What you can learn from Thomas Keller (and it's not how to flambé)

As a PR pro, I can't help myself. When a company or person is being publicly taken down, I can't look away. Not because I revel in someone else's pain but because my first thought is -- what would I do if I was their PR person? For those of you in communications, I know you can relate.

As a long time foodie, I love reading restaurant reviews and following the happenings of new eateries and chefs. When the two-star restaurant review of Per Se by the New York Times hit earlier this month, you could almost hear the collective gasp (oh no, they didn't!) among foodies everywhere.  And then, Thomas Keller responded. 

Even though the response came two weeks after the fact (I'll get to this later), his response was near perfect. Elegant and humble, and everything you'd want a company to do when their brand of excellence is being questioned. Here are some key PR lessons that worked here: 

1. Don't hide. Own it: When your brand is being tarnished, addressing it head on to clarify misinformation or show how you plan to fix it, is always better than no response at all. This puts you back in control of the narrative being painted and gives you an opportunity to shift the dialogue.

2. Humility can go a long way: How a company responds to negative situations can actually be a wonderful opportunity to reinforce your brand values. Thomas Keller did just that. His humble and "we can do better" delivery reinforced the premium he puts on excellence and service. His response generated an outpouring of loyal patrons and industry peers who spoke out to defend the Thomas Keller brand.   

3: Never miss an opportunity to speak directly to your customer: Thomas Keller could have chosen a very different response. Like many, he could have simply provided comment to the media or combatted the review. But he didn't. Instead he used the opportunity to address his customers directly. By doing so, he not only engaged his most loyal fans, he created a platform to speak to his future customers -- about what they can expect when dining at one of his establishments.

If there's one thing I would have done differently, it would be to provide a response much sooner. Waiting two weeks to respond unnecessarily extended the conversation on the negative review, which would have been old news by now. 

And thank goodness for old news, because I can't wait for my next Thomas Keller meal.