Grand Opening Press Release Template

Announce a new store, restaurant, office, or facility opening. A full example release, the copy-paste skeleton, and an AI prompt tuned for this announcement type.

Press release templates / Grand Opening press release template

What is a grand opening press release?

A grand opening press release announces a new physical location: a store, restaurant, office, clinic, or facility. It is local news first. The address, the opening date, the jobs created, and the opening-day details are what local editors print, usually close to verbatim, so write those lines the way you want them to appear.

When should you use one?

Two to three weeks before opening day for local calendars and weekly papers, with a reminder to local newsrooms the week of. If there is a ribbon cutting or a first-day promotion, put the exact time in the release. For coverage beyond the release itself, invite local press directly; the release is the record, the invitation is the relationship.

Example grand opening press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hearthside Bakery to Open Second Location in Maplewood on October 3

The 2,400-square-foot bakery and cafe brings 18 jobs and the company's first full coffee bar.

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — September 15, 2026 — Hearthside Bakery, a family-owned bakery operating in South Orange since 2015, will open its second location at 84 Maplewood Avenue on Saturday, October 3, at 8 a.m. The 2,400-square-foot bakery and cafe creates 18 full- and part-time jobs and adds the company's first full coffee bar.

Opening day includes free coffee with any purchase until noon and a ribbon cutting with the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce at 9 a.m. The location will operate Tuesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with wholesale pickup for restaurant accounts on weekday mornings.

The Maplewood build-out took eight months and preserves the storefront's original 1920s tin ceiling. Hiring for six remaining positions continues at hearthsidebakery.example.

"South Orange kept asking when we were coming to Maplewood, and the honest answer was: when the right corner opened up," said Teresa Vaughn, co-owner of Hearthside Bakery. "Eighty-four Maplewood Avenue is that corner."

About Hearthside Bakery — Hearthside Bakery is a family-owned bakery in Essex County, New Jersey, baking sourdough breads and pastries since 2015 and supplying 20 area restaurants through its wholesale program. Learn more at hearthsidebakery.example.

Media Contact Teresa Vaughn Co-owner [email protected] (973) 555-0151

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Example grand opening press release (fictional, for illustration).

Why this example works

Headline: Business, location, and date. Local editors run this line nearly unchanged.

Lead: Full street address, opening time, jobs number, and what is new. The four facts every local story includes.

Body: Opening-day specifics with exact times, then regular hours. Calendar listings are built from this paragraph.

Quote: The owner sounding like a neighbor, not a brand.

Boilerplate: The business history and the wholesale detail give a reporter the second paragraph of their story.

Copy-paste grand opening press release template

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Business] to Open [New Location] in [City or Neighborhood] on [Date]

[Subheadline: size or scope, jobs created, and what is new about this location]

[CITY, State] — [Month Day, Year] — [Business name], [one-line description with founding year], will open [what it is] at [full street address] on [day, date, time]. [Jobs created and the one thing this location adds.]

[Opening-day details with exact times: promotions, ribbon cutting, entertainment. Then regular hours. 3-4 sentences.]

"[The owner on why this location, in plain speech]," said [Full Name], [Title] of [Business]. "[Optional second sentence.]"

[Background paragraph: build-out details, local partnerships, remaining hiring with a link.]

About [Business]
[Standard boilerplate, 1-3 sentences, with website.]

Media Contact
[Name, Title, Email, Phone]

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Grand Opening press release AI prompt

Fill in the facts section, then paste the whole thing into ChatGPT, Claude, or the Press Ranger AI writer.

AI prompt: grand opening press release

Write a grand opening press release using the facts below. Follow these rules exactly:

- Third person throughout. First person only inside the quote.
- Structure: headline naming the business, the location, and the opening date (under 100 characters); one-sentence subheadline with size or scope, jobs created, and what is new; dateline paragraph opening "CITY, State — Month Day, Year —" with the full street address, day and time of opening, jobs created, and what this location adds, in two sentences; an opening-day paragraph with exact times for promotions and ceremonies followed by regular hours; one quote from the owner in plain speech; a background paragraph with build-out details and remaining hiring; an About boilerplate; a media contact block.
- No author byline. No first-person narration. Attribute any statistic to a named source. Around 350 words. Plain text, no markdown.

MY OPENING FACTS (replace before running):
- Business: {NAME, ONE-LINE DESCRIPTION, FOUNDING YEAR}
- Location: {FULL STREET ADDRESS, CITY, WHAT IT IS, SQUARE FOOTAGE}
- Opening: {DAY, DATE, TIME}
- Jobs: {NUMBER CREATED, HIRING STILL OPEN}
- Opening day: {PROMOTIONS, RIBBON CUTTING, EXACT TIMES}
- Regular hours: {DAYS AND HOURS}
- Spokesperson: {NAME, TITLE}
- Boilerplate: {YOUR STANDARD BUSINESS DESCRIPTION}
- Contact: {NAME, EMAIL, PHONE}

The rules in the prompt produce a release formatted to pass wire editorial review: third person, no bylines, attributed statistics.

Frequently asked questions

When should I announce a grand opening?

Two to three weeks before opening day, which catches local calendars and weekly print deadlines. Send local newsrooms a short reminder the week of the opening.

What should a grand opening press release include?

The full street address, the opening date with the exact time, jobs created, opening-day promotions with their times, regular hours, and one line on what makes this location different. Local editors print these details nearly verbatim.

How do I get local press to actually show up?

The release is the record; the invitation is the relationship. Email local reporters and the chamber of commerce directly, give them a photo-worthy moment with an exact time, and make the owner available on site.

How do I distribute a grand opening press release?

Local and regional outlets matter most for an opening. Our wholesale press release distribution publishes to named outlets including Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, and AP News for $299 to $399 flat, with local and regional targeting available.

Ready to publish? Press Ranger distributes releases to named outlets including Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, and AP News at wholesale prices ($299–$399 flat). See the wholesale distribution page or create a free account.