For Spokane restaurants & food businesses

I know what restaurant owners need — because I was one.

Twenty-six years running restaurants, then 98 reviews and a column in The Spokesman-Review. Foodie Spokane is how a lot of this city decides where to eat next. If you want your place in that conversation, here's how we do it.

Tell me about your place See the options first
  • 98restaurants reviewed
  • 26years running restaurants
  • Bylined in The Spokesman-Review
  • The Spokane Plate, monthly

Ways to work together

Three ways to put your restaurant in front of Spokane

Every one of these is written and shot by me, published on foodiespokane.com, and pushed out through the newsletter and our social accounts. Nothing is automated and nothing is farmed out.

  • Featured Coverage

    A real story about your restaurant, written the way I write everything else.

    Good for

    A new opening. A new chef. A menu you're proud of and nobody's found yet. A room that deserves a second look.

    What you get

    • A written feature on foodiespokane.com, with photos
    • Your spot pinned on the Foodie Map
    • A slot in the next issue of The Spokane Plate
    • The story shared to Instagram and Facebook
    • Reservation, ordering and delivery links wired up wherever you have them

    InvestmentRate pending

    Labelled as sponsored, at the top, in plain English.

    Ask about coverage

  • On the Menu

    Building it now

    Your event, in front of people who are already deciding what to do this weekend.

    Good for

    Ticketed dinners, beer and wine releases, live music, patio openings, holiday service, festival booths — anything with a date on it.

    What you get

    • A listing on the On the Menu events calendar
    • Inclusion in that month's newsletter
    • A social post the week the event runs
    • A direct link to your tickets or booking page

    Per eventRate pending

    Big weekendsRate pending

    Hoopfest, Bloomsday and Fair weekends will price differently from a Tuesday tap takeover.

    Get on the waitlist

  • Standing Partner

    A year-round presence instead of one good week.

    Good for

    Places that want to stay in front of Spokane through the slow months, not just the busy ones.

    What you get

    • A fresh feature or refresh every quarter
    • Priority on the On the Menu calendar, no per-event charge
    • A standing partner placement on the site
    • First look at each newsletter before it goes out
    • My phone number, and an operator on the other end of it

    Per monthRate pending

    Month to month. No annual contract, no cancellation fee.

    Talk it through

The part nobody else puts in writing

What isn't for sale

You've been pitched by people who'd sell you a five-star review. I'm not one of them, and the reason is selfish: the day my opinion is buyable is the day it stops being worth anything to you.

  • Reviews

    My take on a place is my take. You can't buy a good one, and nobody ever has.

  • Rankings and Dish of the Month

    Same rule. Those are earned on the plate, and readers can tell the difference.

  • Quiet advertising

    Anything you pay for is labelled as sponsored, at the top, before anyone reads a word of it.

Start here

Tell me about your place

You don't need to know which option you want. Tell me what's going on at your restaurant and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help — and if I can't, who might.

Straight answers

Questions restaurant owners actually ask

What does it cost?

Rates depend on what you're after — a one-off feature is priced very differently from a standing monthly partnership, and a Hoopfest-weekend event listing is different again. Tell me what you have in mind and I'll send you a number. No packages you have to decode.

Can I pay for a good review?

No. Reviews, rankings and Dish of the Month are not for sale, and they never have been. What you can buy is coverage — a feature that puts your restaurant, your story and your links in front of the people reading this site — and it will be labelled as sponsored so readers know exactly what they're looking at.

Do you only work with restaurants?

No. Breweries, wineries, distilleries, coffee roasters, bakeries, food trucks, caterers, butchers, specialty grocers and farmers markets are all fair game. If Spokane eats or drinks it, it belongs here.

Do I need to supply photos?

Send whatever you already have and like. If you don't have anything you're happy with, say so up front and we'll sort the photography out as part of the job rather than settling for a phone shot of a dark dining room.

What is On the Menu?

A paid events calendar for Spokane food and drink — ticketed dinners, releases, festival booths, one-night collaborations. It's the piece of this we're building next, and it isn't open yet. Ask to be told when it is and you'll be first on the list.

Who actually writes it?

I do. Rob Smith — twenty-six years running restaurants, a Marine before that, and now a bylined columnist in The Spokesman-Review. I've stood on your side of the pass. That's the whole reason this works.

Nobody ever filled a dining room by waiting to be discovered.

Tell me what's happening at your place. Worst case, you get an honest opinion from someone who's run the same shift you're running tonight.

Tell me about your place