews.
 
Why is this the good stuff? To me, these shows are a reminder to chefs and restaurants that your customers can be your cheapest and best advertising. Think about it: They've paid to eat your food, sometimes many times. When they like what they've tasted, they're also a targeted ad, because they probably have friends who are a lot like them -- people who fit your customer profile. 
 
Consider Chicago's "Check, Please!," a wildly popular show in which three regular Joes/Janes sit around a table and talk up their favorite restaurants. The producer usually selects three very different people, so one guest's pick may elicit lukewarm responses from the others. But when I watch the show, I tend to identify with at least one of the guests, making me more likely to check out his or her top choice.

And when it strikes a chord, and it always does, you've got an onslaught of customers.  All because one person believed in you, defended you, promoted you, all on TV.

So, you may not like what has happened to food and restaurants because of TV, but your banker likely will if you play the game a bit and realize its power to persuade.