Have you ever thrown a party at your home and spent the entire week beforehand worrying no one would show up? I call it P.H.S., Paranoid Host Syndrome. On the big day, P.H.S. usually is revealed for what it is, irrational fear stoked by the threat of failing at the one thing we should all — especially in this industry — be good at: throwing a party.

Most of the time, people show up, eat your food, “ooh” and “aah” about how good it is, and then proceed to plow through your wine cellar and liquor cabinet until you confront the opposite problem: getting rid of these wackos!

Most of the time.

Throwing a party for the media can be quite different. I recently heard of a media dinner that was cancelled last-minute because too few journalists were registered. This isn’t as rare as one would like to think, and it’s not even something that can be blamed on the restaurant.

There’s timing: Journalists tend to have daily deadlines, which means whatever’s going on with today’s story takes precedence over tomorrow’s. It’s quite possible three times as many reporters would have liked to attend the dinner, but Deadline, that Evil Mistress, would not allow it.

There’s also news value to consider. Maybe your restaurant is just opening; in that case, a media dinner could be a good way to introduce a bunch of reporters at once to your brand-spanking new concept.

But maybe your restaurant is rolling out a new seasonal menu; honestly, whose isn’t? So the question is either what’s so different about yours that warrants special coverage, or — a better question, in my opinion — who else is doing something similar to you so the reporter can establish a trend? (All it takes is three, the magic number!) Answering this question might entice a reporter to come in for a taste, but the fact remains: Most would rather do it solo than with all of their competitors sitting at the next table.

Here’s the thing: No one wants to cancel a party because of lack of interest, especially when the invited guests are the media. That’s why I suggest hosting events that serve a purpose other than attracting press — and then when reporters show up, it’s a bonus.