Our most trafficked blog posts of 2009
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Unplugged got a not embarrassing amount of traffic in 2009. I'll say, for someone who is not a writer and committed to writing something lucid five days a week, I sorta feel like I can pat myself on the back a bit.
For one series, though, our traffic spiked through the roof. It was the series on media comps.
Seems a lot of media were shocked and appalled that I would be so bold as to write about the dirty little semi-secret and others were shocked and appalled that it occurred.
I was reminded of this series just now because a client forwarded an email from a writer who, balls out, asked for a free meal at a primo weekend reservation time and the client wanted some advice.
I got a lot of private comments about those blog posts. Mostly from chefs who appreciated that I pulled back the veil and gave them some advice. A lot of those chefs weren't clients and have no PR firm so they have nowhere to turn.
And I got into a lot of discussions with journalists on both sides of the fence.
Mostly, I got into a discussion with (no typo) my BFF, an ex-journalist herself of the old-school variety, about the hypocrisy of it all. I have spent too much time sitting in the seat where I sit, watching great stories get passed over because the chef wasn't popular -- the excuse being that they been written about two years prior.
Mostly my side of the discussion with her was about my frustration. Which I keep on writing about here and deleting.
Maybe I should wait and revisit this topic next year.
In the meantime, chefs, it is a dicey situation, dealing with that media person who asks for the comp. My advice, though, is to set up some sort of meal that won't bite into your profits too much and direct them to a time that won't take seats away from paying customers.
Comps are a reality of business, you happily give them to the visiting chef dignitary who does nothing for you but makes you feel better by simply eating your food. If someone else can get the word out about what you are doing and possibly put more butts in seats, it will likely be a wise investment.
For one series, though, our traffic spiked through the roof. It was the series on media comps.
Seems a lot of media were shocked and appalled that I would be so bold as to write about the dirty little semi-secret and others were shocked and appalled that it occurred.
I was reminded of this series just now because a client forwarded an email from a writer who, balls out, asked for a free meal at a primo weekend reservation time and the client wanted some advice.
I got a lot of private comments about those blog posts. Mostly from chefs who appreciated that I pulled back the veil and gave them some advice. A lot of those chefs weren't clients and have no PR firm so they have nowhere to turn.
And I got into a lot of discussions with journalists on both sides of the fence.
Mostly, I got into a discussion with (no typo) my BFF, an ex-journalist herself of the old-school variety, about the hypocrisy of it all. I have spent too much time sitting in the seat where I sit, watching great stories get passed over because the chef wasn't popular -- the excuse being that they been written about two years prior.
Mostly my side of the discussion with her was about my frustration. Which I keep on writing about here and deleting.
Maybe I should wait and revisit this topic next year.
In the meantime, chefs, it is a dicey situation, dealing with that media person who asks for the comp. My advice, though, is to set up some sort of meal that won't bite into your profits too much and direct them to a time that won't take seats away from paying customers.
Comps are a reality of business, you happily give them to the visiting chef dignitary who does nothing for you but makes you feel better by simply eating your food. If someone else can get the word out about what you are doing and possibly put more butts in seats, it will likely be a wise investment.
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