What Drives Us

At its core, Plate has always been guided by chefs’ love for food and a commitment to serving their customers. We’re now expanding our mission to include greater insights into operations, crucial industry-related and social issues, in-depth chef profiles, and more of what it takes to sustain a restaurant in today’s climate. This deepens our unique connection with professional chefs as we share their stories, amplify their voices, inspire their creativity, and promote their impact on food and restaurant culture.

We know delivering rich and balanced content is essential. While we will continue to highlight the latest culinary trends and industry best practices, we will also share insights into the personalities, inspiration, and communities that make restaurants important. We’ll do everything we can to keep our readers well-informed and help them address critical new realities of survival as a chef/restaurateur.

In spite of the extraordinary challenges facing the restaurant industry, Plate’s connection with chefs remains stronger than any other media brand. We’ll continue to remind them why they love to cook and provide the inspiration they need to fuel their passion.

Our Editorial Credo

Independent chefs are invested in learning, constantly seeking new and innovative food and menu ideas for their restaurants. Often imbued with a rich cultural background and family heritage. Chefs capitalize on new flavors and ingredients, creating interesting new dishes that reflect their unique stories. They also value insights and perspectives from equally passionate and inspired chefs who have made an impact on the industry and the communities they serve.

Today’s chefs need more than just well-honed skills and an intimacy with food and flavors. They have to master everything from safety protocols, fair treatment and equality issues, and employee benefits to fluctuating margins, new methods of food service and delivery, operational efficiency, marketing their own businesses and more.

Going forward, every issue of Plate will present a balance of food innovation and restaurant operations, as well as illuminating chef profiles, stories about food culture and community, and narratives linked to pivotal social issues impacting the industry. Plate print issues will be mirrored and complemented by our online coverage with the same insightful profiles, stories and features. We’ve realigned our editorial mix to deliver coverage across channels that is both timely and consequential to today’s independent chefs in their quests to survive and thrive.

Issues in 2022:
January/February Ad Close: 12/10/21 — Materials Due 12/24/21
March/April Ad Close: 2/2 — Materials Due 2/15
May/June Ad Close: 4/1 — Materials Due 4/12
July/August Ad Close: 6/7 — Materials Due 6/21
September/October Ad Close: 8/5 — Materials Due 8/19
November/December Ad Close: 10/19 — Materials Due 11/2

An Audience Open to Exploring
New Ideas

Two-thirds of Plate’s audience are chefs that are pivotal to decisions on purchasing and restaurant operations. Across the board, they want to know the latest issues impacting their industry and to hear about new products and solutions that will help them flourish.

For advertisers, this translates into targeted opportunities to reinforce your brand’s appeal, align with the most current trends and industry dynamics, feature creative applications of your offerings, and connect with more than 46,000 chefs and restaurateurs. By advertising with Plate, you can deepen brand appreciation, drive qualified traffic to your site, and achieve more of your marketing objectives.

Plate Readership Profile*

Upscale/Midscale Casual Dining 72.5%

Hotels, Resorts, Casinos and
Country Clubs 9.1%

Fast Casual/QSR 7.7%

Onsite Foodservice 3.5%

Caterer/Catering Firms 3.2%

Foodservice Other 4.0%

*Source: 2020 BPA Brand Report

Connecting You to Hard-to-Reach Chefs

Our content is served up to chefs and restaurateurs across multiple platforms. By advertising with Plate or PlateOnline, sponsoring a program at PlateTalks events, or by participating in Plate’s customized content programs, you have a strategic opportunity to increase chef engagement, brand preference and product loyalty.

  • “I want to be an integral part of my community and serve the people who live around my restaurant. It’s not about your ego and the prettiest dessert. It’s about quality of food and life, and the community.”
    –Carlo Lamagna, Magna, Portland

  • “People just wanted something to smile about. And a fine dining restaurant turning into drive-through burger stand was definitely something to smile about.”
    –Brian Canlis, Canlis, Seattle

  • “What would really help is a government-assisted program that could give money in one swoop.”
    –Chris Shepard/Kathryn Lott, Southern Smoke, Houston

  • “Our kitchen dynamic is evolving towards social democracy and social gastronomy. Instead of having a chef dictate everything, it’s a team dialogue.”
    –Irena Stein, Alma Cocina Latina, Baltimore

  • “This aguachile transports me to my childhood summers. The serrano chiles give it that beautiful green flavor. ”
    –Claudette Zepeda, Alila Marea Beach Resort, Encinitas

  • “Show what you’re doing to keep people safe. Then show how you’re helping the community. Like-minded customers will likely follow.”
    –Todd Grossman, Roots Pizza, Chicago

  • “Restaurant workers pivot really quicly. That’s what makes us a little different. You see a problem, you find a solution. As long as there are people to help, we’ll be there.”
    –Edward Lee, The Lee Initiative, Louisville

Plate Connects with Chefs

Plate delivers exclusive, inspirational, and engaging content to our audience of innovative, creative, and inspired chefs. We do this through a thoughtfully edited and beautifully designed print magazine, engaging and timely online articles, easy-to-access digital editions, weekly newsletters and social media content. Alongside photography that engages and content that informs, advertisers can tell their stories, build demand for their products and enhance brand preference. Through print and digital sponsorship opportunities, newsletters, virtual-event sponsorships, custom content and video, there’s no shortage of brand-building opportunities.

More fuel for your marketing success

Click on the links below for details on the following offerings:
Virtual Event Programs
Plate’s Custom Content

Print and web specifications

Download BPA Brand Audit

Customize a Program in Plate

We encourage our supplier community to stay in front of their customers by providing useful and relevant solutions that can help keep their businesses running. Brand growth comes from understanding your customers’ needs and providing solutions when and where they need them most.

Our advertising and sponsorship options allow you to reach an exclusive community of innovative and creative chefs. Knowing how important and challenging it can be to reach this valuable audience, we’re here to simplify the process. Let us show you how a customized Plate advertising program reaches chefs, accelerates brand-building, and helps you meet your marketing objectives.

VP/Publisher
Gerald White
312-274-2213
gwhite@plateonline.com

Associate Publisher/
Director of Advertising & Strategy
Rachel Walker
810-358-1495
rwalker@plateonline.com