PR & MARKETING MANAGER - CHICAGO, IL

Compass Group•Redwood City, CA

3d•$90,000 - $115,000•Onsite

About The Position

Bon Appétit Management Company is seeking a creative, strategic, and collaborative onsite PR & Marketing Manager for a public-facing cultural restaurant located within a cultural institution in Chicago. The role leads brand activation, communications, and marketing to build awareness, increase visitation, drive restaurant traffic, and create memorable guest experiences through storytelling, events, community partnerships, media relations, and digital marketing. The manager works closely with culinary and operations teams, clients, corporate partners, and community stakeholders to develop and implement the restaurant’s marketing plan and annual budget, with the goal of increasing and retaining market share while meeting or exceeding corporate standards. The position oversees integrated marketing campaigns, public relations, social media, digital content, reputation management, signature programming, events, and media opportunities. It also measures campaign results and recommends initiatives informed by business goals and emerging hospitality, culinary, and cultural trends. The ideal candidate has strong writing, organizational, creative, and analytical skills, knowledge of Chicago’s restaurant and cultural landscape, and the ability to work independently while collaborating across a wide range of stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, Hospitality, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
3–5 years of experience in restaurant, hospitality, food, destination, tourism, or cultural institution marketing and/or public relations.
Demonstrated success developing integrated marketing campaigns that increase guest engagement, visitation, and revenue.
Strong understanding of Chicago’s restaurant, hospitality, arts, cultural, and media landscape.
Experience planning and promoting public events, culinary experiences, community partnerships, or destination programming.
Demonstrated success navigating complex stakeholder environments with professionalism, diplomacy, and discretion.
Exceptional writing, editing, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences.
Strong eye for branding, design, photography, and visual storytelling, and experience working within established brand standards, templates, and creative systems.
Demonstrated success developing and executing social media strategies across multiple platforms, including Meta Business Suite, Instagram, Facebook, and emerging channels.
Experience managing digital marketing assets, Google Business Profiles, Yelp, OpenTable, website content, and online reputation management.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint), Canva, Hootsuite, and Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat).
Strong analytical skills and experience using campaign metrics and reporting to measure results and guide future marketing efforts.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
Ability to build trusted relationships and work effectively with clients, community partners, media, executive leadership, and operations teams.
Self-motivated, collaborative, creative, and comfortable working independently and as part of a cross-functional team.

Nice To Haves

Agency experience.
Existing relationships in Chicago’s restaurant, hospitality, arts, cultural, and media communities.
Experience in highly visible public-facing organizations, cultural institutions, museums, foundations, or other mission-driven environments.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the marketing and communications strategy in partnership with national and regional leadership, operations, and clients.
Build brand awareness and visitation through integrated campaigns, seasonal promotions, signature events, and strategic partnerships.
Create and manage an annual marketing calendar aligned with business goals, culinary programming, and community engagement opportunities.
Develop signature programming and guest experiences that position the restaurant as a Chicago culinary and cultural destination.
Partner with chefs, operators, clients, and the Image + Style design team to execute marketing initiatives and prepare creative briefs when new assets or original design work are needed.
Oversee website content, digital marketing assets, email communications, and promotional copy.
Lead photography and video shoots, including creative direction and development of a library of marketing assets.
Manage the annual marketing budget and prioritize investments based on guest engagement, media exposure, and return on investment.
Measure campaign performance using website analytics, social media insights, reservation trends, guest feedback, and other key performance indicators, and optimize marketing accordingly.
Identify hospitality, culinary, and cultural trends and recommend marketing initiatives to improve the guest experience.
Develop and execute a public relations strategy to generate earned media, increase visibility, and support business growth.
Build and maintain relationships with Chicago food, lifestyle, travel, arts, and hospitality media, influencers, and community partners.
Serve as the onsite liaison for media visits, interviews, photography, and press opportunities in coordination with Bon Appétit’s communications team and third-party agencies.
Write and edit press releases, media alerts, chef biographies, fact sheets, website copy, and other communications materials with the Communications and Client team.
Develop and manage social media strategy, content calendars, and campaign execution in collaboration with Corporate Communications.
Monitor and optimize the restaurant’s online reputation across Google, Yelp, OpenTable, and other review platforms, working with operations to respond to guest feedback.
Develop partnerships with local organizations, cultural institutions, community groups, and hospitality partners.
Support special events, restaurant openings, chef collaborations, media previews, and community programming from concept through execution.
Collaborate with Bon Appétit and Client Communications teams on regional and national storytelling opportunities.