Local food blogger launches consulting business Food Speaks

The blogging community knows every woman restaurant critic Heather Willard best as The Food Hussy. But when she's not talking about her latest eating adventure in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky, she's working as an experienced internet and advertising professional.

At least she was working until two weeks ago when she was laid off, another casualty of the struggling economy. But Willard didn't fret long, and just last week launched Food Speaks.  

Food Speaks is a consulting company geared toward independently owned small- to medium-sized restaurants. The company will work with eateries on three fronts, Willard, of Pleasant Ridge, said.

"I look at 'their voice' how they present themselves, their service, food prices and the entire experience of dining. Then I look at the 'people's voice,' what people are saying about them on sites like Twitter or Facebook and other social media. I also look at their Web site to make sure that its user friendly and can show up higher in search engine results," Willard said.

She'd been developing the idea for a few months and has consulted with Café Bella in Mason, but decided to launch the company after losing her job.

"I've worked for entrepreneurs all of my life. I know restaurants around here need help, and I think I can help them. I look at a lot of their web sites and they're terrible. I want to call them up and say, 'If you do these five things it will be better,'" she said.

Willard, a University of Iowa grad, has more than 15 years experience working with local businesses to build and improve their internet presence. She also has radio and television production advertising experience.  The Food Hussy is a top-rated Cincinnati blog on the UrbanSpoon.com, a nationwide network of restaurant reviews and blogs.

Web and social media is a game changer for restaurants, and can offer smaller ones a competitive advantage if used effectively, Willard said. One the other hand, a few negative online reviews can hurt businesses if not handled properly or ignored, she said.

"In the old days the only voices were newspaper food critics, and they would review the bigger restaurants maybe once a year. Today everyone with a Twitter or Facebook account is a critic. If they have 500 friends and they have a bad experience at a restaurant everyone sees it," she said. "Most restaurants are in a vacuum and aren't listening to their audience. If they don't listen to their customers they won't have a business."

Willard said she'll continue to blog, but will not review places that she takes on as clients.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Heather Willard, founder Food Speaks and The Food Hussy

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