A Million Egos

HMA Public Relations has been involved with dozens of successful restaurant openings over the years. Projects like that are often short-term and high-energy and typically involve a healthy serving of media relations, community relations and special event planning.  They definitely get an agency’s adrenaline pumping.
I was watching a recent episode of “A Million Little Things,” a drama that airs on ABC, and part of the storyline was about two of the characters opening a restaurant together in Boston.
The grand opening was a huge success, with so many people coming to try out the new place that some had to be turned away.  A good problem to have.
One of the top restaurant critics in Boston had written a glowing review that sparked the widespread enthusiasm, interest and popularity for the new restaurant.   The article’s focus was on the menu, the food and the atmosphere.
While their fictitious PR team was not included in the storyline, you can bet it was more than thrilled to have such a fantastic article about the new restaurant hit the newsstands and the resulting flocks of people at the eatery’s doorstep!
But wait.  One of the two owners was not mentioned in the article and the other was barely mentioned.   The owner not mentioned was ecstatic about the article.  The other owner, not so much.  She apparently thought the article should have been more about her than the new restaurant, even though we all know people go out to eat for the food and atmosphere.
An example of an ego gone awry.  And for their agency, likely a very difficult client.