Why Your Food Service Business Should Have a Crisis Management Plan | Modern Restaurant Management | The Business of Eating & Restaurant Management News

Nobody wants a crisis at their restaurant, but in these days of smartphones and social media, word of mouth travels fast. That’s why it's important to have a crisis management plan in place. Poor reviews, videos, and live broadcasts of customer service problems, emergencies, or other issues can begin trending online virtually instantly. Go viral, and the crisis will spill across social media platforms, potentially reaching millions. If you’re not listening closely and proactively engaging with customers, you’re running at high risk for a PR crisis. How you respond is everything.

These days it’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN your business will have a PR crisis, and ‘no comment’ is no longer an option. Below, I will outline the most common PR crisis situations in the foodservice industry, and then how to combat them effectively through Crisis PR planning.

Problems with the food. Mistakes happen. Stray hairs, a bug or other pests, or other contamination of food…

Melissa DiGianfilippo

Melissa DiGianfilippo is a partner and president of public relations at Serendipit Consulting, where she leads all of the firm’s clients’ public relations and communications efforts. DiGianfilippo leads a highly skilled team to help clients achieve their goals. Under her direction, Serendipit clients have achieved millions of dollars in positive press coverage across international, national and local media outlets including CNN, Nancy Grace, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Late Show, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Reuters, Associated Press, Huffington Post as well as local broadcast and print outlets in all U.S. markets.

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Melissa DiGianfilippo