The highly competitive New Orleans restaurant market shows how entrepreneurs attract diners with creative cuisine ads featuring appetizing words.

Since most local restaurant advertising has to be done on a tight budget, restaurateurs choose their ad words and strategies very carefully to attract the most diners. Dozens of New Orleans restaurateurs, who encounter intense competition trying to lure local and tourist diners, illustrate creative ad strategies in Gambit Weekley’s spring restaurant guide.

"Cuisine" is a more popular word than food in their ads. They advertise Creole, Cajun, Mediterranean, Vietnamese, Italian, Oriental, even Cajun-Kosher cuisine. Some of those are additionally described as "authentic," as in "authentic Creole Cuisine" and "authentic North Italian cuisine."

Traditional, Original and Culinary Are Favorite Advertising Adjectives

"Traditional" and "original" are also popular advertising adjectives, as is "homemade." Antoine’s, perhaps the city’s best known restaurant, promotes "traditions in good taste." Another restaurant raves about its "traditional homemade" cooking. Some imply a homemade quality by crediting a dish to the chef’s mama.

"Culinary delight" and "culinary delicacy" are also favorite ad phrases.

"Family" is used in some New Orleans restaurant advertising, but probably not as much as in other communities because of the city’s heavy dependence on convention business. One restaurant does advertise that "our family welcomes your family." Chef Andrea says "my home is your home."

"Freshness" is promoted heavily, especially for seafood and vegetables. Frozen seafood is probably served in some restaurants, but never advertised as such.

Some Restaurants Lure Diners With Ambiance and Location

Ambiance and location get a lot of advertising attention. One restaurant boasts of its "romantic Oriental ambiance." Another advertises its "intimate setting." One restaurant speaks of its listing in the National Register of Historic Places."

Broussard’s capitalizes on its French Quarter ambiance, advertising that it "brings you back to a more enchanting time, with our hand-painted tiles, lush tropical courtyard and three beautiful dining rooms, each with its own distinct personality and French doors that open out onto the courtyard."

The Gumbo Shop boasts of "authentic Creole cuisine in the casual elegance of a restored 1795 Creole cottage and garden patio."

LaCote tries to capitalize on its Arts District location with the headline "Edible Masterpieces," but "edible" is a borderline quality and they may have done better by moving "delectable culinary creation" from the body copy to the headline.

It's Not Just A Meal; It's a "Dining Experience"

Patio dining, especially in the French Quarter, is well promoted in spring and fall, but may be more alluring in places with less rain and heat.

One restaurant tries to sell both its food and ambiance by advertising its "dining decadence." Others promote a "dining experience," which is what many locals and tourists are seeking. To them, it’s not just a meal, but a form of entertainment or cultural adventure. Many New Orleans restaurants play to that desire.

Since many chefs enjoy celebrity status in New Orleans, they’re featured, pictured and quoted in many ads. One advertised that "there’s a new chef in town."

Some restaurants print their menu in larger ads and websites. Some highlight a few house specials, many with unique names. It’s not just "shrimp etouffee," but rather "Chef Somebody’s Shrimp Etouffee." Or it’s "Mama’s Shrimp Etouffee."

Antoine's Promotes its 1840 Founding

Other restaurants name dishes in honor of celebrities who may have ordered the dish sometime in the past. Old age is another favorite advertising item, especially when you’ve been around since 1840 (Antoine’s), 1880 (Commander’s Palace) or 1920 (Broussard’s).

With so many features to choose from, restaurants must remember to save ad room for such basics as name, address, phone, hours, dress code, website and email addresses.