Category: Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR

Vita Vite: Cheers to 2 Years

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , ,

We’re just going to pause right here and take a minute, a minute to congratulate and celebrate one of Clairemont’s beloved clients. This December, Vita Vite — a wine bar + art gallery + event space in Downtown Raleigh — celebrated its second anniversary. Clairemont had the immense privilege of helping to unveil Vita Vite to Raleigh in 2015, and we were equally as thrilled to celebrate year number two with owner Lindsay and her team.

Congratulations! We can wait for all the great things to come next year!

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The “Coolest” Client Challenge

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , , , , ,

I scream; you scream; we all scream for … Blizzards? In this “chilling” student competition, we absolutely did!

What’s this “Upside-Down or Free” Gig?

Clairemont client Triangle Dairy Queen wanted to bolster and support student learning in a fun, creative way. So Clairemont and Triangle DQ devised the “Upside-Down or Free Competition,” challenging local elementary schools to test their engineering skills in a Blizzard ice-cream-launching competition. Designed in partnership with The Engineering Place at NC State University, the competition invited approximately 400 students to design an apparatus that could carry a Dairy Queen Blizzard upside down from a platform safely to a target on the ground.

That’s right! First- and fifth-grade students crafted some crazy cool contraptions from reusable materials, from balloons and bubble wrap to shoeboxes and used soda bottles.

So why upside-down?

At Dairy Queen, all Blizzards are served to guests upside down, or they are free. Triangle Dairy Queen owner Andy Valkanoff wanted to leverage this fun factoid to re-energize learning, stimulate a renewed interested in engineering and provide an imaginative outlet for kiddos to simply create!

Who were Blizzard-bombing players?

  • Approximately 400 students from York Elementary, A.B. Combs Magnet Elementary and Wendell Elementary schools, jazzed to unveil their Blizzard-blitzing contraptions.
  • Andy Valkanoff, owner of Triangle Dairy Queen, who personally launched almost 150 Blizzards from
    the threshold of a sky-high cherry picker. Yes, he did.
  • The photo-taking, event-organizing, uber-excited Clairemont team!
  • Engineer students and representatives from The Engineering Place at NC State, carefully judging each Blizzard competitor.
  • A large squeegee. (Because smooshed and melting ice cream in 85-degree weather needs something heavier than a broom!)

At the end, Triangle DQ crowned a grand prize and runner up winner for each grade, who received coveted prizes like ice cream for a year. Each student trotted off with their own Starkiss and a coupon for free Blizzard, while every teacher was bequeathed a free ice cream cake. Best of all were the smiles on the students’ faces paired with one request for us to return next year for “the best challenge ever!”

We love devising zany, effective strategies to support our community and help our clients reach their goals. Looking for your next “voila” for your company? Drop us a line!

Photos courtesy of Triangle Dairy Queen.

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Grand Opening: Sparks & Margaritas!

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , ,

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of planning several grand openings, from wine bars to swanky apartment complexes. For our clients (and for us), these celebrations are milestones, something worth popping the cork in a big way. We love to add zip and zest to launch parties, and in this case, by lighting a fire!

Client Babalu Tapas & Tacos, the first in the Triangle, is kicking up the heat for its grand opening on Monday, August 28. Since diners receive a sparkler for their special occasions, Babalu is revamping a standard ribbon cutting ceremony with the same fiery sizzle, asking dignitaries and representatives to replace the ubiquitous oversized scissors with oversized sparklers. To unveil to their new digs, the Babalu team and its partners will “set the world on fire” by surrounding the restaurant with a ring of (sparker) flame.

Babalu Restaurant Photography

Guests are then invited to a Margarita Monday party at Babalu’s 360-degree bar to order craft beer and cocktails or enjoy $3 off of Babalu’s renowned margaritas, crafted on-site from 96 hand-squeezed lemons and limes. And of course, they can savor Babalu’s sharing-style menu featuring made-from-scratch, Latin-inspired dishes with a southern twist, like Fierce Shrimp, De Pato tacos and Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bites.

Whether on the patio or at the indoor chef’s table, Babalu invites guests to bring the fun back into food!

Psssst. Here are the details for the Margarita Monday party!
Date: Monday, August 28, 2017
Time: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Location: 1800 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill in the Eastgate Shopping Center next to Stein Mart.
Make reservations!

What about you? If you’re looking for ideas to heat up your grand opening debut, shoot us a line!

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Bablu Tapas and Tacos earned the Award of Excellence and Best in Category by North Carolina Public Relations Society of America (NCPRSA). We are proud that this campaign represents one of the 190 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

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What’s for Lunch? Pizza La Stella

Dana PhelpsBlog, Clairemont Client News, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , ,

As a downtown Raleigh agency, we have our fingers on the pulse of all things ITB (that’s “inside the beltline” for you non-Raleighites). And one of our favorite assignments is deciding where to eat!

For our fellow downtown employees, residents and visitors to our City of Oaks, put this on your map: 219 Fayetteville St., Raleigh.

Pizza La Stella, a Neopolitan-style eatery and Clairemont client, curated a menu of mid-day delectables that fits nicely into your lunch hour, business meeting, mom’s day out or I-need-a-hot-second-by-myself meal. Yes, La Stella’s 800-degree, wood-fired pizza takes the cake, but a few other unexpected treats pepper the list:

  • Honey Habanero Wings
  • Fire-Roasted Brussel Sprouts
  • Fontina Mac
  • Craft-Your-Own-Salad
  • (And of course) wood-fired pizza like, the Pomodoro Stella or Ratatouille

It’s a lovely, easy $9.95 for a dish and a drink, open vibe and some interesting people watching on Fayetteville Street.

Oh, P.S. After taking your last nibble, go upstairs to La Stella’s hidden gem at the top of the staircase. The Loft is, as The Triangle Downtowner puts it, “a bar and lounge that is one part steampunk and two parts Twin Peaks” brimming with craft cocktails and after-hours live tunes.

Maybe pencil a return visit for later that night?

We’re all just foodies at heart, which is why we love restaurant PR and fun food events like Bourbon and Bonbons!

Images courtesy of Pizza La Stella.

 

 

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Certified Guac Guru

Cherith AndesBlog, Photo of the Week, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , ,

It was like magic. She started with a few Hass avocados, a ramekin of diced onions, sun-dried tomatoes and a pinch of cilantro and salt. After a flurry of action and a light clinking of spoons, our table was flourished with a bowl of fresh, mouth-watering guacamole.

And hence commenced our official research with Babalu Tapas and Tacos! We’re thrilled to work with this group of zany, creative foodies on such a fun (and can we say delicious?) concept.

We’re all just a bunch of foodies at heart, and we love working in the restaurant PR industry. Stay tuned for tasty updates!

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