COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
B efore we get completely starstruck, a basic query: Why do onsite foodservice operations choose to partner with a celebrity chef? There are a few reasons, says Megumi Robinson, Vice President of services at Belle Communication, a public relations agency focused on foodservice brands, influencer marketing and cutting-edge ways to connect food with people through media, orchestrating events like a Gen Z-focused French fry pop-up at Lollapalooza and an influencer-led summer camp for flavor forecasting. Belle Communication also does a lot of work and research in the chef part- nership space, including creative pro- jects with celebrity chefs that do more than provide a cool social media post (although that’s obviously a great perk). “Chefs can help accelerate innovation or introduce new concepts, globally in- spired flavors and it’s an opportunity for those larger organizations to bring a leader in this space to help advise in these areas,” Robinson says. “These types of collaborations can be a differen- tiator; they can bring cultural relevance,
interest and intrigue when differentia- tion is really hard when it’s hospital vs. hospital or airline vs. airline.” Today’s partnerships between celeb- rity chefs and onsite foodservice oper- ations are much more in-depth and in- tentional now than even ten years ago. “The best types of collaborations and partnerships we do are when it’s not just ‘one and done,’ it’s a deeper collab- oration,” Robinson says. “Everything from bringing in a celebrity chef to help with the R&D process, almost serving as an advisor to the in-house corporate chef team; we see that having the most impact: Get behind the scenes.” Robinson’s research finds that Goog - le searches for “chef partnership” have gone up 1,400%, so you could say it’s trending, to put it lightly. It all comes down to credibility. When an onsite foodservice operation part- ners with a celebrity chef, it should be beneficial to not just both parties, but to the people who end up eating the actual food. From the celebrity chef’s perspec- tive, they’re cognizant of “selling out” or seeming fake or even worse, getting
Beyond the big name: Why the new celebrity chef partnerships run deeper The best collabs happen when the celeb chef acts more like an artist-in-residence than a star who’s just popping in for a quick pop-up.
BY TARA FITZPATRICK
18
QUARTERLY | Q4
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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