Stella Artois and Emmy-Nominated Television Host and Food Expert Padma Lakshmi Pair Up in New Summer Campaign Inviting Diners Back to Their Favorite Restaurants

Ready to swap your delivery days for your favorite table out as restaurants reopen? As eating establishments return to full capacity, Stella Artois introduces “Your Table Is Ready” – a robust summer campaign that invites us all back to our favorite tables with our favorite people to rally behind restaurant recovery. “Your Table Is Ready” will inspire you and your friends to eat your hearts out at eateries again with a film featuring Padma Lakshmi, a celebratory #FirstStellaBack, a fresh approach to hosting dinner parties with OpenTable, and a specialty “Open For Good” bottle. 

“We all have that local spot with our favorite table to savor a meal together with friends and loved ones. It’s not just a location; it’s a special occasion that all begins when you’re told, ‘Your Table Is Ready,’” said Lara Krug, VP of Marketing, Stella Artois. “Over the last year, those neighborhood restaurants have been anxiously waiting for diners to return, with up to 80 percent of eateries across the country reporting risk of permanent closure. Since the heart and soul of Stella Artois is in restaurants, making up 40% of our volume, we’re championing the long-awaited return to them all summer long.”

Stella Artois and Padma Lakshmi Welcome You Back To ‘Your’ Table 

To introduce “Your Table Is Ready,” Stella Artois is partnering with Emmy-nominated television host Padma Lakshmi to excite diners for the return to restaurants. As an advocate for the restaurant industry and a long-term supporter of the James Beard Foundation, Padma will be featured in a film celebrating the restaurant tables we love gathering around with family and friends.

The film explores that feeling everyone gets when they’re at their favorite restaurant, waiting to be seated at a table. Not just any table, but their favorite table. The one that they’ve longed to reunite with. The one that they’ve created memories at. The one where they had their first date. The one with the view. The one that they’ve spent savoring time at with their loved ones. The table that is more than just a table, it’s their table, and it’s ready for their return. 

“After a heartbreaking year of seeing over 100,000 restaurant closures due to COVID-19, it is such a joy to work with Stella Artois to inspire people to finally return to their favorite eateries,” said Padma Lakshmi. “Together, we can honestly say, now more than ever, it’s important to go back to those tables. Restaurants will rebound, but only with the help of their dedicated diners.” 

The cinematic release of “Your Table Is Ready” premiered this morning and is available now on the Stella Artois YouTube page.

The Return To That Special Table Calls For a Celebratory Toast

Ready to raise a chalice to reconnect with friends at the table? As part of “Your Table Is Ready,” the brand will help cover the First Stella Back for 150,000 diners. Open for consumers nationwide, raise a chalice and visit MyCooler to savor your #FirstStellaBack now through August 31st1.

Fill The Table Family-Style With Dinner Party Out

Longing to reunite with friends and family, but don’t want the stress of planning? Whether it’s a table for two or a reunion with the crew, Stella Artois and OpenTable are partnering to flip the idea of hosting on its head with “Dinner Party Out,” unique menus with beer pairings designed especially for the event, available exclusively through OpenTable Experiences.

“Dinner Party Out” invites you to play host, without the stress of planning, at select restaurants like Ivan Ramen, Alta Calidad, Jack’s Wife Freda, Henrietta Hudson, Shalom Japan, and more. Invite your loved ones to enjoy an indulgent dining experience, featuring a multi-course tasting menu with beer pairings, crafted by the chefs of each restaurant. Plus, every party will be all-inclusive, to your liking, with custom-designed menus, dinner and drink pairings, and party favors.

“Our data shows that nearly 80% of restaurants on OpenTable have reopened in the U.S., and the volume of diners at those restaurants are nearing or meeting 2019 levels,” said Susan Lee, Chief Growth Officer at OpenTable. “We are thrilled to partner with Stella Artois to welcome diners back to the table with unique and memorable experiences.”

Starting in New York City, “Dinner Party Out” will expand to Miami and Washington, D.C. throughout the summer with additional cities to come. Available to book your “Dinner Party Out” now at OpenTable.com/DinnerPartyOut, with the first tables available this weekend. 

Enjoy Stella Artois In “Open For Good” Aluminum Bottle

Stella Artois joined forces with The James Beard Foundation® on a new 14oz “Open For Good” aluminum bottle to support the restaurant industry’s recovery. Available exclusively in restaurants and bars starting on June 7th, simply savor Stella Artois in this fresh, sleek way while dining out, and the brand will donate a portion of proceeds towards the Foundation’s “Open For Good” campaign. Visit StellaArtois.com/JBF for more information.

Stella Artois remains committed to helping the restaurant industry recover every step of the way. Through its 2020 relief initiatives and ongoing support, the brand has contributed $1.28 million in industry support to date and will continue in the fight to help rebuild the industry.

“Your Table Is Ready” is a robust marketing campaign that will live on television, online, social, and OOH nationwide all summer long. The program is part of Anheuser-Busch’s “Let’s Grab A Beer” platform that aims to make the moments we come together over a Stella Artois even better. To learn more about “Let’s Grab A Beer,” visit Anheuser-Busch.com. 

1 Where legally permissible. For full details and information, visit MyCooler.com. 

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About Stella Artois

Stella Artois® is part of a brewing tradition dating back to 1366. True to the time-honored recipe, Stella Artois is crafted with three ingredients–saaz hops, malted barley, and water. Stella Artois has a wonderful hop aroma, well-balanced malt sweetness, crisp hop bitterness, and a soft dry finish. Stella Artois is best enjoyed served between 37.4- and 41-degree Fahrenheit and should be served in the unique Stella Artois Chalice according to the 9-Step Pouring Ritual to guarantee a perfect experience of this gold standard lager. Visit www.stellaartois.com for more information.

About Anheuser-Busch

For more than 165 years, Anheuser-Busch has carried on a legacy of brewing great-tasting, high-quality beers that have satisfied beer drinkers for generations. Today, we own and operate more than 120 facilities, including breweries, wholesaler distribution centers, agricultural facilities and packaging plants, and have more than 19,000 colleagues across the United States. We are home to several of America’s most recognizable beer brands, including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Stella Artois, as well as a number of regional brands that provide beer drinkers with a choice of the best-tasting craft beers in the industry. From responsible drinking programs and emergency drinking water donations to industry-leading sustainability efforts, we are guided by our unwavering commitment to supporting the communities we call home. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com or follow Anheuser-Busch on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

About Padma Lakshmi

Padma Lakshmi is an Emmy-nominated food expert, television producer, host, and The New York Times, best-selling author. She is the creator of the critically acclaimed Hulu series Taste the Nation, which received a 2021 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series, which has just been greenlit for a second season. Lakshmi serves as host and executive producer of Bravo’s two-time Emmy-winning series Top Chef, which has been nominated for 32 Emmys, including her two-time nomination for Outstanding Host for A Reality-Competition Program. Its new season will be premiering in spring 2021. Lakshmi is co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EFA) and an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Artist Ambassador for immigrants’ rights and women’s rights. Lakshmi was also appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She established herself as a food expert early in her career, hosting two successful cooking shows: Padma’s Passport, and Planet Food and writing the best-selling Easy Exotic, which won the “Best First Book” award at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Lakshmi followed this with the publication of her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, and her memoir The New York Times best-selling Love, Loss, and What We Ate. She later published The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs. In August of 2021, she will publish her first children’s book Tomatoes for Neela. Additionally, Lakshmi is a visiting scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has received the 2018 Karma Award from Variety, as well as the 2016 NECO Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

About OpenTable

OpenTable, part of Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG), powers reservations for the hospitality industry. OpenTable’s software seats more than 1 billion people per year and helps more than 60,000 restaurants, bars, wineries and other venues attract guests, manage capacity, improve operations and maximize revenue.

About James Beard Foundation

The James Beard Foundation(R) promotes Good Food For Good(R). For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has asserted the power of food to drive behavior, culture, and policy change. The organization is committed to giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good(™) campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before. For more information, subscribe to the digital newsletter Beard Bites and follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The James Beard Foundation is a national not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in New York City.