The Brief
Pignut, a fine-dining restaurant in Helmsley, is committed to sustainability and innovation. While bookings have remained strong, the restaurant sought to raise its brand profile alongside the personal profiles of its founders, Tom and Laurissa. The goals included:
- Highlighting Pignut’s sustainability and innovative practices.
- Increasing Tom and Laurissa’s visibility in the culinary industry.
- Building connections with both regional and national press.
- Positioning Pignut as a leading restaurant in awards circuits and the broader industry.
Our Work
- Crafted an 800-word profile on Tom, highlighting his culinary journey and sustainability ethos, and used it as the foundation for PR outreach to regional and national press.
- Collaborated with Pignut to create recipe content and engaging video material to support PR campaigns and enrich the restaurant’s storytelling.
- Developed and implemented a three-month social media strategy focused on raising awareness of Pignut’s sustainability practices and showcasing the people behind the brand.
- Liaised with national press, pitching unique angles on sustainability, innovation, and Pignut’s fine-dining approach.
- Reviewed social media performance, offering recommendations to refine content strategy and further grow engagement.
- Produced front-facing videos featuring Tom and Laurissa to humanise the brand and appeal to the industry and broader audience.
- Identified and applied for key industry awards and accolades.
- Updated the website to highlight Pignut’s suppliers, showcasing their commitment to provenance and sustainability, and integrated a gift voucher system to enhance the customer experience and drive sales.
- Wrote and distributed press releases covering any news or success they wanted to highlight which was successfully picked up by a number of media outlets.
Results
- Press Coverage: Secured features and news articles in both local and national publications, shining a spotlight on Pignut as well as Tom and Laurissa.
- Awards and Accolades:
- Tom reached the semi-finals of National Chef of the Year.
- Laurissa won an Acorn Award for her contributions to the industry.
- Pignut was shortlisted for several sustainability awards and won:
- Staff Canteen Sustainable Business of the Year 2024
- Yorkshire Post Tourism Awards Newcomer of the Year
- Website Improvements: The updated site now emphasises supplier partnerships, integrates a gift voucher system, and enhances user experience.
- Social Media Growth: Increased visibility and engagement across platforms, aligning with Pignut’s sustainable and innovative ethos.
This is an ongoing partnership, with continued work to further elevate Pignut’s brand and cement its position as a leader in fine dining and sustainability.
Testimonial
“We would highly recommend Spotty Media; Georga and Cara are so hardworking, nothing is too much trouble for them. The communication is great, they respond to our emails, calls and WhatsApp promptly. They really understand our restaurant’s ethos and what we are trying to achieve and do everything they can to help us achieve our goals. We have won numerous accolades in the year we have been working with them including the Yorkshire Post Newcomer Award, The Staff Canteen Sustainable Business of the Year and a Acorn Award – which have all helped our business grow. We are excited to continue working with them and grow our business even more!”
— Laurissa Cook, Restaurant Manager and Owner, Pignut
