Welcome to your secret weapon for growing your food and beverage business. I'm Dr. Robert Urban, CEO of PaperBoat Media and a marketing consultant who has been in the trenches of digital strategy for years.

If you're in the bar, restaurant, food truck, or food & beverage supply business, you already know how fiercely competitive the local market is. My job? To make sure you don’t just survive—you thrive. Let’s talk about how I can take your brand to the next level.

I’ve worked with a wide range of businesses, from local mom-and-pop diners to upscale cocktail bars, craft breweries, and regional suppliers servicing hundreds of commercial clients. Each of these ventures comes with its own set of operational challenges, but at the core, they all want the same thing: more customers, higher ticket sizes, and rock-solid brand loyalty.

Exhaustive Types of Bars, Nightlife Venues & In-House Activities We Market

The hospitality and nightlife sector is remarkably diverse. Our bespoke marketing frameworks are tailored to an exhaustive array of drinking establishments and guest-engagement activities:

In-House Activities & Events We Promote

To keep weekday and weekend calendars consistently packed, we design targeted campaigns for diverse venue events:

• Trivia & Bingo Nights: Boosting slow mid-week foot traffic (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) with themed pop-culture trivia and prizes.
• Live Acoustic Sessions & Indie Jam Nights: Attracting music lovers looking for intimate, relaxed local entertainment.
• Craft Cocktail Masterclasses & Mixology Classes: Generating high-margin ticketed experiences where guests learn to shake, stir, and pour like professionals.
• Spirit-Release Launch Parties: Partnering with regional distilleries for exclusive first-tastes and bottle-signing events.
• Charity Fundraisers & Community Benefit Nights: Partnering with local non-profits to drive goodwill and packed dining rooms.

What I Offer: Comprehensive Marketing Services

1. Marketing Strategy Development

Every business is unique, so cookie-cutter solutions won’t cut it. I’ll work with you to identify your business goals, customer base, and unique selling points to create a custom marketing strategy.

• Market analysis and competitor benchmarking across your local radius
• Identifying target audiences and creating detailed customer personas
• Multi-channel marketing strategies spanning social media, email, SEO, and PPC
• Seasonal campaign planning (perfect for food trucks and bars with rotating specials!)

2. Digital Marketing

Your customers live online. Whether they’re scrolling through Instagram for food inspiration or searching Google for a new place to grab a drink, I’ll make sure your brand is right there when they’re ready to make a decision.

• Social media management across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts
• Paid advertising campaigns (Google Ads, Meta Ads, and hyper-targeted retargeting)
• Local and regional search engine optimization (SEO) for top map pack placement
• Email marketing automation to turn one-time visitors into lifelong regulars

3. Website Design and Optimization

Your website is often the first impression customers have of your business. I create sleek, user-friendly sites that reflect your brand identity and drive conversions—whether that’s table reservations, online food ordering, or newsletter sign-ups.

• Mobile-first, responsive design (essential for hungry food truck patrons and mobile searchers!)
• Integrated online ordering systems and table reservation widgets (OpenTable, Resy, Toast)
• Technical search engine optimization (SEO) and fast page speed optimization
• Seamless integration with point-of-sale (POS) systems and third-party delivery apps

4. Brand Development

Whether you’re launching a new food truck or giving an established restaurant a much-needed refresh, your brand needs to stand out. I’ll help you develop a memorable identity that keeps customers coming back.

• Logo design and cohesive visual identity guidelines
• Menu engineering and optimization (designed not just for looks, but for sales psychology)
• Storytelling frameworks to highlight your unique culinary offerings and core values
• Packaging and label design for food and beverage suppliers scaling into retail

5. Community Engagement and PR

For bars and restaurants especially, local reputation is everything. I’ll help you foster strong relationships within your community through events, strategic partnerships, and PR strategies that get people talking about your venue.

How I Work

I’m not here to hand you a generic plan and walk away. My approach is collaborative, meaning we work together to identify opportunities, implement strategies, and measure success. I’ll be with you every step of the way, tweaking campaigns and advising on what’s working and what’s not.

1. Discovery Session: We’ll dig deep into your business goals, operational bottlenecks, and financial targets.
2. Strategy Creation: I’ll present a customized, step-by-step plan tailored specifically to your needs.
3. Implementation: My team and I can execute the strategy or guide your in-house staff every step of the way.
4. Analytics and Optimization: We’ll track results in real-time and refine the approach for maximum return on investment.

Frequently Asked Questions About F&B Marketing Consulting