A nautically-themed restaurant which was the first to fly the flag for Hull’s new-look Marina area is taking a step up from semaphore to social media with its latest marketing initiative.

The Wilson, at Freedom Quay on the corner of Hull Marina, is to become the first restaurant in the city centre to embrace “Eat and Tweet.” Manager Vanessa Tomlinson will welcome members of the Hull and East Yorkshire Twitterati, who will then bombard their followers with reviews and recommendations on the food, drink, service and other qualities that have made The Wilson so popular since it opened in October 2010.

Eat and Tweet was devised by Dave Lee, a Hull-based communications consultant and social media strategist. Previous events have taken place at hotels and restaurants in the wider Hull area and around East Yorkshire, but the evening at The Wilson on Friday 22 March will be the first for Hull city centre.

Dave said: “We approached Vanessa because we know The Wilson is the sort of place that isn’t afraid to try something new – that’s why they were the first of the new bars and restaurants to open at Hull Marina. “It’s a popular place with an excellent reputation and a prime location and we want to help Vanessa tell more people what she and her team can do.

“We’ve got a good mix of Twitterati going along on the night – people drawn from media, culture, business and sport in the local area and further afield. Unfortunately Gail Porter, one of The Wilson’s biggest fans, won’t be able to join us but we’re hoping she’ll spread the word with a few retweets!”

The Wilson drew inspiration from the area’s rich maritime heritage for its name and its decor – images of ships and registers from Ellerman’s famous Wilson Line. Since day one it has operated two different menus, with sandwiches and light lunches by day to meet the needs of leisure and business clientele and then fine dining in the evening.

“We’ve been very busy since we opened and we’ve had some great media coverage but this will be different and it’s certainly moved on from the semaphore communications that you associate with the boats that we have on our doorstep,” said Vanessa.

“In the short time since we opened Twitter has really taken off and we intend to use it to reach those people who haven’t discovered us yet. We’ve heard good reports from the other venues that have tried Eat and Tweet and we’re delighted to be the first in the city centre.”

Among the guests will be Jennifer Marshall who, as Business Liaison Officer at HullBID, works to promote city centre businesses and managed the production of the Eat, Drink, Enjoy dine brochure.

“We work very hard at HullBID to raise awareness of the quality of food and drink that is available in the city centre, and that’s what the brochure is all about,” said Jennifer. “But Eat and Tweet is a terrific new idea and we’re delighted that it is coming to The Wilson, which is a great example of the quality that the city centre has to offer. We’re sure the guests will be impressed, and we’ll be taking the opportunity to encourage diners to make Hull a regular dining destination."