Good taste in PR: Ciao!'s Dine About Winnipeg

As every PR practitioner knows, when you plan an event strategicially one of the first things you do is a SWOT (or strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.

And as every Winnipeg PR practitioner knows, when you plan an event from December-February, you must be prepared to deal with the weather problem.

The big -40 windchill, skin freezes in five minutes, car won’t start, streets are like skating rinks problem. It’s no wonder the restaurant industry is slow at this time of year.

When winter arrives in Manitoba, many people simply batten down the hatches and wait for the big thaw.

And that’s precisely why Ciao! magazine’s annual Dine About Winnipeg is such a smart – and very popular – event.

February in Winnipeg is still frighteningly cold, but its been two months already and the

batten-down-the-hatches folk are starting to get a little cabin fever.

They’re looking for something to get them out of the house (and preferrably into another warm building) and Ciao! sweetens the deal with something else Winnipeggers are known for – being.... ‘economical’.

For ten days in February, a number of local restaurants (26 this year) offer a three-course, set price menu for either $25 or $35. Many of these are in the mid to high range entrees, so you’re sure to get the best value for your money.

Yesterday I went to Fusion Grill and indulged in:

Hush Puppies with quinoa, cornmeal and John Russell honey garlic dip

Grilled bison petite tender with grainy mustard rub, Fort Garry beer-battered onion rings, Bothwell chedder potato gratin, smoked garlic aioli and demi-glace

Warm Granny Smith apple crumble with flax seed topping, Screech, cinnamon, caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream

At my house we do most of our own cooking from scratch, so when we do want to dine out, we don’t often know where the newest and tastiest restaurants are.

Dine About has remedied some of that. Although we didn’t visit a lot of restaurants during those ten days, getting a peek at the various menus has given us a good idea about which ones we’d like to visit in the future (ie. spring/summer).

It’s a great example of taking a significant weakness and turning it into a strength for the restaurant industry during one of their least profitable seasons. In other words, taking lemons and making lemonade.

Thanks Ciao! for your great taste, and great promotional PR.