How Local Restaurants in NZ Can Get Featured on Food Blogs
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Having a well-designed website is essential for any business today. It’s often the first impression potential customers have of your brand. A
professional, functional,
and mobile-friendly site not only builds credibility but also ensures visitors can easily find the information they need—whether it's to
learn more about your services, make a purchase,
or get in touch. Your website should work as a 24/7 representative that reflects your brand identity and drives results.
Redesigning a website becomes necessary when it starts to feel outdated, loads slowly, or no longer supports your current goals.
Technology, design trends, and user expectations change quickly—what worked five years ago might now be hurting your traffic and
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How Local Restaurants in NZ Can Get Featured on Food Blogs
Why getting featured matters for local restaurants
For a local restaurant in New Zealand, being featured on reputable food blogs and dining sites does more than spark a one-off rush of
bookings. It compounds your credibility with diners, boosts visibility in Google.co.nz for searches like “best dumplings Wellington” or
“romantic dinner Christchurch,” and earns high-quality backlinks that strengthen your site’s authority over time. Editorial coverage from
established NZ titles (city guides, magazines, and niche blogs) often spreads: once one respected outlet spotlights you, others follow,
linking to your menu, booking page, or a signature story. The result: steadier traffic, a stronger brand, and resilience through seasonal
ups and downs.
Understand the NZ food-media landscape you’re pitching
New Zealand’s dining coverage spans national magazines, city guides, and curated discovery platforms. Knowing who covers what (and why)
helps you tailor pitches and build lasting relationships.
National magazines & guides:Cuisine highlights dining excellence nationally and runs the Cuisine Good Food
Awards/Guide; hundreds of establishments are showcased annually. Aligning your story with what these editors value (craft, consistency,
hospitality) improves your long-term chances of coverage. Cuisine
Magazine+1
City-centric lists and features:Metro publishes Auckland’s Top 50 and broader restaurant features—useful context
for how editorial teams evaluate restaurants across casual and special-occasion dining. While you can’t “buy” your way into these lists,
understanding their lens helps shape what you surface in pitches and on your site. metromag.co.nz+1
Curated discovery platforms:Neat Places spotlights notable venues across the country and publishes place-based
guides (e.g., Christchurch & Canterbury). These are highly referenced by locals and travelers. neatplaces.co.nz+2neatplaces.co.nz+2
Lifestyle & news brands with strong food sections:Viva (NZ Herald) regularly runs restaurant news, openings,
and reviews—great when you have genuine newsworthiness (new chef, refurb, seasonal menu with provenance). NZ
Herald+1
What-to-do publishers:Urban List and Concrete Playground operate NZ city editions and frequently update
dining roundups; they reward fresh angles, strong imagery, and clear “why now.” Concrete
Playground+4The Urban List+4The Urban List+4
Independent blogs & columns: Thoughtful commentary and hyper-local coverage (pop-ups, neighbourhood gems). These often
have loyal audiences and receptive editors when your pitch is genuinely useful (not salesy).
Awards calendars: Use awards coverage as a directional benchmark and timeline prompt for your PR—publish seasonally
relevant stories just ahead of list season. Cuisine Good Food Guide+1
Get feature-ready: fix your foundations first
Editors and bloggers say “yes” more often when a venue looks like a safe bet for their readers. Before outreach:
Sharpen your story
Distil what makes you different—e.g., a hyper-seasonal tasting menu anchored in regional produce; a neighbourhood bistro elevated by a
pastry program; a grill leaning into Aotearoa seafood and coastal herbs; or a wine list showcasing smaller NZ producers. Make sure this
“one-liner” appears consistently on your homepage, About page, and socials.
Nail the basics on your website
Fast, mobile-first pages with clear booking CTAs.
Up-to-date menus (with dates), dietary notes, and kids/large-group info.
Access & parking details, hours, and lead times for groups and private dining.
Structured data (Restaurant, Menu, LocalBusiness) to help search engines understand your content.
A press/media page with facts, short bios, and contact details for media.
Build a mini media kit
Editors move quickly. Create a shareable folder (or page) with:
10–15 hi-res images (portrait & landscape, 3000px+), labelled with dish and chef names; include interiors, exteriors,
and a hero dish.
A fact sheet (address, hours, head chef/owner, seating, cuisine, signature dishes, sustainability practices, contact).
A short brand paragraph journalists can paste.
Your logo pack (PNG/SVG).
Captions and alt text for each image (helpful for accessibility and SEO).
Curate your Google Business Profile
Keep hours, categories, and photos current. Add menus and “Order/Reserve” links. Encourage recent, honest reviews after service (never
incentivised). Journalists often sanity-check GBP before running a piece.
What editors say “yes” to (and why)
Food editors aren’t looking for an advertorial—they want something their readers will thank them for. The strongest hooks share three
traits: they’re timely, locally anchored, and useful.
Time-sensitive news
A new head chef with a distinct culinary perspective.
A refreshed interior with a tighter menu vision.
Seasonal menus tied to harvests, regional festivals, or coastal catch.
Anniversaries with special menus or collaborative takeovers.
Regional or producer stories
Traceable provenance with named growers, fishers, millers, roasters, or cheesemakers—especially when you can arrange interviews or
photography.
Limited-run products (e.g., single-farm olive oil flights, line-caught fish nights) that make timely features.
Service innovations
A tasting menu reformat that improves accessibility (dietary pathways).
A wine or non-alcoholic pairing program championing NZ producers.
Community initiatives (food-waste reduction, local apprenticeships) with measurable outcomes.
Guides and explainers
“Where to eat before the show on [Street/Precinct],” “Best late-night kitchens that still cook,” or “A local’s progressive dinner route.”
These are evergreen and often linked by city guides.
Where to pitch: a practical map (with NZ examples)
Use this as a starting point—always read a site’s latest articles to match tone and explain why your story fits.
National & award-led coverage:Cuisine is central to national dining discourse and maintains the Good Food
Awards/Guide. Align your pitch with quality, craft, and hospitality—send well-shot images and a crisp narrative, not just a menu. Cuisine
Magazine+1
Auckland-focused:Metro covers openings, trends, and compiles Auckland’s Top 50—reference why your venue serves a
gap in the city’s mix, or how your neighbourhood is evolving. metromag.co.nz+1
Curated discovery:Neat Places showcases cafés, restaurants, and bars across regions; strong imagery and a sense
of place are essential. neatplaces.co.nz+1
Lifestyle news & features:Viva is an excellent home for “what’s new” and chef or venue profiles; come with a
concise angle and quality assets. NZ Herald+1
City guides:Urban List and Concrete Playground refresh “best of” roundups frequently; pitch timely hooks
(new chef, menu refocus, pop-up collab) plus vertical and horizontal images ready to drop in. Concrete
Playground+4The Urban List+4The Urban List+4
Pitch like an editor’s ally (templates included)
Your pitch checklist
Subject lines that signal what + where + why now (“New Parnell bistro refocuses on wood-fire seafood—winter shellfish menu
now live”).
A crisp first paragraph: one sentence on the hook, one on the venue identity, one on
timing.
Three bullet points (max) with: signature dishes, chef bio, provenance note.
A single link to your media kit and another to the most relevant landing page (e.g., the winter menu page,
not just the homepage).
Availability for photos/interview, plus your mobile number.
Example outreach email
Subject: New neighbourhood bistro in Remuera with wood-fire focus — winter shellfish menu now live
Kia ora [Name],
We’ve relaunched [Restaurant] in Remuera under head chef [Name] (ex-[reference]). The menu leans into wood-fire
seafood
with a short, seasonal list and a small grower-led NZ wine program.
Why now: Our winter shellfish menu runs through August with daily landings from [Region/Port]
and house-made kombu butter.
Assets: Images (portrait & landscape) + fact sheet: [media-kit link]. Menu: [menu URL].
If useful for your readers, happy to arrange photos or a quick interview with [Chef/Owner].
Ngā mihi — [Your Name] · [Mobile]
Follow-up cadence
If no reply after 4–5 working days, send a polite single follow-up with one new micro-hook (e.g., “We’re doing a one-night collab with
[producer] next Thursday—happy to share images”).
Invite tastings the right way (and stay compliant)
Hosting a preview or set tasting can help editors and independent writers understand your food—keep it small (6–10 seats), tight (60–75
minutes), and informative (chef or sommelier speaks briefly to provenance).
If you work with influencers or creators, ensure any complimentary meal or paid partnership is clearly
disclosed.
In NZ, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) provides guidance on identifying ads; if there’s an exchange of value (including gifting),
sponsored content must be obvious and upfront (e.g., #Ad). This protects diners’ trust—and yours. Hello
Partner+3asa.co.nz+3asa.co.nz+3
Craft irresistible, link-worthy content on your site (so blogs can cite it)
Food blogs link to pages that help their readers. Make these pages outstanding and easy to cite:
Seasonal menu pages with date ranges, dish descriptions, and provenance notes.
Producer profiles (short interviews, photos from the farm/boat/roastery).
Neighbourhood dining guides on your blog (“Pre-theatre dining near [Venue] in [Precinct]”).
How-we-cook explainers (e.g., your ferment program, wood-fire method, or pastry lamination).
Allergen & dietary matrix—fast to scan, genuinely helpful, and a reason to link when blogs cover inclusive dining.
Event & collab pages with embedded booking links and a brief post-event recap (so outlets can update with your outcomes
and images).
Add a “How to cite this page” note with a suggested attribution line and canonical URL. Editors appreciate the clarity; it
increases the likelihood they link to the correct page.
Partnerships that lead to natural features
Think beyond media and into the local ecosystem—these partners run websites that link to venues readers can trust.
Regional tourism organisations & city sites list notable eateries and experiences; strong images and a concise story
improve your odds of inclusion. The Urban List+1
Producers and suppliers: co-author a short origin story or behind-the-scenes piece; most producers will link back on
“Partners” or “As Featured” pages.
Festivals & events: food weeks, neighbourhood festivals, or wine weekends usually publish vendor/sponsor pages with
links.
Community groups & charities: host or sponsor a cause night; organisers often maintain “Supporters” pages that link to
participants.
Photography that earns you coverage
You can’t pitch food without great images. Provide both portrait and landscape, a clean hero dish, an interior shot with
real guests (faces blurred or consented), and a chef/owner portrait. Avoid heavy filters; aim for natural light and accurate colour. Name
files descriptively (restaurant-name_winter-sole_2025.jpg) so editors don’t need to rename them.
Leverage awards timelines without chasing them directly
Awards shouldn’t be your strategy, but they shape conversation and drive traffic to lists that include venues like yours.
Keep an eye on Cuisine’s Good Food Awards/Guide and Metro’s Top 50 (Auckland) to understand what
excellence looks like to judges and editors—service, consistency, a clear point-of-view—then build your story and guest experience
accordingly. Align your big content pushes (new menu pages, chef interviews, professional photos) near these moments to ride the wave of
dining attention. Cuisine Good Food Guide+1
A practical 90-day plan to land your first (or next) features
Days 1–15 — Foundation and assets
Finalise a sharp story one-liner; update homepage copy and About page.
Publish one evergreen blog post (producer profile or neighbourhood mini-guide).
Build your media kit: 15 images, fact sheet, bios, logo pack.
Clean your Google Business Profile; add current menu photos.
Days 16–45 — Soft outreach & calendar
Identify 30–40 targets (mix of national, city, and curated platforms).
Send five personalised pitches per week, each with a clear hook and two links (media kit + relevant page).
Schedule one tiny tasting (6–8 seats) for independent writers.
Announce a micro-series (e.g., “Two Fridays with [local producer]”) and publish a simple event page.
Days 46–75 — Partnerships & PR
Co-write a 600-word producer story; publish on both sites with reciprocal links.
Pitch your seasonal changeover (or refurb launch) with new images to lifestyle editors.
Confirm one festival/community appearance; request a link on the organiser’s vendor page.
Prepare an accessibility or dietary matrix page; include it in relevant pitches.
Days 76–90 — Momentum & measurement
Follow up on warm pitches with one new asset (new dish photo, limited menu).
Track new referring domains, brand-search lift, reservations from referral traffic, and newsletter sign-ups.
Refresh your blog with one short “how we cook it” explainer to support future pitches.
Thank editors publicly (subtle share with proper tagging), and keep relationships warm.
Measure what actually moves bookings
Beyond vanity metrics, watch:
Referring domains & quality (especially NZ outlets and curated platforms).
Which page they link to (menu, booking, or blog resource)—and the conversion rate from each.
Brand search volume after features (an indicator of awareness lift).
Assisted conversions where a feature led to a later direct booking.
Link retention (lost link alerts) and the health of your anchor text (mostly branded/natural).
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
Promotional pitches: “We’re amazing—please feature us” doesn’t work. Lead with service to their readers.
Thin websites: Outlets won’t send readers to a site with stale menus or slow mobile pages.
Unclear photography rights: Always confirm usage terms; deliver images you own or have licensed.
All roads to the homepage: Deep links to the most relevant page perform better and keep editors happy.
Non-disclosed freebies: If you host creators, ensure disclosure aligns with ASA guidance to avoid reputational damage. asa.co.nz+1
Example targets to research (start here)
When your story is ready and your assets are solid, explore these for fit and tone (read recent articles before pitching):
Urban List — city dining and “best of” roundups. The
Urban List
Concrete Playground — city dining directories and features. Concrete
Playground
Conclusion
Food blogs and dining sites say “yes” to restaurants that make their editors’ lives easy and their readers’ nights better: a clear
point-of-view, useful information, high-quality photography, and timely, locally anchored stories. In New Zealand’s compact, connected
scene, one strong feature can snowball into many, bringing not only new guests but also durable backlinks that lift your entire digital
footprint. Build the foundations, pitch with empathy, host thoughtfully, follow the ASA’s disclosure guidance for creator collaborations,
and keep relationships warm. Do that consistently—and your restaurant will show up in the places NZ diners already trust.
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