CONTACT US

Setting The Stage at

Best Friend

The Challenge

In 2018, Kirvin Doak Communications led the public relations strategy for the launch of Best Friend at Park MGM – a deeply personal, genre-defying concept from LA’s celebrated chef Roy Choi. As his first venture outside California, Best Friend needed to do more than introduce a new restaurant. It had to authentically translate Roy’s distinct cultural impact and hometown credibility into the Las Vegas market – a city often met with skepticism by purist food media. The challenge was to connect with Roy’s passionate LA fanbase while also attracting a global audience of Las Vegas visitors and to build Best Friend into a social and editorial brand that could stand on its own, with or without the Choi name.

Our Approach

Roy Choi built his legacy through unconventional, community-first storytelling – and so did we. From interactive livestreams to intimate media moments, every tactic honored his style. Highlights included:

  • Facebook Live Menu Reveal: Instead of a press release, Roy personally unveiled Best Friend’s menu in an interactive video cooking session. The event drew 350K+ views and launched the restaurant’s social media voice with impact.
  • Video First Look with LA Times: Recognizing that written words couldn’t fully capture Roy’s vision, we pivoted from print exclusives to secure a video feature with the LA Times, allowing Roy to tell his story directly to his hometown audience.
  • Creating Local Media Ambassadors: We turned skeptics into supporters with curated media visits, creating relationships that continue to earn Best Friend coverage as a Las Vegas staple.
  • Beyond the Food Pages: Targeted placements with streetwear outlets, YouTubers and cultural journalists helped define Best Friend’s personality – not just its cuisine.
  • Owning the Neighborhood Narrative: With Park MGM still emerging from the Monte Carlo transformation, Best Friend became a narrative anchor, leveraging the visibility of A-list residencies like Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars to generate celebrity-driven buzz and brand heat.

What We Accomplished

The results were as flavorful and genre-bending as the restaurant itself, delivering more than 1 billion impressions, hundreds of thousands of social engagements and editorial coverage that reached national, international and culturally diverse outlets rarely seen in Vegas restaurant PR. The campaign also sparked media storytelling that centered on Roy’s voice and vision, bringing his multidimensional narrative to life across every platform. By staying true to Roy’s unconventional storytelling style and evolving the traditional playbook, Best Friend became more than a restaurant launch – it became a movement.

The Results

The results were as flavorful and genre-bending as the restaurant itself, delivering more than 1 billion impressions, hundreds of thousands of social engagements and editorial coverage that reached national, international and culturally diverse outlets rarely seen in Vegas restaurant PR. The campaign also sparked media storytelling that centered on Roy’s voice and vision, bringing his multidimensional narrative to life across every platform. By staying true to Roy’s unconventional storytelling style and evolving the traditional playbook, Best Friend became more than a restaurant launch – it became a movement.

Project Highlights