Prohibition is a restaurant PR agency based in Leeds, working with independent restaurants and multi-site groups across the UK. We get you talked about in the places diners look before they book, through opening campaigns, menu launches, anniversaries and student activations. For Chaophraya’s 20th anniversary, Prohibition secured 34 pieces of coverage with a combined circulation of 25.6 million in five months.
Brands That Trust Us for Restaurant PR
Restaurant PR results at a glance
- Chaophraya, January to July 2025: 62 pieces of coverage, 10.9 million reach and eight critic review visits.
- Chaophraya 20th anniversary, August to December 2024: 34 pieces, 25.6 million circulation, 11 links to the website.
- Thaikhun Freshers: 33 million reached through press, 95K through paid ads, and 248 student sign-ups.
What does a restaurant PR agency do for you?
A restaurant PR agency gets your restaurant in front of diners through people they trust: critics, local journalists, food writers and influencers. Prohibition’s restaurant work usually covers four jobs, which are openings, menu and offer launches, anniversaries or relaunches, and protecting your reputation when something goes wrong.
Each one links back to bookings. A review in the local paper sends people to your booking page. An offer story in the regional press fills quiet Tuesdays, and a chef profile in the trade press helps you hire.
Which restaurants has Prohibition worked with?
Our main restaurant client has been Thai Leisure Group, which owns Chaophraya and Thaikhun. We also work with The Light in Leeds, promoting its leisure and dining offer, with tenants including Turtle Bay, Miller & Carter and Nando’s.
Chaophraya: turning 20 across five cities
Chaophraya asked Prohibition to celebrate its 20th anniversary, reintroduce the brand to diners, drive footfall and show the trade that the group was ready to grow. We ran a superfans competition, profiled the people behind the brand, pitched regional stories for each site and brought 20 press and influencer guests to the anniversary event.
Between August and December 2024 that produced 34 pieces of coverage, 28 consumer and six trade, with a combined circulation of 25.6 million. The group’s leaders also landed seven interviews and profile features in the trade press. Read how the Chaophraya brief began.
Chaophraya in 2025: offers, critics and chefs
In the first seven months of 2025 Prohibition issued ten press releases for Chaophraya, from Valentine’s and breakfast menus to Kids Eat Free and the Leeds and Edinburgh marathons. Critics from titles including the Glasgow Times, Sunderland Echo and Shields Gazette visited for review. The result was 62 pieces of coverage and a reach of 10.9 million.
Thaikhun: a tuk-tuk for Freshers’ Week
Thaikhun wanted students in Manchester, Oxford and Cambridge to discover it during Freshers’ Week. We invited students for a free meal, ran a tuk-tuk shuttle from campus to the restaurant and backed it with social content and paid ads. Coverage included Yahoo News, MSN and the Manchester Evening News, and 248 students signed up. See the Thaikhun case study.
How do you get critics and influencers through the door?
You invite them properly, and you give them a reason to come now. Offering journalists the chance to try a new menu still works well for winning reviews, which is how Chaophraya secured eight review visits in seven months.
Influencers need the same care. For Songkran, the Thai New Year, Prohibition hosted an influencer dinner for 12 creators to celebrate with Chaophraya. Reviews from press and influencers came back consistently positive about both the food and the experience.
“Diners trust a critic or a friend’s recommendation far more than an advert. So restaurant PR is about giving people a reason to talk: a chef with a story, an offer worth sharing, a night worth posting about. Chaophraya’s anniversary worked because the people behind it had real stories to tell.” Chris Norton, Founder and Managing Director, Prohibition PR
How does PR work across a restaurant group?
A group needs one national story and a local angle for every site. For Chaophraya we drafted regional releases for each of its five locations, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, because regional editors want a reason their readers should care.
That local hook raised the profile of each restaurant on its own patch. Meanwhile the group-level story, about growth and leadership, went to the trade press.
Why choose a Leeds agency over a London one?
Most UK restaurant groups trade well outside London, and so do most of their customers. Prohibition has strong links with regional newsrooms across the North and Scotland, as the Chaophraya coverage shows, and still lands national titles when the story is big enough.
We’re also part of the Worldcom PR Group, which gives clients access to partner agencies if you expand abroad.
Can you run social, influencer and video as well?
Yes, Prohibition is an integrated agency of around 25 people, with PR, social media, influencer and video teams under one roof. For Thaikhun, the photography and video we shot before Freshers’ Week fed organic posts and the paid ads that reached 95,000 people.
For food and drink brands beyond restaurants, see our food PR agency page.
How is restaurant PR priced?
Most restaurant PR runs as a monthly retainer, because coverage builds over time and offers change through the year. The fee depends on how many sites you have, how many openings or launches are planned, and whether events are involved. We agree the scope after a first conversation, then put a fixed monthly fee in writing before anything starts.
Who is Prohibition not right for?
We’re not the right fit if you need one press release sent tomorrow, or if you want coverage guaranteed in a specific title. Nobody can promise what a critic will write. We work best with restaurants and groups that want steady, measured coverage over several months.
What restaurant owners usually ask us
How far ahead of an opening should we hire a PR agency?
As early as you can. Journalists plan features weeks ahead, and strong opening coverage usually comes from relationships built before the doors open.
How do you measure restaurant PR?
We track coverage, reach, reviews and links to your website every month, as in the Chaophraya reports. Where you share booking data, we look at it against campaign dates too.
Can PR help after a bad review or a crisis?
Yes, our team handles difficult media enquiries and crisis communications, so you have a clear response ready. The best protection is a steady run of positive coverage before anything goes wrong.
Let’s talk about your restaurant
Tell us about your restaurant, your sites and what a good year would look like. We’ll come back with ideas and an honest view of what PR can do for you.
Talk to us about your restaurant
Or call the team on 0113 430 4160.
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