Yes, Chef: PR Lessons from The Bear
Most people don’t know this about me, but I actually went to school for hospitality; I wanted to open a bed and breakfast – and still do, eventually. For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by the hospitality industry – restaurants, hotels, cruises – so when The Bear came out in 2022, I knew I had to watch it. I instantly fell in love with the depth of the characters, flaws and all, and how they all came together to honor Mikey Berzatto (may he RIP) at his beloved restaurant. I just finished watching the final season, and was inspired to write about it. Not about how much I loved the show (I did) or how I’ve found a new passion for cooking (I haven’t). What I wasn’t anticipating was how many similarities there are between restaurants and public relations. Bear* with me on this (yes, pun intended). *Warning, small spoilers ahead.
You're only as good as your last service. In PR, you’re only as good as your last PR hit. Clients want to know that you’re keeping them top of mind in the press. In restaurants, every service resets. If a diner has a bad experience, they may not give you the benefit of the doubt and return.
It’s about how you make people feel. Richie and his front-of-house team were excellent at making guests feel welcome. From making engagements special or greeting guests at the door by name, people remember that feeling. In that same vein, clients want to feel special too. They want to know that you care about them, so if that next PR hit doesn’t come as quickly as you’d both like, they know that you are out there working hard for them.
Presentation, presentation, presentation. The dishes Carmy dreamt up were extraordinarily beautiful. He had a vision in his mind that he brought to life. In PR, we don’t do a ton of visual work, but our emails are essentially our product. Coverage and opportunity emails are our “product”, so they should be perfect. No typos, formatted beautifully, including all the important details. That’s our presentation.
Stay calm and be resourceful amidst the chaos. Even when the restaurant was literally falling apart amidst a giant rainstorm, Sydney stayed calm and came up with unique solutions. When their uniforms get ruined, they resort to wearing Chicagoland BERF t-shirts. When the burner goes out, Syd breaks out the hotplates. When they run out of brioche, Carmy makes a creative substitute. There is no problem that can’t be solved, but you have to understand the entire picture to make the best decision. The same is true for managing a communications issue or crisis. Stay calm, lay out all the cards on the table, and evaluate the problem from all angles.
Every second counts. The front-of-house team needs to quickly reset; tables have to be bussed quickly; dishes have to be made in 10 minutes to avoid a backlog. Similarly, in PR, everything we do is driven by our deadlines. If we miss a deadline, we could miss out on the story, or worse yet, put a reporter relationship at risk.
Preparation happens long before the spotlight moment. This is true in the kitchen, with the prep work, table setup, and dish ideation. The same goes for PR - there’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes before you see the final article. There’s media training, research, brainstorming interesting talking points, identifying the right reporters, and crafting the perfect pitch.
The standard is the standard, even on the hard days. Even as the building was falling apart and everything was going wrong, The Bear kept their standards high. They didn’t half-ass it or call an audible. They cut portions, got creative, and identified real solutions in the face of adversity. The same is true in good PR. Our best spokespeople don’t use AI-generated content; they meet tight deadlines and engage in a thoughtful way with the journalists that matter most.
Your team is everything. In the final season, you can see the team come together beautifully to make what they think is their last service a stunning success. When Carmy drops an important dish, Sydney suggests sending out Tina’s Brussels sprouts from family meal, and Carmy asks Syd to make her famous Coca-Cola short ribs. It’s the same in PR - everything we do is a collective effort, from writing pitches and press releases to securing a media opportunity. Just like in the kitchen, effective PR colleagues roll up their sleeves and get things done. It’s important to have a clear leader, but it’s just as important to leave your ego behind and work together to achieve your goals.
Now, can I get a “Yes, chef!”?
If you’d like to chat more about The Bear or how PR can elevate your business, reach out today.
Abbie Sheridan is the Founder and CEO of Greenrose Communications. To learn more about her, click here.