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MEDIA AND RESTAURANT BUSINESS By F. ONCU L 7 July 2022 London Emma, Heathcote-James, Founder/ CEO of the Little Soap Company, Winner of Queen’s Enterprise Award 2022, was one of them. I asked Emma what was the secret of her success? Her answer was remarkable; “I say ‘Yes’ to Press! It doesn’t matter what you are talking about – people will just remember you and the product. I would always say yes to News items.” Last month, I had ample time visit- ing some of the restaurants in Leam- ington Spa, England. It was a Tuesday evening. Business in restaurants were pretty sluggish that day, as it was early day in the week, and and it would have been the same on Monday. These days are not good days for restaurants. Yet it was not the same for Giggling Squid, a Thai Restaurant in Royal Pri- ors Shopping Center on Recent Street. It was full and no available table for seating. When I entered the restau- rant, I didn’t ask to see the Manager, instead he started walking towards me with a smile. He must have under- stood that I am a journalist as I took a number of photographs of the outside of his premises. When he approached me, “Welcome, please let’s go outside, and talk” he pleasantly said. I had visited many restaurants that evening and all were very quiet. I was wondering about the crowd at 20 II TASTE COVENTRY I’ve been in the media for over 20 years and have conducted many interviews with authors, Giggling Squid and asked the manager What’s going on at his restaurant today? His answer was remarkable as well. “It’s a normal day for us and our restaurant is full every evening. entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, business people and many others. All of whom are masters in their fields. I figured out something common among them; a strong relationship with the media. Of course our services, rich, tasty and diverse menu make us different, but beyond that, media relations has taken a part in our business. We have connections and communication with almost all media in Leamington Spa and surrounding towns.” Media has been a powerful tool to influence people positively and nega- tively. Today, we live under the power of media as a source of information, communication and entertainment that enhance the knowledge of us through the different types of news or events in our daily lives. It is a communication theory that “if you watch television more than two hours a day, your mentality would be televised mentality. You act and behave as you get form the television.” This theory goes back to the 50s. Today our mind is shaped by the tools of mass communication, which consist of television, radio, newspapers, mag- azines and internet such as: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Google and other social networking channels. It simply means that media has the power to give information and provide an easy means of communication among people. Media is a powerful and trusted tool among people living developed countries like the UK, US and EU. Let’s look at the facts before we talk what to do; Winning any awards or credible write ups in newspapers and magazines are usually the indications that the business is committed to high standards. You and/or your business have been a sourse of news, reviews and photos for media . “Conversions increase 133% when mobile shoppers see positive reviews before buying. (Bazaarvoice)