Melissa Libby, president of Melissa Libby & AssociatesMelissa Libby, owner of hospitality public relations firm Melissa Libby & Associates (MLA), announced her retirement starting at the end of June. MLA team members and clients will move to Caren West PR, a firm that also specializes in hospitality public relations.
A graduate of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, Libby has worked in hospitality public relations in Atlanta for more than 40 years. Starting at Hyatt Hotels, she eventually launched her own public relations firm in 1992.
Longtime industry colleague Ellen Hartman says, “I tease Melissa that I taught her everything she knows about PR. But in reality, she taught me about hospitality PR, elevating brands to fill the tables night after night, and about building a successful PR agency. She is the gold standard.”
MLA’s long list of restaurant clients ranges from national quick service restaurants to fine dining restaurants. John Metz, founder of Sterling Hospitality, parent company of Marlow’s Tavern and the Woodall, says, “Melissa and her company have worked and partnered with me and our company since almost the beginning, when we opened our first restaurant—30 years ago now! It has been exciting to watch her develop a first-class organization. Melissa and her company have had a profound impact on our business, supporting our growth in the Atlanta market and beyond. I can’t thank her enough for the incredible impact she has had on our company. Thank you, Melissa, and congratulations on all of your accomplishments and the mark you have had on the Atlanta restaurant industry. We and it would not be the same without you!”
Active in organizations like Les Dames D’Escoffier and the Georgia Restaurant Association, Libby gave back to the restaurant industry that she served. In 2022, the Georgia Restaurant Association awarded Melissa Libby & Associates the GRACE Industry Partner of the Year award.
Libby was an early contributing writer for Restaurant Informer. She and her team wrote on everything from pasture-raised eggs to wine awards and industry trends. Along with writing articles for Restaurant Informer, Libby also was included in several articles, sharing her expertise with the restaurant industry. We interviewed her on how to create a successful cookbook, marketing with technology and online coupon marketing.
The restaurant industry will miss Melissa Libby but will continue to feel the impact of her work, elevating Atlanta’s restaurant industry to national recognition and cultivating the next generation of hospitality PR leaders.
