Pascale Venot press office: a scam for restaurateurs?

Several weeks ago, we met the team at the Pascale Venot press office when we visited their prestigious premises at 6 rue Paul Baudry, 75008 Paris(https://www.pascalevenot.fr/ ), a place where a multitude of press attachés bustle about, giving the impression of being at the heart of media activity. As a restaurateur, I expected this to be the case, but the experience proved disappointing.

The team inundated us with referrals, citing major brands allegedly satisfied with their services. Their offer seemed tempting: maximize the visibility of a restaurateur wishing to develop his reputation through relays in the specialized hotel and restaurant press, as well as through the presence of numerous influencers in the field.

Our establishment, BEEF Restaurant, renowned for its expertise in steakhouse and cured meats, unfortunately didn’t find the same level of professionalism in Pascale Venot, the so-called « restaurant specialist  » ( https://www.pascalevenot.fr/hotellerie-tourisme/ ). Despite the appointment of a dedicated press attaché, who provided meals and organized a press lunch at our expense, media coverage was minimal and well below our expectations.

As a small restaurateur, we are constantly absorbed in the day-to-day running of our establishment, from opening to closing, which leaves us little time to repeatedly call on an agency like Pascale Venot to do its job properly. The reality of our business doesn’t allow us to devote time to supervising the service provider, which exacerbates our situation when faced with unsatisfactory service.

We were hoping for coverage of at least 30 to 50 articles, including in prestigious titles such as Le Parisien and women’s magazines. However, the reality was quite different, with influencers more interested in lifestyle than gastronomy, and less inclined to appreciate a good entrecôte maturée.

Faced with a service costing €15,000 excluding VAT and delivering only 6 or 7 irrelevant articles and 3 or 4 irrelevant influencers, the disappointment was great. Attempts at negotiation to reduce the invoice were in vain in the face of an intransigent accounting department, resulting in threats of legal proceedings at a time of economic difficulties for the Parisian restaurant industry, with sales down by 30% for over 6 months.

In conclusion, our experience with the Pascale Venot press office ended in a feeling of being ripped off, exacerbated by administrative management that was insensitive to the situation of the restaurant owners who were victims. The purpose of this testimonial is to share our experience of an agency which, under the guise of specializing in the hotel and restaurant business, failed to meet our expectations.

Signed: Christophe SORET

A disgusted and deeply disillusioned restaurateur.