Food Shelter

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm with the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association (PRLA), the largest hospitality trade organization in Pennsylvania. We represent the interests of restaurants, hotels, attractions, and vendors that supply the hospitality, restaurant, and tourism industries in Pennsylvania. 

I'm the director of communications, so I oversee all of our communications projects, our internal and external PR, website, and social media.

What challenge were you trying to address with Food Shelter?

We needed PR support services for our organization. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

We work with Food Shelter through a partnership where they provide PR support to our organization. In return, they’re considered a corporate partner. 

We have arrangements where they can talk and provide webinars to our members on PR and social media best practices. They’re also invited to attend our board meetings to talk about our PR efforts. It's a mutual partnership, and they provide their services to us at cost. 

We use Food Shelter exclusively for their PR services, where they aid us with press release composition and distribution. Their team acts as the triage for media calls. They pitch on our behalf and cover everything in the PR sphere for us. 

Since March, they’ve become our crisis PR firm because the hospitality industry across the nation has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the mitigation strategies placed on restaurants and event venues.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with Joanne (Co-Founder) and Lorraine (Co-Founder) extensively. One of our primary point people has been Mackenzie (Account Supervisor), with support from Jon (Senior Account Executive).

How did you come to work with Food Shelter?

Food Shelter works in the restaurant space, so several of their current clients are restaurants, brewpubs, and similar businesses. One of their clients said we should talk to them. We had a meeting set up to talk about what they do, their scope, their area of expertise, and where we were in need of assistance to see if there was overlap. 

After having a couple of meetings to review those things, we decided that it would be a good fit for us to work together. Since they already work in the restaurant space, the team understood the needs of the industry. We didn't have to catch them up to how restaurants operate. It became apparent that working together was going to be a good step for their shop and our association. 

How much have you invested with them?

At the minimum, we’ve invested around $25,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around March 2019, and the partnership is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our company has done tons of tracking on placements outreach and media calls. We've had an estimated audience of over three billion since March, with an estimated advertising value of over $27 million and estimated total placement to $734,000 from March-August 2020. 

We'll do our next report in early October 2021 to see what's changed, but they've coordinated numerous interviews with some high-profile outlets like the Philadelphia Inquirer. These interviews have led to articles getting picked up nationally. That's definitely been something that we couldn't do on our own. 

Food Shelter has also helped us respond immediately with authority and accuracy to ensure the necessary information is getting to members of the industry, to the public, and to our elected officials.

A lot of times, I'll send them the points we want to cover, and what comes back is a beautifully written document capturing exactly what we're looking for in a very concise manner. That takes the workload off of my back, which is always appreciated. 

Not only do they get the press release of the statement out, but it also gets picked up. We've been extraordinarily pleased. Not only are they getting the job done, the media outlets that they're working with also respect the work they do. When Food Shelter sends them a press release, it's noticed. 

How did Food Shelter perform from a project management standpoint?

The team’s project management is great, and they keep us on track. They offer their opinion when we need to issue statements or press releases. Then, once we decide what to do, they execute the objective quickly and efficiently, telling us when they've distributed a press release, where it's running, and if there are reporters with follow-up questions. 

Moreover, in this era of crisis management, we're reacting to government mandates at a moment's notice. Food Shelter has been extremely flexible and resilient in turning out statements and press releases in a short notice and highly timely fashion. They enable us to respond to the news as it happens. We appreciate everything that they've done to help our organization and our industry. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've worked with other providers, where we have to keep track of everything, and we have to manage them and tell them exactly what we want, which is fine. However, Food Shelter anticipates our needs pretty well. 

They’ve responded and adapted quickly to the high-stakes, high-pressure environment the COVID-19 pandemic has presented to us. We, as an organization, have been able to position ourselves as an industry authority with accuracy and timeliness, and that's due to Food Shelter’s management of our account. 

Any time we've found that we didn't get something quite right, they've always been very open to sitting down, reviewing, and identifying what needs to be improved. That created an open relationship, and it's an easy dialog. 

They also ask us for information that'll help them do their job better. They’ve responded well to our feedback on the tone and messaging when we've needed to be a little bit stronger in our position. We've made really good strides in doing that. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there is none.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear in what they’re looking to achieve. Remember that Food Shelter’s goal is to help you present information quickly, efficiently, and accurately. As an organization, it's the customers’ responsibility to ensure that the team has that information in a timely and efficient manner as well. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the development manager at Weavers Way Co-op, a co-op grocery store, wellness, pet, and gift store.

We have three main locations. We also have two farms in the area of Northwest Philadelphia and right outside.

What challenge were you trying to address with Food Shelter?

We had opened our third location in a new area. We needed to get the word out about the store and what we do.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at Food Shelter did all of our PR and marketing. They performed some basic PR functions, created stories for the media to pick up about what we do and offer. They pitched stories about very particular offers from our kitchen in terms of our prepared foods.

They would pitch stories about the local food that we offer, the farm goods that we offer, and they did a little bit of social media advertising. By in large, it was working with local TV stations and transmedia.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with three people.

How did you come to work with Food Shelter?

We looked at a number of PR firms based in Philadelphia that concentrated on food and restaurants. We received some recommendations from journalists that we know.

They were people they liked to work with, and they felt were professional and good at their jobs. We interviewed a few, and Food Shelter was the most enthusiastic. They had the greatest breadth of services at a reasonable price. They’ve understood our mission and what we’re trying to accomplish pretty intuitively.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Food Shelter started in September 2018.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Given that this is a new store, it was really about exposure and hitting a wide number of people. They certainly hit those metrics, exceeding our expectations. They’ve been very effective at getting us constant media attention. We would never have been able to get even close to that on our own.

How did Food Shelter perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with email and bi-weekly calls. When something urgent comes up, everything else is through text and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team at Food Shelter is dedicated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes I have to do minor edits of their press releases, but I’m pretty picky. I used to grade college papers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to throw out ideas to them. They’re very open-minded.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing at Pilot Freight Services. We’re a freight forwarder and logistics company that services just about all of the US as well as 190 countries. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Food Shelter?

We hired Food Shelter to replace a PR firm that had been with us for about 15 years. At the time, we were looking for a company that could bring new energy and outside-the-box creative ideas.

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Food Shelter helps us build relationships with trade and business reports within our industry. We really look to them as an extension of our team. They know everything that goes on in our business (maintaining strict confidentiality) and come up with creative ideas to get our name out there.

Food Shelter’s main services involve writing and distributing our press releases. Aside from that, they write our bylines, pitch stories, and are constantly making sure that we have an updated list of reporters.

What is the team composition? 

Lorraine and Joanne (Co-Founders) both work on our account directly. Jon (Senior Account Executive) also provides strategic support. Finally, there are two entry-level individuals who do research in the background.

How did you come to work with Food Shelter?

I’ve had a long history with Food Shelter, having worked with them at various organizations in the past. I’ve always been impressed by their team, so it was an easy choice to go with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Statistically, we look at increased page views and media exposure. But, what we’re really measuring is the number of press releases that we’re issuing and the amount of coverage earned. Looking at volume alone, the story ideas that Food Shelter generates now versus what we had before is night and day. It’s an incredible improvement.

The content itself is great. Of course, we still have to go through everything with a fine-tooth comb to check for grammatical corrections, but that’s the same with any other agency. Food Shelter has adapted the way we speak, which means the tone is consistently on point.

How did Food Shelter perform from a project management standpoint?

They handle our projects well. Every other week, we have a status call to check up on all of our projects, the bulk of which is often a brainstorming session around what’s going on internally and the recent trends they’ve learned about our industry. They’re always on the ball, coming to us with new ideas.

Sometimes, we can’t respond to them due to our other business priorities taking precedent. In those cases, they look into what our competitors are doing and research the industry as a starting point. It’s an adaptive approach that still allows us to build a story together.

They’re very accommodating, too. They give us as much time as we need, take calls at any hour of the day, and will move things around when necessary. The turnaround is very quick, and they never miss a beat. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lorraine and Joanne are relentless. I’ve worked with them in three completely different industries, and it’s clear that they’re willing to do everything it takes to learn and speak as an expert in our field. They want to know everyone — to be a part of our team and really become a strong representative of our company.

Dealing with the owners of the company also makes us feel like we’re in the best hands. The team operates with the strength of a big agency, but it’s really a boutique operation. I often feel like we’re their only client, when I know that’s not the case. That feeling of being prioritized is not the norm with other PR firms.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t say there’s anything they need to improve. I appreciate that they’re always bringing us new opportunities. They offer other services like video scripting, social media, and reputation management, but we haven’t needed them yet. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To make the most out of the relationship, you should flood them with as much information as you can. Treat them as an internal employee — you can even have them sign an NDA. The more knowledge they have, the more creative they’ll be because they’ll know enough of the ins-and-outs to really sink their teeth into everything.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m CEO and one of the original founders of Boardroom Spirits. We’re a spirits distillery that creates brandy, vodka, and everything in between. We create ready-to-drink cocktails as well as bottled or canned beverages.

What challenge were you trying to address with Food Shelter?

They provide marketing and social media management for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve created press releases, organized events and product launches, and secured media placements on TV. They started off focusing strictly on PR, but they’ve since expanded their services to include additional marketing capabilities.

They’re recently working with us to elevate our social media marketing and messaging, customer engagement, newsletters, and content generation. They’ve even started producing stop motion videos for us, which they’ve posted to YouTube. They take pictures and rich visual content that we use across all our social media. If we publish a post, and there’s user or customer engagement, they take charge of engaging them.

How did you come to work with Food Shelter?

They actually approached us. While we weren’t seeking PR services, we realized their potential value upon talking to them. We figured PR would be a great way to increase our exposure since we’re a young and small company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000 and $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2017 and is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They send us a monthly report that basically summarizes the content we disseminated, the media hits we’ve received, and how much reach we increased. Thanks to their work, we’ve not only seen an increase in brand exposure but an uptick in sales, as well. They also provide us with comparative data for other brands that we compete against, and they’ve helped us do a good job.

How did Food Shelter perform from a project management standpoint?

If we’re running behind and we ask for something short notice, they’re excellent at coming up with a plan pretty quickly. If we give them standard lead time on a new product, they’re able to come up with a great roadmap to adhere to. Almost all roadblocks can be attributed to our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve become great partners whom we can lean on for general guidance. They offer valuable insights into the market. We’ve also appreciated that they’re young, bright, and talented, so they’re able to come up with creative ideas that’ll resonate with people. From the content they create for us, you’d think we’re a bigger company than the small distillery we are.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. For the most part, they’ve been easy and great to work with, which has led to our longstanding relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be engaged with them as you would with anybody you’re paying good money to. Set your expectations, and they’ll help execute.