Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is a high-end fine-dining restaurant concept headquartered in Florida with more than 50 locations across the country.

The issue.

Waller was hired by the company’s national PR team and helped the company open its first Oklahoma restaurant in Tulsa’s Utica Square in fall 2003. Corporate objectives included meeting opening week and month numbers (both financial and number of diners), obtaining positive coverage from the Tulsa media on the restaurant and its opening through the holidays (specific goals: 10 print stories, 4 TV/radio stories), and connecting Fleming’s with appropriate arts/non-profit organizations supported by the restaurant’s target audiences.

The solution.

Waller helped Fleming’s surpass all of these goals. We conducted an extensive media relations/education campaign to familiarize area diners with the restaurant, its culture and its community involvement efforts. These efforts included everything from special media nights and TV morning show visits to developing lists of Tulsa “influencers” for special communication efforts. The Tulsa Fleming’s restaurant far exceeded corporate sales expectations during its opening week and month, and continued to exceed sales goals through 2003. The Tulsa restaurant was recognized by the corporate office as the most successful new Fleming’s restaurant for 2003. The Fleming’s PR campaign also exceeded media coverage goals, generating more than 35 overall media hits through the end of 2003 (29 print stories, 8 TV/radio stories). Nearly 80 of the 117 Tulsa media invited to the Media Preview attended. We also helped Fleming’s identify and host special events for arts/non-profit organizations supported by its target audiences, including Philbrook Museum, the Tulsa Ballet, Young Presidents Organization and the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Our firm continues to assist Fleming’s with occasional media and community relations projects.