Public Relations Manager

Fabio Viviani Hospitality Group • Barrington, IL

7d • $60,000 - $70,000

About The Position

Fabio Viviani Hospitality (FVH) is seeking a Public Relations Manager to lead day-to-day PR for a portfolio of restaurant and hospitality brands and support visibility for Chef Fabio Viviani, FVH, and its culinary and leadership teams. The role covers multiple concepts and markets, with responsibility for identifying what makes each brand newsworthy, building relationships with relevant audiences, and proactively generating earned visibility.

The PR Manager leads media relations, restaurant-opening and brand-launch publicity, influencer and creator relations, awards and industry recognition, community partnerships, events and PR activations, and opportunities for Chef Fabio and FVH leaders. The role also supports brand awareness and reputation management, monitors media and public conversation, and tracks outreach, placements, opportunities, creator activity, submissions, events, partnerships, and performance metrics. Weekly and monthly updates should identify results, challenges, opportunities, and next steps.

The role works cross-functionally with Marketing, Operations, Culinary, Beverage, restaurant leadership, and external partners. It offers autonomy and flexibility in managing daily work, but is not a traditional 9-to-5 position. Restaurant openings, media appearances, events, chef activations, and other opportunities may require evening, weekend, and holiday availability, as well as local travel between FVH restaurants.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of public relations, media relations, or communications experience.
• Experience managing multiple brands, accounts, clients, or markets simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of earned media and what makes a compelling story or pitch.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain media relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience coordinating interviews, media appearances, and events.
• Experience working with influencers and creators.
• Strong understanding of restaurant openings, events, and hospitality PR.
• Ability to identify proactive opportunities rather than relying solely on incoming requests.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple deadlines and shifting priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to communicate effectively with journalists, creators, chefs, restaurant operators, executives, and outside partners.
• Ability to identify opportunities, determine next steps, and drive work forward independently.
• Ability to travel locally between FVH restaurants and attend restaurant events as required.
• Comfort with evening, weekend, and holiday availability and schedule adjustments in response to hospitality-industry needs.

Nice To Haves

• Restaurant, hospitality, food and beverage, or lifestyle experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary day-to-day PR lead for assigned FVH brands.
• Develop and maintain relationships with local, regional, and national journalists, editors, producers, creators, community organizations, and industry partners.
• Identify and pitch proactive media opportunities, including restaurant and chef features, openings, broadcast segments, food and beverage stories, trend coverage, dining guides, lists, business coverage, podcasts, interviews, speaking engagements, and appearances.
• Respond to inbound media opportunities and coordinate interviews, assets, restaurant access, scheduling, and spokesperson availability.
• Lead PR execution for new restaurant openings, new locations, and significant brand announcements; manage timelines and coordinate media previews, interviews, VIP and media events, chef appearances, and opening coverage.
• Coordinate with Marketing, Operations, Culinary, and Beverage to ensure accurate and timely availability of information, photography, menus, biographies, and other assets.
• Develop ongoing stories and media opportunities after restaurant openings.
• Identify creators and influencers based on audience fit, content quality, market relevance, and brand alignment; coordinate visits, restaurant communications, expectations, follow-up, and resulting content.
• Ensure restaurant teams are prepared for hosted creator visits and track visits, content, and relationships.
• Identify awards, best-of lists, dining guides, chef recognition, industry honors, editorial lists, nominations, and submission opportunities; maintain a calendar of deadlines.
• Develop community relationships and evaluate potential charitable, cultural, tourism, business, and other local partnerships for brand alignment, impact, and available resources.
• Coordinate approved community and charitable initiatives and maintain communication and follow-up.
• Support and develop PR opportunities around openings, media and VIP events, chef appearances, dinners, seasonal programming, community activations, partnerships, and culinary events; plan how to extend their visibility before and after the event.
• Develop opportunities that strengthen the visibility of Chef Fabio Viviani and FVH, including interviews, television appearances, features, podcasts, speaking engagements, business stories, and industry opportunities.
• Identify opportunities for FVH chefs and executives to act as subject-matter experts and representatives.
• Ensure PR activity supports each restaurant's positioning and the broader FVH strategy; monitor relevant media, public conversation, and emerging opportunities.
• Work with the Director of Marketing and leadership when messaging, reputation management, or response strategy is required.
• Clearly distinguish earned media, paid media, advertising, influencer partnerships, and organic opportunities when evaluating them.
• Maintain organized tracking of outreach, pitches, placements, opportunities, relationships, creator visits and content, awards submissions, partnerships, activations, openings, events, executive opportunities, metrics, and editorial deadlines.
• Prepare weekly and monthly updates that analyze results, relationship development, visibility gaps, challenges, and recommended next steps.
• Manage shifting priorities and deadlines independently, communicate effectively, and follow through.
• Travel locally between FVH restaurants and attend restaurant events as required.

Benefits

• Employer contribution toward health insurance.
• Paid time off following one year of employment.
• Flexibility in managing daily schedule and workload.
• Exposure to and experience across a growing portfolio of restaurant and hospitality brands.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed