Anyone who has worked in the food industry understands this paradox: It's a compartmentalized world, but a very small one. As fellow restaurant PR vet Traca Savadogo put it in a recent interview, beer people, wine people and cocktail people don't necessarily mix, but ultimately everyone knows everyone -- and talks.

That's why it's important to get out there and attend events taking place in your neck of the culinary world. Accept the invitation to your local farmer's market's opening night. Sit on the committee for a chef event. Visit a new restaurant every so often.

Going out on your night off or rearranging your work schedule to make an event may seem like the last thing you want to do. But it's important. It's part of fostering ongoing public awareness of your brand, and it's about building a solid rep within the industry, too.

They may not be your customers, but with a little effort, you'll make some valuable friends -- friends who will send you customers.