Kristin Daher is the President and Founder of Powerhouse Communications, a public relations firm specializing in restaurants, food, hospitality, franchise development, and consumer packaged goods. Powerhouse was named a Top Franchise Supplier by Entrepreneur Magazine and is built on more than two decades of agency experience. The firm specializes in helping franchise systems balance corporate communication with franchisee voice across both consumer and trade press.
The Interview
Q: Why is PR so instrumental to a restaurant's bottom line?
A: Public relations is the heartbeat of any marketing program and one of the most effective ways to build a brand, its reputation, and customer base. At Powerhouse, our role is to forge meaningful relationships with clients, media, and influencers — making sure our clients are seen, heard, and ultimately visited. As an agency focused on restaurants and food, we generate the impressions that keep clients top of mind when consumers decide where and what to eat.
Q: How is the PR landscape changing?
A: Media relations can't be the only focus for PR firms anymore. Social media and media relations are now in a symbiotic relationship. We creatively package the news for each medium and communicate effectively to the given audience — whether through traditional media outreach or social media influencers. Our influencer lists grow daily.
Q: How does what you do every day translate to the guest experience?
A: The guest experience can be defined simply as an interaction between an organization and its patrons. The misinterpretation is that the guest experience lies only within the four walls of a business. The guest experience starts with grabbing the attention of consumers — that's our job. ROI is what every client cares about. Our end goal is to increase a client's sales.
Q: What are the most important client goals?
A: Every client has different goals. One client may want national consumer press; another wants franchise trade press to attract potential investors and franchisees. Another may aim to cultivate a social media presence. Our job is to find the right outlet that speaks to our client's target audience and craft applicable content.
Q: What sets Powerhouse apart from other restaurant and franchise PR firms?
A: Powerhouse is a young, bold, creative firm backed by the legacy of a 25-year-old agency. While we're logical, strategic, and rational, we're also tremendously creative, curious, and intuitive. We build customizable campaigns based on thorough research and growing trends. We consider ourselves thought leaders and professional storytellers.
Q: Where does the firm excel and how will it expand?
A: With a unique and rich history of working with restaurant, franchise, and CPG clients, Powerhouse has a specialized focus in food and hospitality. With over two decades of experience, we've honed a creative PR writing style that resonates with food and hospitality media. With franchising clients specifically, we understand the importance of demonstrating that corporate is invested in every franchisee's success.
Q: How will PR evolve post-COVID?
A: The pandemic has changed consumers' expectations about the way brands should communicate. Expect brands communicating more compassion, increased social listening, a merging of internal, external, and executive communications, and rethinking the mix of traditional and digital touchpoints.
Kristin Daher is the President and Founder of Powerhouse Communications , a public relations firm specializing in restaurants, food, hospitality, franchise development, and consumer packaged goods. Powerhouse was named a Top Franchise Supplier by Entrepreneur Magazine and is built on more than two decades of agency experience. The firm specializes in helping franchise systems balance corporate communication with franchisee voice across both consumer and trade press. The Interview Q: Why is PR so instrumental to a restaurant's bottom line?
A: Public relations is the heartbeat of any marketing program and one of the most effective ways to build a brand, its reputation, and customer base. At Powerhouse, our role is to forge meaningful relationships with clients, media, and influencers — making sure our clients are seen, heard, and ultimately visited. As an agency focused on restaurants and food, we generate the impressions that keep clients top of mind when consumers decide where and what to eat.
Q: How is the PR landscape changing?
A: Media relations can't be the only focus for PR firms anymore. Social media and media relations are now in a symbiotic relationship. We creatively package the news for each medium and communicate effectively to the given audience — whether through traditional media outreach or social media influencers. Our influencer lists grow daily.
Q: How does what you do every day translate to the guest experience?
A: The guest experience can be defined simply as an interaction between an organization and its patrons. The misinterpretation is that the guest experience lies only within the four walls of a business. The guest experience starts with grabbing the attention of consumers — that's our job. ROI is what every client cares about. Our end goal is to increase a client's sales.
Q: What are the most important client goals?
A: Every client has different goals. One client may want national consumer press; another wants franchise trade press to attract potential investors and franchisees. Another may aim to cultivate a social media presence. Our job is to find the right outlet that speaks to our client's target audience and craft applicable content.
Q: What sets Powerhouse apart from other restaurant and franchise PR firms?
A: Powerhouse is a young, bold, creative firm backed by the legacy of a 25-year-old agency. While we're logical, strategic, and rational, we're also tremendously creative, curious, and intuitive. We build customizable campaigns based on thorough research and growing trends. We consider ourselves thought leaders and professional storytellers.
Q: Where does the firm excel and how will it expand?
A: With a unique and rich history of working with restaurant, franchise, and CPG clients, Powerhouse has a specialized focus in food and hospitality. With over two decades of experience, we've honed a creative PR writing style that resonates with food and hospitality media. With franchising clients specifically, we understand the importance of demonstrating that corporate is invested in every franchisee's success.
Q: How will PR evolve post-COVID?
A: The pandemic has changed consumers' expectations about the way brands should communicate. Expect brands communicating more compassion, increased social listening, a merging of internal, external, and executive communications, and rethinking the mix of traditional and digital touchpoints.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
