That’s a question that we don’t necessarily hear directly from restaurant clients, but we know it’s something that many restaurant owners ask themselves. In a recent New York Times article http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/dining/30comp.html that addressed the issue, chefs are squawking a bit:

“No one can afford to give food away in this economy,” said Scott Conant, the chef and an owner of the Scarpetta restaurants in the meatpacking district and in Miami.”

We can understand why – when a writer comes in for dinner, either on their own or with a publicist, why shouldn’t they pay, just like a regular customer? They gets to eat delicious food!

We thought we’d offer up a mini-case study to demonstrate how a “free meal” might look from the writer’s perspective, and to highlight the potential long-term value that can come from this comped transaction.

One of our account managers brought a freelance food and lifestyle writer to a client’s restaurant. The writer was doing general research for a future article in a local magazine, and also wanted to get familiar with this restaurant in an effort to stay abreast of the scene at large.  The writer’s agenda was just discovery, nothing specific.

The next week, this writer got an assignment from The New York Times (to keep this anecdote anonymous, let’s say the topic was vegetarian lunches). Though the writer hadn’t been assigned the Times story at the time of their free meal, they now have our restaurant fresh in their mind and in fact, while there, they had gotten a chance to learn that the vegetarian lunch menu looked excellent. So who do you think will be one of the examples in the Times story?

But let’s be clear: with a serious writer, it’s never a case of quid pro quo. This writer is not including our restaurant in the article as thanks for the free meal. They’re including it because the restaurant is a perfect fit for the story. The reason they knows it’s a perfect fit is because they now have a fresh, first-hand experience as a reference.

And the reason the writer was able to get that experience was because the meal was comped. There are very few writers, if any, who can afford to pay full freight to eat and drink in all the places they need to know about. Bigger publications have dining budgets, so their writers generally don’t accept comps, which makes it even easier for everyone, but the freelance world isn’t so (and those dining budgets are shrinking, too).

So when a restaurant owner is authorizing that comp meal, they should remember that it’s not really a “free meal” to the writer, it’s a tool that lets them do their work.

Believe us, most freelancers would prefer NOT to be dining out on a Tuesday night with a publicist, turning a meal into a reporting session—even if the food is great. Sure, there may be a few genuine freeloaders in the world, but legitimate writers are out seeking information, not freebies. The writer is the advocate for their audience and they need to experience the same thing a paying customer will experience so they can write with authority. Whether that experience results in publicity for a restaurant in the short or long term, it’s always a good investment.

Monday’s Tasting Table eblast turned the spotlight on jerky, and featured none other than Portland’s own Adam Sappington of The Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar.  How does Adam do it?  It’s all about the salt, celery seed, chile and molasses marinade.  The article’s below.

Tasting Table highlights the resurgence of the ’settler’ lifestyle.  For those of you who didn’t catch the Sunday NYTimes’ Style section, there’s another lifestyle trend that’s coming on the scene – the caveman lifestyle and it’s hunter gatherer, prehistoric values. Read it here.  Thoughts?

The New York Times, Saveur, Portland Monthly, Forkfly — Burgers are apparently as newsworthy today as saying someone’s actions

A creation from Mother's Bistro & Bar's new Burger Bar

are stupid despite the fact that you’re the head of the free world.

Why burgers? Why now?

When my friend Kate Krader from Food & Wine Magazine was in town a few months ago she explained it this way.  ”People are super interested in cooking and food, they want to become authorities on cuisines and dishes but when the economy’s down, they can’t afford to obsess on super high-end ingredients or become experts at something that’s a luxury item.  However, it’s easy to become a burger or pizza afficianado.”

Good editorial instincts Kate, it’s no wonder you’re one of America’s top culinary trend forecasters.

My question though, is the obvious conflict between conventional vs. natural beef.  Anyone who’s read a Michael Pollan book or seen Food Inc. is most likely verging on becoming a vegetarian if not at the very least considering giving up all conventionally raised meats. So, how do food-loving passionate burger fans indulge in burger mania when most offerings are patties made from grain fed, hormone filled, inhumanely treated animals?

We say, think local now more than ever when it comes to your burger cravings.  Develop a solid understanding of where your beef comes from so you can eat with wild abandon.  Here are our top 3 local, grass-fed beef ranchers and/or Co-ops we want to support: Painted Hills Natural Beef, Highland Oak Farm and Ford Farms.  Please consider doing the same.

Two Portland Indie Wine Festival Alumni, Boedecker Cellars and Grochau Cellars, opened the Portland Wine Project in the Fall of 2008. Last week Portland’s newest urban winery was included in The New York Times article on D.I.Y city wineries. More exciting news, the Portland Indie Wine Festival will take place at the Portland Wine Project on May 2nd.

Check out the article online here.

Congratulations to Matthew Locricchio who was mentioned along with his newly released cookbook, “The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids”, in The New York Times today.

“The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids” exposes young chefs to authentic flavors and cultures from around the world – Brazil, Greece, India and Thailand. While there are many new cookbooks for kids this winter, Locricchio’s cookbook is getting rave reviews from both adults (The New York Times) and the most important critics – kids (Oregonian).

Click on the article below to view the whole story.