PR Case Study: How Saltine Communications Helped Cherry & Oak Put Asian Smokehouse Dining in the Spotlight
In Singapore’s competitive dining scene, restaurants need more than good food to stand out. A distinctive concept, strong culinary identity and a story that gives audiences a reason to take notice can help a restaurant build meaningful visibility.
For Cherry & Oak, the story was its unique approach to smokehouse dining. Rather than following the traditional Western barbecue model, the restaurant combines slow-smoking techniques with flavours inspired by Southeast Asia and the wider Asian region.
Saltine Communications helped bring this distinctive concept to the attention of Singapore media, securing coverage across Lianhe Zaobao, The Straits Times and Augustman. Together, the features highlighted Cherry & Oak’s culinary identity, founder story and approach to modern Asian smokehouse dining.
Campaign Summary
The PR campaign focused on positioning Cherry & Oak as more than another barbecue restaurant. Its key differentiator was the way it adapted the traditional smokehouse concept to local and Asian tastes.
Led by co-founder Hairul Isa, Cherry & Oak uses cherry wood and oak for its slow-smoking process while incorporating flavours such as rendang, sambal, tom yum and other familiar Asian influences into its meats and dishes.
This gave the campaign several strong editorial angles, from culinary innovation and Asian flavours to the restaurant’s founder journey and its approach to halal dining.
Client Background
Cherry & Oak is an Asian smokehouse located on Owen Road in Singapore.
The restaurant was founded by Hairul Isa together with partners Reza Ali and Najeeb Ali. Hairul has been involved in multiple F&B concepts, with Cherry & Oak forming part of his wider journey as an entrepreneur in Singapore’s dining scene.
Rather than positioning itself purely around conventional American-style barbecue, Cherry & Oak developed an Asian smokehouse identity. Its cooking combines traditional smoking techniques with flavours and dishes that are familiar to Singaporean and Southeast Asian diners.
The Challenge
The smokehouse category has become increasingly competitive, with Singapore diners exposed to everything from American barbecue and smoked meats to modern fusion concepts.
For Cherry & Oak, the opportunity was to clearly communicate what made its approach different.
The restaurant was not simply serving smoked meat. It was using smoking techniques as a foundation for exploring Asian flavours, creating dishes such as sambal burnt ends and smoked nasi lemak bakar. The challenge was to turn this culinary difference into a story that would be interesting to food and lifestyle media.
There was also a broader founder story to communicate. Hairul and his partners had extensive experience in Singapore’s F&B scene, giving Cherry & Oak a business and entrepreneurial dimension beyond the food itself.
Our PR Strategy
Saltine Communications centred the campaign around Cherry & Oak’s strongest differentiator: its Asian interpretation of smokehouse dining.
Rather than pitching the restaurant simply as a place for smoked meats, the PR strategy highlighted how the team combines classic smoking techniques with flavours drawn from the region. This created a more distinctive story for food media and gave journalists a clear reason to explore the concept.
The campaign also highlighted the technical side of the cooking process. Cherry & Oak uses a combination of cherry wood and oak and relies on controlled temperatures and extended smoking times to develop tenderness and depth of flavour.
Another important angle was the restaurant’s interpretation of familiar Asian dishes. The Smoked Asian Platter, for example, incorporates rendang seasoning into beef brisket, while other meats feature Malaysian sweet, sour and spicy flavours, Thai-inspired tom yum seasoning and sambal. The restaurant also pairs its smoked meats with Nasi Lemak Bakar, bringing a distinctly local element to the smokehouse experience.
The campaign also opened up a conversation around halal dining. The Straits Times featured Hairul’s perspective on why Cherry & Oak chose to position itself first and foremost as an Asian smokehouse rather than lead with its Muslim-owned identity. The article noted that the restaurant’s meats are halal-certified and that its kitchen does not use pork or lard.
Together, these angles allowed Cherry & Oak to be presented not just as a restaurant, but as a distinctive F&B concept with culinary, cultural and entrepreneurial dimensions.
Media Coverage Secured
Lianhe Zaobao featured Cherry & Oak in a food story exploring different approaches to meat-focused dining in Singapore. The article highlighted the restaurant’s Asian smokehouse concept and its use of slow smoking to incorporate flavours such as rendang, tom yum and sambal into beef brisket, ribs, oxtail and burnt ends. It also highlighted the restaurant’s smoked nasi lemak, showing how the concept adapts a traditionally Western cooking method to local dining culture.
The Straits Times included Cherry & Oak in its feature examining what halal certification means for Singapore restaurants. The article provided an opportunity for the restaurant to discuss its positioning, sourcing practices and philosophy around halal dining, while also introducing its modern Asian smokehouse concept to a wider readership.
Augustman further strengthened the campaign’s lifestyle and dining positioning by featuring Cherry & Oak’s smokehouse experience and culinary identity, giving the restaurant additional exposure among readers interested in food, dining and lifestyle.
Campaign Results
The campaign secured three editorial media placements across established Singapore publications, spanning Chinese-language media, mainstream news and lifestyle media.
The coverage gave Cherry & Oak exposure through several complementary narratives. Lianhe Zaobao focused strongly on its food and Asian smoking techniques, while The Straits Times explored its approach to halal dining and business positioning. Augustman added another lifestyle and dining-focused platform.
Together, the placements helped communicate the restaurant’s identity from different perspectives while consistently reinforcing its core positioning as an Asian smokehouse with modern techniques and familiar regional flavours.
Why This Campaign Worked
Cherry & Oak had a clear point of difference that could translate naturally into editorial storytelling.
The concept combined two recognisable ideas: smokehouse cooking and Asian flavours. Instead of treating these as separate elements, the restaurant built its identity around bringing them together.
This created strong food-focused angles while also allowing journalists to explore the cultural and entrepreneurial thinking behind the concept.
The campaign also benefited from the depth of Hairul’s founder story and his experience across the F&B industry. This gave media opportunities to discuss not only what Cherry & Oak serves, but also the thinking behind the business and how its positioning has evolved.
Most importantly, the PR story remained grounded in the restaurant’s actual offering. The media coverage could demonstrate the concept through specific dishes, cooking techniques and ingredients rather than relying solely on promotional messaging.
Why Brands Hire Saltine Communications
For F&B brands, effective PR is about identifying what makes the dining concept genuinely interesting to an audience and turning that differentiator into a media-worthy story.
Saltine Communications helps restaurants and F&B businesses develop relevant angles around their food, founders, concepts, innovations and brand stories before pitching them to suitable media.
For Cherry & Oak, the campaign focused on the intersection of smokehouse techniques, Asian flavours, founder entrepreneurship and halal dining, allowing the restaurant to reach different audiences through different editorial angles.
Through strategic media pitching, Saltine helps startups, SMEs and established businesses build credibility through third-party editorial coverage across relevant Singapore media.
Frequently Asked Questions
What made Cherry & Oak newsworthy?
Cherry & Oak’s combination of traditional smokehouse techniques and Asian flavours gave the restaurant a distinctive culinary identity. Its approach to smoked meats, local dishes and regional flavours provided several natural angles for food and lifestyle media.
How can restaurants use PR to stand out?
Restaurants can use PR to communicate what makes their concept different rather than simply promoting their menu. Founder stories, culinary techniques, cultural influences, new concepts and distinctive dining experiences can all provide potential editorial angles.
Can food businesses benefit from founder-led PR?
Yes. A founder’s background, entrepreneurial journey and motivation for creating a restaurant can give journalists a human-interest or business angle that complements the food story.
What types of media can Saltine Communications help F&B brands reach?
Saltine Communications works with businesses to secure relevant editorial exposure across newspapers, online publications, magazines, radio, television and other media platforms depending on the campaign.
About Saltine Communications
Saltine Communications is a Singapore PR agency helping startups, SMEs and growing businesses secure meaningful media exposure.
The agency works across different industries, including F&B, lifestyle, beauty, technology and professional services, developing media strategies around each brand’s strongest stories and differentiators.
With guaranteed media features and press interviews available through its PR campaigns, Saltine Communications helps businesses build credibility through third-party editorial coverage without relying solely on traditional advertising.
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