Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Lavan.
Hi Erin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
From owning a restaurant PR agency to publishing a food magazine and indulging in a lifetime of culinary curiosity, my path thus far has guided me to the conception of Dish (www.dishmiami.com).
A creation of circumstance, Dish Miami was born out of the pandemic actually.
I was a publisher at DiningOut Magazine at the time that Covid hit the U.S, and production was halted immediately on a national level. It was a remarkably devastating time for small businesses and restaurants in particular.
I felt like my hands were tied, but I did not want to simply abandon my clients who needed publicity then more than ever. So, with a little input from industry friends, as well as those who would become my new team members, I conceived of Dish Miami. It would be a website focused on the local food scene with several social media outlets to support it. It would be a platform that restaurants could depend on to tell their story the way they wanted it to be heard. It would be a media partner for them to contact directly for anything from a feature on the website to an influencer dinner or an Instagram story. It would not only keep the restaurant relevant but would build a history of searchable content on the web.
I reached out to writers, bloggers, and photographers that I had worked with in the past and was met with a lot of enthusiasm. I met with my restaurant contacts to explain what we were doing, and we would brainstorm about new ideas on how we could best engage their customers. At the time, it was really just about keeping the business alive. Restaurants were not in a position to pay for PR, so there weren’t many press releases going around, and media sources were slowed down with Covid. So we maintained close contact with the restaurants and became their direct media partner. We churned out interviews, contests, recipes, delivery information, and anything that could help bring vitality to the industry.
We generated SEO driven content around restaurants who were still open, and we worked diligently on the back end of the website, driving up its ranking and Google score to a respectable level in a very short period of time.
For the first six months, the business ran as a non-profit while we focused on brand recognition and reputation with Google. Meanwhile, we had an understanding with the restaurants that they would share the carrying costs once things stabilized enough.
So I worked out the numbers and came up with a monthly fee that would be digestible for restaurants (even during the worst of times), and in January of 2021 we converted 25 restaurants into “members.” Membership with Dish Miami would give them a dedicated amount of exposure on our website in the form of features, round-ups, and SEO articles; social media support across several platforms; and other perks like photoshoots reels TikTok and SMS messaging.
We were off to a very good start, especially considering the circumstances that brought us there. Dish Miami has grown exponentially since then, and we have an incredible team of talent representing some of the most fabulous chefs and restaurants in South Florida. I continue to be very hands-on and oversee everything that gets published on our platforms, always on the lookout for new restaurants to partner with.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say that overall it has been a relatively smooth road. The obstacles we faced in the beginning were different from the challenges we deal with today. Back then, setting up photoshoots and media dines proved to be quite challenging due to circumstances surrounding the pandemic. But, with our fearless photographers and writers, along with the generosity of restaurants, we accomplished a lot. A bigger challenge may have been watching restaurant owners and workers suffer and only being able to do so much.
Today, the biggest challenge honestly is helping people understand exactly what it is we do. The Dish business model is unique in that we do not sell advertising; we are not a social media management company, nor are we a PR/marketing firm. We are a media partner for local restaurants.
We’ve been impressed with Dish Miami, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
As far as I know, there is no other business model quite like ours. Dish Miami is a media platform for restaurants – powered by restaurants.
Ours is a transparent business model built on mutual trust from the very beginning. By charging a small monthly membership fee to our partners, we put them in the driver’s seat. It eliminates advertisements from our website for a clean, pleasant scrolling experience. There are no hidden fees, no guesswork, and analytical data is delivered in black and white.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Our restaurant partners of course deserve the most credit – and gratitude – especially those that believed in us from the very beginning. Our web developer, Caner Kocamaz, literally built the company with me and continues to operate everything on the back end of the website. It wouldn’t be Dish without him. It also wouldn’t be the same without the talented Geoffrey Anderson and his wife Dianne of The Miami Food Pug (miamifoodpug.com), who were with me from the very beginning. They went out on media dines and created content in the thick of the pandemic, and Geoff continues to be our regular writer at Dish Miami. Sara Liss, a premier local food writer and author of Miami Cooks, contributed not only with her writing but by being a genuine supporter and dear friend. Finally, they say behind every great woman, there is not necessarily a great man ; ) Luckily in my case, there is my partner, Steve Laskowski. He is my biggest supporter and was instrumental in the launch of Dish Miami. Most importantly, we are nothing without our readers and followers – thank you, Miami foodies!
Contact Info:
- Email: erin@dishmiami.com
- Website: www.dishmiami.com
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/dish.miami - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/dishmiami - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
dish_miami - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.
com/@dish.miami
