Talk and Tonic

When it comes to public relations, specialization is often overlooked in favor of a broad client base. Many agencies pride themselves on their ability to represent brands across multiple industries, but for Emma Colby, the founder and CEO of Talk and Tonic, that model never felt quite right.

Before launching Talk and Tonic, a boutique PR firm dedicated exclusively to hospitality, she spent years in traditional public relations. That experience shaped her philosophy on what PR should be—and what it shouldn’t.

Her “aha” moment came while working with a luxury money management client. Despite being skilled at crafting narratives and connecting brands with the right audience, she felt entirely disconnected from the industry she was representing. Finance, investments, and wealth management were foreign territories to her.

“The best financial advice I could give at the time was how to find the best sales at Bloomingdale’s,” she jokes.

That disconnect sparked a realization: for PR to be truly effective, it needed to come from a place of understanding and passion. Colby knew she was great at what she did, but she also knew she would be even better if she specialized in an industry she truly understood. Hospitality was the obvious choice—she had lived and breathed it for years, working in nearly every role in the industry, growing up in a family immersed in it, and even meeting her partner through it.

So, she built Talk and Tonic not as part of a sprawling corporate PR machine but as a firm that delivers tailored, high-touch PR services rooted in deep industry knowledge. That very foundation—the decision to focus exclusively on hospitality—is what makes Talk and Tonic so effective today.

Speaking the Language of Hospitality

One of the biggest problems in hospitality PR is that many agencies don’t truly understand the industry. Restaurants, bars, hotels, and chefs often find themselves working with firms that specialize in PR but not in hospitality PR. The result is generic messaging that fails to capture the emotional, personal, and experience-driven nature of the industry.

Colby is determined to change that. Talk and Tonic isn’t just a PR agency that works with hospitality brands—it’s a hospitality brand itself.

She and her partner are currently building their own restaurant chain, Rapidough, which means they’re navigating the same operational hurdles and branding challenges as their clients. That insider experience gives Talk and Tonic a unique advantage: they don’t just advise on strategy from an outsider’s perspective—they live it.

“We know what our clients want because we are the kinds of clients that we serve,” Colby explains. “We’re not just running PR campaigns for restaurants—we’re in the trenches, running a hospitality business ourselves.”

This perspective allows Talk and Tonic to do something many PR firms can’t: craft messaging that isn’t just about securing media placements but about making those placements truly resonate with the right audience.

A Carefully Curated PR Approach

Talk and Tonic ensures that every campaign is meticulously crafted to deliver meaningful results. The company’s method revolves around four essential ingredients, each playing a critical role in shaping a brand’s public image and long-term success.

The first key ingredient is Expert Storytelling, which goes beyond the standard press release announcing a restaurant launch or a chef’s latest venture. Instead, it focuses on crafting rich, engaging narratives that connect with audiences on an emotional level. Whether it’s the inspiration behind a menu, the personal journey of a restaurateur, or the cultural significance of a culinary concept, compelling storytelling transforms a brand from just another name in the industry into a memorable experience that resonates with the public.

Equally important is Strategic Positioning, the art of ensuring that a hospitality brand doesn’t just blend into the background but stands out in a highly competitive industry. This involves identifying what makes a brand truly unique and leveraging that distinctiveness to create a strong, consistent image. From defining a restaurant’s core message to aligning PR efforts with evolving industry trends, positioning determines how a brand is perceived and how it differentiates itself in a crowded marketplace.

A well-crafted PR strategy also depends on Media Connections That Matter. Effective hospitality PR isn’t about blasting press releases to every journalist in the industry—it’s about fostering meaningful, long-term relationships with key media figures who genuinely care about the brand’s story. By engaging with the right journalists, editors, and influencers, PR professionals ensure that their clients receive coverage that is not only widespread but also impactful, appearing in the publications and platforms that truly influence their target audience.

Finally, Relationships That Last serve as the foundation of successful PR. Beyond media connections, building lasting relationships with clients, partners, and the industry at large fosters trust and credibility. At Talk and Tonic, PR isn’t just about short-term visibility; it’s about cultivating a reputation that stands the test of time. By treating every collaboration as a partnership rather than a transaction, they create an environment where clients and media alike feel valued, leading to sustained success.

Together, these four elements shape Talk and Tonic’s approach to hospitality PR. By blending expert storytelling, strategic positioning, meaningful media connections, and long-lasting relationships, they craft PR strategies that don’t just generate headlines but leave a lasting impact on brands, audiences, and the industry as a whole.

A Different Approach to Hospitality PR

Traditional PR firms tend to follow a formula: create a media list, send out press releases, and wait for responses. However, this approach often falls short in hospitality—where storytelling and authenticity matter just as much as exposure.
Talk and Tonic takes a different approach. Instead of forcing their clients to fit into a media outlet’s mold, they ensure their clients stay true to their brand identity.

“In PR, companies often shape themselves to what the media outlet wants,” Colby says. “But we push our clients to stay loyal to their own brand story. Hospitality is such a crowded industry—if you don’t stay creative and unique, you get lost in the noise.”

Their method is deeply hands-on. Every campaign starts with an in-depth brand analysis, where Talk and Tonic helps clients refine their messaging to ensure it aligns with who they are and what they want to communicate to the public.

Colby and her team don’t just pitch stories to the media; they position clients as valuable assets to the press. They don’t approach journalists with just another restaurant launch or chef interview. Instead, they frame their clients as experts with something meaningful to offer. And because they’ve built long-term relationships with media professionals, journalists often come to them asking for sources rather than the other way around.

“Reporters trust us,” Colby says. “They know we’re not just throwing them a random client. We bring them people and brands that actually have something important to say.”

One standout example of Talk and Tonic’s impact is their work with celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito. When he launched his latest cookbook, Everyday Delicious, Talk and Tonic knew that a traditional cookbook promotion wouldn’t be enough.

“There are a million Italian cookbooks out there,” Colby says. “We didn’t want to position Everyday Delicious as just another book of recipes. Instead, we framed it as an extension of Rocco himself—his expertise, his passion, and his ability to make high-quality cooking accessible.”

Rather than following a generic cookbook launch strategy, they carefully curated media placements, targeting audiences that would truly resonate with DiSpirito’s message. This included not just mainstream food media but also unconventional outlets like book clubs, country clubs, and cooking classes.

“We even changed up his approach to Good Morning America,” Colby shares. “Instead of cooking with the usual anchors, he worked with someone who wasn’t an experienced chef. The audience got to see someone just like them create a restaurant-quality dish, and that made it feel accessible.”

This strategy reinforced DiSpirito’s status as a trusted culinary authority and ensured that Everyday Delicious wasn’t just another cookbook—it was a must-have.

Where Branding Meets Hospitality

The future for Talk and Tonic is brighter than ever. As the company continues to evolve, Colby is exploring new intersections between hospitality and other industries, such as music, fashion, and publishing.

The firm is also expanding its branding services, helping clients not just with PR but with the very foundation of their brand identity.

Perhaps most importantly, Talk and Tonic is staying true to its roots.

“As we grow, everything we do will always tie back to hospitality,” Colby says. “That’s what makes us different, and that’s what makes us effective.”

With a deep love for hospitality, an insider’s perspective, and a commitment to authenticity, Talk and Tonic is reshaping hospitality PR—one brand at a time.