We all love food, but even more so when it’s served to you with entertainment – and if you enjoy a touch of theatre with your meal, you are going to love this!

I recently spent a weekend in London as a tourist, rather than making my way up for a meeting. Whenever I go somewhere new, the first question that always leaves my lips when I arrive is ‘what are we going to eat?’

I had heard of Benihana through the grapevine, and called on the off chance to see if they had space for that evening, and by surprise, they did! For those of you who haven’t heard of Benihana, it’s a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant where the chefs put on a performance whilst cooking your dinner at the table in front of you.

The entertainment varies from flipping a prawn in the air in the hope you catch it in your mouth (or in my case, on the forehead), to making shapes and setting food on fire. It’s also a very sociable environment – you are put on a communal table, which in my opinion really made the experience, as you got the chance to meet new people and all laugh at each other’s expense. We were sat with a lovely German family who, each year, go out their way to eat at Benihana when they visit England, which to me speaks volumes on about the restaurant.

You can tell the chefs love what they do and their enthusiasm radiates during each performance. Not only were they amazing at flicking food and catching it in their hats, but the food tasted incredible. Our chef (Greg) kept us all laughing throughout the night and really gave us a personal experience. I would go as far to say it was the best Japanese food I have ever had. You could cut the meat with a butter knife and the sushi was so fresh with generous portions of your chosen fish.

If you haven’t been before, I would highly recommend going for dinner at Benihana for a guaranteed fun dining experience!

“People don’t buy products they buy brands” is true no matter what market you work in – whether its consumer, retail or foodservice. But it is especially important to build your brand out of home where brands can be predominantly back of house, or maybe considered a commodity – and it’s by building a strong brand which will differentiate you from your competitors and give end users, the brand value and reassurance they’re looking for.

So how do you build a food brand?

This is where food foodservice PR or food public relations can help, PR is about brand reputation and management – it’s not just about writing press releases and champagne lunches (a rarity) – It takes strategy, a lot of hard work and is a cruel mistress as it is not always guaranteed.

So, if you’re looking to do food PR, here’s our guide to foodservice pr:

Keep reading? Why not ready our Essential Guide to Food and Drink PR?