Sigler

Serving the Next Generation: PR Campaign for The Dundee Bistro

Samantha Sigler
MSCM 370

Sigler 2
Situation Analysis:
Mission and goals:
The Dundee Bistro is a restaurant located in Dundee, Ore., with the mission of
providing a place where tourists, families, local residents and winemakers still in their
overalls and boots could come to relax and enjoy themselves (The Dundee Bistro,
2014a). The restaurant opened in 1999, and is owned and operated by Dick and Nancy
Ponzi, who are also the founders of Ponzi Vineyards, the Ponzi Wine Bar and the Ponzi
Historic Estate. When the Bistro first opened, it was envisioned that the restaurant would
serve high-quality dishes paired with wines from all around the world, as well as wine
made from Ponzi Vineyards. Today, the Bistro continues to work toward creating the
same warm and welcoming atmosphere.
A majority of the food produced by The Dundee Bistro contains ingredients from
local, small and handpicked farms in the Yamhill County and Willamette Valley areas.
The restaurant serves lunch and dinner menus including starters, such as house-made
soups and salads, hand-tossed pizza and pasta, a variety of meats and sides, such as baked
bread, potatoes and marinated olives (The Dundee Bistro, 2014b). The Bistro also has
seasonal specials, such as its Winter Wednesdays and Spring Suppers, during which
the restaurant offers a three-course meal for $25 (The Dundee Bistro, 2014c).
The overarching goals of this organization are to make a profit off of its food and
wine, continuously increase its number of customers and to generate interest among
potential customers living in northern end of the Willamette Valley, as well as among
potential customers visiting from outside of the Willamette Valley.
External environment:

Sigler 3
According to several studies on recent trends in the restaurant industry, the
millennial generation is becoming a fast growing target audience for many restaurants
hoping to expand (Carman, 2013). For the past several years restaurants have lost profits
due to a lack of customers; however, because the millennial generation account for
approximately 80 million Americans, many restaurant owners are altering their restaurant
looks and menus to appeal to this younger generation. Other studies have also found that
the millennial generation perceive themselves as community-oriented and greatly value
authenticity, prompting many restaurants to provide authentic food, whether it be
Vietnamese cuisine or American hamburgers (Carman, 2013). This could be an
opportunity for The Dundee Bistro, as its target audience at the moment is more focused
on older adults who enjoy a fancy outing as opposed to a relaxed gathering. Targeting the
millennial generation could potentially bring in more customers for the organization, as
they do have a wide variety of options that are affordable. For example, the Bistro sells
house-made pizzas between $13 and $15.
There are approximately 990 thousand restaurants located in the United States,
with nine in 10 being restaurants with fewer than 50 employees, such as The Dundee
Bistro (National Restaurant Association, 2013). Although the restaurant workforce
accounts for 10 percent of the overall United States workface and continues to be one of
the strongest job creators throughout the United States economic difficulties, wages of
restaurant workers is an on-going debate. At the moment the federal law states that
restaurant owners are only required to pay a minimum of $2.13 an hour to workers
receiving tips that account for at least $7.25 an hour (Greenhouse, 2014). Although
nineteen states follow this federal regulation, Oregon restaurant workers are required by

Sigler 4
Oreogns state law to be paid minimum wage (Greenhouse, 2014). The Dundee Bistro
should take these economic conditions into consideration, as paying workers bare
minimum wage may lead to negative attention from the public due to the controversy
surrounding the topic. In contrast, paying workers above the minimum wage may also
increase worker morale and lead to a more positive internal relations in the organization.
In addition to social economic norms, the Food and Drug Administrations
regulation of restaurant labeling also impacts The Dundee Bistro, as all of the food is
made and labeled at the Bistro. The FDA requires restaurants to label food differently
than other retail establishments, allowing the Bistro and other restaurants to determine the
nutrient content of food through database analyses (U.S. Food and Drug, 2008).
Restaurants are not required to provide nutrition labels unless the restaurant bears a
claim, such as claiming that the food is low fat (U.S. Food and Drug, 2008). Thus, The
Dundee Bistro must be aware of any claims it is making and whether it is following FDA
regulations, as not following these regulations may threaten the Bistros business.
Lastly, other restaurants and food vendors in the northern end of the Willamette
Valley also impact The Dundee Bistros business. Dundee, Ore. is well known for its
wineries and restaurants, and there are more than 25 restaurants located within 10 miles
of The Dundee Bistro (Travel Dundee, 2014). The closely located restaurants must
compete with one another for customers, and restaurant owners often target the same
audience living in the northern end of the Willamette Valley. Restaurants in this area
typically use the same form of public relations to reach their target audience, such as
posting event updates on the Travel Dundee website, making it difficult for the Bistro to
stand out and attract attention from potential customers. Thus, The Dundee Bistro must

Sigler 5
be aware of its competitors and how they are faring in the industry when determining
campaign plans as they could be a threat to the organizations business.
Service analysis:
Differentiating characteristics of The Dundee Bistro when compared to other
restaurants include the organizations small, family-owned atmosphere and its immense
wine list of more than 75 different Oregon Pinot Noir wines along with dozens of other
world Pinot Noir (The Dundee Bistro, 2014d). The Bistros extensive wine list is one of
the organizations key features, as many people who visit the restaurant do so while
visiting wineries in the area. Many customers keep the wine menu as a souvenir of their
wine-tasting escapade, making it crucial for the Bistro to have the most up-to-date wines
from a wide variety of vineyards (The Dundee Bistro, 2014a). Additionally, the Bistro
also differentiates itself from other restaurants as it is not a chain restaurant and is also
still owned and operated by its founders. The Ponzis opened the Bistro in hopes of
creating a restaurant that offered fine dining in wine country, as they envisioned a bistro
that offered high-quality culinary dishes served alongside exclusive, tasteful wine (The
Dundee Bistro, 2014a). Thus, the Bistros menu is differentiated from other local
restaurants in Dundee (excluding Tinas and the Babica Hen) in that it offers what many
consumers would consider to be fine dining and high-quality dishes. For example, the
Bistro offers house-made pastas, seafood from the Pacific Ocean as well as produce
handpicked from local farms (The Dundee Bistro, 2014a). Lastly, and one of the most
important characteristics of The Dundee Bistro, this organization focuses on practicing
sustainability and supporting local farmers. Much of the produce the Bistro uses is
handpicked from local farms, and numerous dishes created daily at the Bistro are a result

Sigler 6
of what produce the Bistro receives that day (The Dundee Bistro, 2014a). This is
something that not many restaurants do in the northern end of the Willamette Valley,
helping the Bistro stand out to consumers and encourage potential customers to visit the
Bistro.
One of the main strengths of the Bistro is its geographic location. The Bistro is
located on Highway 99 W in the center of Dundee, Ore., placing the restaurant in a
location that thousands of potential customers drive by every day (The Dundee Bistro,
2014a). This is something the Bistro has used to its advantage, as it often places signs
near its building on the sidewalk of Highway 99 to promote the restaurant and encourage
consumers to stop and visit the Bistro. The Dundee Bistros connection with Ponzi
Vineyards and the Ponzi Wine Bar is also a great strength for the organization. Many
customers stop by the Bistro after hearing about the restaurant from other Ponzi locations
that encourage consumers to stop at the Bistro for cuisine that goes well with various
wines. All of the Ponzi locations have brochures and flyers promoting the Bistro, which
greatly helps increase business. The Bistro is also connected to the Ponzi Wine Bar,
encouraging customers who originally intended to only go wine tasting to stop by the
Bistro. This is a great strength for the organization, as the Bistro is able to benefit from
the Ponzi Wine Bars customers without much effort.
One weakness of the Bistro that could quickly be turned into an opportunity is its
social media. The Bistro currently has 1,302 likes on Facebook, 203 followers on
Twitter and 63 followers on Instagram. Although the organizations Facebook is doing
decently well, its Twitter and Instagram accounts are lacking in followers, which makes it
difficult for the Bistro to get information out to customers through its controlled media.

Sigler 7
Additionally, there has not been one specific person designated to continuously update
the Bistros website and social media until last month. This negatively impacts consumer
traffic on the Bistros social media and website as they have not been active, losing
attention from current and potential customers. Additionally, the Bistro is located in a
small town, making it difficult to attract new customers who live close by, as the
residents in Dundee, Ore., who can afford to eat there, are already aware of the Bistros
existence. Thus, the Bistro must work diligently to promote its business and reach
customers living outside of Dundee.
Although The Dundee Bistro is located in a small town, there are numerous
competitors who are targeting the same audience as the Bistro. For example, the Bistros
main competitor is Tinas, which is a fine-dining restaurant in Dundee, Ore. The
restaurant was established in 1991, and also uses organically and locally grown produce
in their recipes (Tinas, 2014). Because Tinas targets the same audience as the Bistro, it
would be beneficial if the Bistro targeted a different audience, so as to increase its
number of customers with relatively low competition. However, one opportunity that the
Bistro has over Tinas is that Tinas closes between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily, and
Tinas is not open for lunch Saturday through Monday. Thus, the Bistros hours make it
easier for customers to visit its restaurant as opposed to Tinas.
An additional competitor of the Bistro is the Red Hills Market, as it is located
near the Bistro and also targets residents in or passing through the Dundee area.
According to Yelp (2014b), the Red Hills Market is ranked second behind The Dundee
Bistro for Dundees best restaurant, although the Red Hills Market has 4.5 stars to the
Bistros 4 stars. While the Red Hills Market serves dishes that are more focused on being

Sigler 8
organic, healthy and sustainable as opposed to fine dining like the Bistro, there are
similarities in the types of food served. For example, both the Bistro and the Red Hills
Market serve food from local farms, offer house-made pizza and cater to vintners with
specialty menus (Red Hills Market, 2014). However, the Red Hills Market focuses less
on fine dining and more on creating a family-friendly environment, as is evident from its
childrens menu and relaxed and causal atmosphere. This relatively new competitor may
be a threat to the Bistro, as the businesses target a similar audience and also offer similar
services.
Additionally, the Babica Hen Caf is a new competitor of the Bistro, as it recently
opened on Feb. 19. The location was once the restaurant Paulee, but Babica Hen took
over once the restaurant closed down and has been drawing attention from local residents.
The restaurant is already well known for its breakfast menu, which is something that the
Bistro does not offer (Yelp, 2014a). Thus, the Bistro must be wary of Babica Hen using
its breakfast dishes, which not many other restaurants offer in Dundee, to draw in its
target audience. However, one strength the Bistro has over Babica Hen is that it is ranked
number one on Yelps best restaurants in Dundee while Babica Hen is ranked eighteenth
on the list (Yelp, 2014b). The Bistro must be aware of this potential threat, as people
often like to try new places and Babica Hen could soon climb in ranking as it becomes
better known.
Target audience:
The Dundee Bistro is well known throughout northern end of the Willamette
Valley for its high-quality cuisine, extensive wine list and fine-dining atmosphere. This
business has worked meticulously to grow as an organization, establishing itself as a

Sigler 9
high-quality restaurant serving the needs of wine lovers in need of a fine-dining
experience (The Dundee Bistro, 2014a). Because the company has worked so hard to
assert itself as an organization that not only has high-quality food but is also a fun place
to eat, it has established itself as an organization that serves everyone from tourists,
families, local residents to winemakers still in their overalls and boots (The Dundee
Bistro, 2014a). However, The Dundee Bistro has yet to fully establish itself as a local
restaurant that is supported by the average residents throughout the Dundee and northern
end of the Willamette Valley, specifically younger generations. Therefore, The Dundee
Bistro would benefit from create a public relations campaign that facilitates two-way
communication between the company and young consumers, ages 21 to 34, positioning
itself as a restaurant that focuses on generating an authentic, communal atmosphere and
giving back to the community.
Because The Dundee Bistro typically targets wine lovers and older people, the
target audience for this campaign will be consumers living in the northern end of the
Willamette Valley ages 21 to 34 because of their upbeat behavior and openness to trying
different things (PewResearch, 2010). According to the VALS Framework, this target
audience fits into the Innovators category. Thus, they are receptive to new ideas and
technologies and have high self-esteem in everything they do. This will be beneficial to
The Dundee Bistro, as the target audience will be more likely to try many of the new
dishes that the Bistro creates. This target audience is also technology savvy, which The
Dundee Bistro can use to its advantage by targeting the audience through increasing its
presence on social media sites. Additionally, according to a research study conducted by
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, more than 50 percent of the millennial

Sigler 10
generation volunteers regularly, as many millennials believe that volunteering will
benefit them professionally as well as makes them feel more satisfied with themselves
(U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2012). Thus, this campaign plan will incorporate
volunteering and fundraising efforts to encourage the millennial generation to get
involved with the Bistro and help their community.
Opinion leaders that could potentially be recruited to communicate with the target
audience include early adopters, as they are quick to adopt new behaviors and eager to try
new things. This would be beneficial to The Dundee Bistro, as many of their dishes may
intimidate potential customers who are not used to trying dishes with a variety of
unexpected ingredients. Additionally, people in charge of online travel websites, such as
Travel Dundee, would be excellent opinion leaders in helping reach the target audience.
Because The Dundee Bistro is still working on its website and social media presence,
utilizing websites that are well known among consumers ages 21 to 34 would help in
reaching more of the target market, as they would be more likely to look online for
information about restaurants.
Campaign Plan:
Goal and Objective:
The overarching goal for this public relations campaign is to increase The Dundee
Bistros number of customers by generating interest among potential customers living in
the northern end of the Willamette Valley, ranging from Newberg to Salem, between the
ages of 21 and 34. This campaign goal supports the Bistros long-term mission of serving
local residents living in the Willamette Valley as well as being a restaurant that has a
warm and welcoming atmosphere. The more customers that are interested in eating at

Sigler 11
The Dundee Bistro, the more likely customers will go to the Bistro and view the
restaurant as welcoming and enjoyable. Additionally, because the Bistro also aims to be a
place where everyone can go to relax and enjoy themselves, this campaign plan goal will
support the Bistros current efforts while also increasing restaurants reach to the
millennial generation. Currently, the Bistros target audience is customers 45 years old or
more. Targeting a younger generation will increase the Bistros reach, increasing its
amount of customers. By building relationships with the local community and
emphasizing the companys willingness to participate in local events, potential
consumers will begin to view The Dundee Bistro as a company that gives back to the
local community, which is something the millennial generation greatly values (U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, 2012).
Using the diffusion theory as a model for the campaign would be ideal for The
Dundee Bistro, as this theory is most useful when creating a campaign plan in hopes of
persuading the target audience to adopt certain mindsets, such as viewing the Bistro as a
company that is warm, welcoming and philanthropic. Thus, the plan must follow the five
stages of persuasion and influence: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial and adoption.
The objective of this campaign plan will be to use informational strategies to raise
awareness and interest among 50,000 potential customers living in the northern end of the
Willamette Valley about The Dundee Bistro, as well as rebranding the Bistro as a
restaurant that is affordable, friendly and welcoming to the millennial generation. In turn,
this objective will urge customers to try the finals steps of evaluation, trial and adoption
of this new mindset. This objective aligns with the Bistros mission of positioning the
company as welcoming, friendly and philanthropic, as well as helping the restaurant to

Sigler 12
continue building strong relationships between The Dundee Bistro and the local
community.
Strategies and Tactics:
To meet its objective of increasing awareness and generating interest among
potential consumers, the Bistros first strategy will be to use a mix of controlled-media
and media-relations tools to raise awareness of the business among the community while
also framing The Dundee Bistro as a fun, friendly and affordable restaurant. Because the
first step in the diffusion theory is to raise awareness, it will be important to ensure the
target audience has multiple opportunities to become aware of the Bistro as a whole,
especially when the overarching goal is to persuade the target audience to adopt a new
mindset about the company. By framing the company as one that is not only fun to eat at
but also affordable and welcoming, it will be more likely that consumers will view the
Bistro as a company that cares about the community.
The fist tactic is to create a press kit to distribute to local media in the northern
end of the Willamette Valley. The press kit will include one press release, one pitch letter
and one backgrounder. Recipients will include online news outlets, including Travel
Dundee and Travel Portland, Portland Monthly, the Chehalem Valley Chamber
newsletter and local newspapers, including the News-Register and the Oregonian. This
press kit will focus on the Bistro being affordable in order to appeal to the millennial
generation, and the volunteer events the Bistro will be participating in throughout the
summer, such as a neighborhood cleanup. However, the main focus will be that this year
is the Bistros 15th anniversary, going from serving only several Ponzi Vineyards wines
and dishes in 1999 to serving more than 100 wines from all around the world paired with

Sigler 13
a wide variety of dishes today. By sending its media kit to local media outlets, The
Dundee Bistro will more effectively reach its target audience. While this particular tactic
may not reach all of the target audience, it is important to note that the northern end of
Willamette Valley is a small area in which local media outlets cover many of the events
and happenings of companies in this area. Thus, it is likely that the Bistros press kit will
lead to several stories being written about its anniversary, affordable prices and
philanthropic efforts, further promoting the Bistro as a welcoming, friendly and
affordable company. This tactics effectiveness will be evaluated by recording the
amount of coverage the Bistro receives as a result of the press kits.
The second tactic for this strategy is to partner with the local non-profit
organization Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity and having Bistro employees volunteer
at a fundraising event hosted by the organization. Because the Ponzis other locations
have also participated in fundraising events, such as the CASA for Children fundraising
event that employees at Ponzi Vineyards attend, this is something that would be feasible
for the Bistro (Ponzi Vineyards, 2014). A 60-second public service announcement will
then be created and distributed, highlighting the Newberg Area Habitat for Humanitys
fundraising efforts and Bistro employees participation in the event. The PSA will be sent
out to radio stations that broadcast throughout the northern Willamette Valley area.
The third tactic will be to create a brochure about the Bistro that will then be
distributed inside its restaurant and at all Ponzi locations. Ponzi Vineyards, along with all
of its tasting rooms, has a steady flow of visitors each day. Thus, this brochure will be
free to distribute and reach many potential customers. This tactic will be effective
because using controlled media allows the Bistro to regulate what information is

Sigler 14
published and ensure that it reaches current and potential customers. While this tactic will
not reach all of the target audience, placing brochures at Ponzi locations will reach people
who are likely to be interested in other locations owned by the Ponzi family. Lastly, the
fourth tactic for this strategy will be to flood social media networks with updates about
the company, creating several campaigns throughout the summer. For example there will
be a weekly garden update about the Bistros garden on social media to get potential
customers interested and engaged with the Bistro. By keeping followers informed, The
Dundee Bistro will be able to promote itself while also engaging in two-way
communication with the target audience, increasing the chance that they become
interested in learning more about the company and its sustainable efforts. The Dundee
Bistro currently has 1,311 likes on Facebook, 218 followers on Twitter and 72 followers
on Instagram, so it is likely that promoting itself on its social media websites will reach
many target audience and generate interest among them. Additionally, this specific target
audience is very active on social media. Deemed digital natives in a Pew Research
Center study, more than 80 percent of the millennial generation has a Facebook page,
making this particular tactic ideal for targeting this age range.
The second strategy for this campaign is to create a personal connection between
potential consumers and the Bistro through community engagement and volunteer efforts.
If the Bistro ensures the target audience is aware of the companys willingness to help
better local neighborhoods, the target audience will be more likely to adopt the mindset
that the Bistro is a philanthropic restaurant that is welcoming and cares about community
members. The first tactic will be to have Bistro staff members participate in three
mandatory neighborhood cleanup days, with one being in June, one in July and one in

Sigler 15
August. This tactic will also involve inviting community members to join in by creating
flyers to be placed along Highway 99 W in Dundee, Newberg and McMinnville. Staff
will be required to wear Bistro shirts as they clean up on Highway 99 W in Dundee in
June, Newberg in July and McMinnville in August. This tactic will demonstrate the
Bistros commitment to generating goodwill throughout the community and encourage
potential customers to have a positive view of the business. Because Ponzi Vineyards
employees already participate in a neighborhood clean up in Sherwood, Ore. once a year,
this is also a possible tactic for the Bistro to accomplish. Additionally, this tactic is ideal
as the millennial generation is also described as being a generation of activist doers,
with a desire to give back and help their communities (Stone, 2009). Lastly, The Dundee
Bistro will host a fundraiser during the month of July in the courtyard of the Bistro, with
all proceeds going to the Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity. The Bistro will cater the
event, and there will also be a raffle as an incentive for community members to attend the
event. The event will be promoted through flyers and our media-relations campaign, as
this will allow the Bistro to have control over its message in flyers distributed in the
northern end of the Willamette Valley, while also increasing the likelihood of more of the
target audience seeing the message through other media outlets.

Sigler 16
References
Carman, T. (2013, October 22). For millennials, food isnt just food. Its community. The
Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/for-millennials-food-isnt-justfood-its-community/2013/10/22/b6068902-35f2-11e3-8a0e4e2cf80831fc_story.html
National Restaurant Association. (2013). 2014 facts at a glance. National Restaurant
Association. Retrieved from http://www.restaurant.org/NewsResearch/Research/Facts-at-a-Glance
PewResearch Center (2010, February 24). Millenials: Confident. Connected. Open to
change. Retrieved from PewResearch Center.
Ponzi Vineayards. (2014). Event Calendar. Retrieved from http://ponziwines.com/eventcalendar/sunday-evenings-at-ponzi/
Red Hills Market. (2014). Menu. Red Hills Market. Retrieved from
http://www.redhillsmarket.com/
Stone, A. (2009, April 19). Civic generation rolls up sleeves in record numbers. USA
Today. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sharing/2009-04-13millenial_N.htm?csp=34377
The Dundee Bistro. (2014a). About. The Dundee Bistro. Retrieved from
http://dundeebistro.com/about/
The Dundee Bistro. (2014b). Fresh daily menus. The Dundee Bistro. Retrieved from
http://dundeebistro.com/menus/daily-menu/

Sigler 17
The Dundee Bistro. (2014c). Spring suppers. The Dundee Bistro. Retrieved from
http://dundeebistro.com/menus/spring-suppers/
The Dundee Bistro. (2014d). Wine list. The Dundee Bistro. Retrieved from
http://dundeebistro.com/menus/wine-list/
Tinas. (2014). Home page. Tinas. Retrieved from http://tinasdundee.com/
Travel Dundee. (2014). Dundee Restaurants. Travel Dundee. Retrieved from
http://traveldundeeoregon.com/dundee-restaurants
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. (2012, November 14). The Millennial
generation research review. U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
http://www.uschamberfoundation.org/MillennialsReport
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2008, April). Guidance for industry: A labeling
guide for restaurants and other retail establishments selling away-from-home
foods. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInf
ormation/LabelingNutrition/ucm053455.htm
Yelp. (2014a). Babica Hen Caf - Dundee. Yelp. Retrieved from
http://www.yelp.com/biz/babica-hen-cafe-dundee-dundee
Yelp. (2014b). Best restaurants in Dundee, OR. Yelp. Retrieved from
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=dundee&find_loc=Mcminnville%2C+OR
&ns=1#find_desc=best+restaurants+in+dundee&find_loc=dundee+or