Crave
New Eclectic American Restaurant
objective
Restaurants need a loyal local following. They also need to attract foodies that want to travel to have an amazing dining experience. It is imperative to follow a restaurant marketing framework that allows you to turn on the traffic whenever needed using targeted advertising, SEO, and local search strategies. Everything from content marketing and influencer programs to website optimizations and environmental design all must work together to appear as an effortless engagement with your audience.
“Always evolve your brand… & design all your channels to convert
challenge
Even with a prime location, a team of Auguste Escoffier graduates, and a Harvard Business-level pricing strategy, a restaurant will fail if it doesn’t get butts in seats. And “butts in seats” is a tall order when facing challenges like endless competition, rising inflation and pandemics that change where and how people eat forever. It’s astoundingly daunting. And it’s no surprise that one in three American restaurants won’t live to celebrate their first birthday.
If you’re a passionate pursuer of the restaurant world, you may have found yourself wondering if you confused a dream with a nightmare. First of all, never stop following your dreams. Second, there’s good news. The fact is that for all our scientific advancements, people still need to eat. So why not eat with you? When you’ve got a good product to offer, you just need the right help to make it a success.
AND THERE’S HELP OUT THERE. RIGHT HERE, ACTUALLY. WE’VE DONE IT BEFORE. HERE’S AN EXAMPLE.
PEOPLE LOVE TO BE IN THE KITCHEN WITH THE CHEF.
"YOUR WEBSITE CAN'T BE JUST A WEBSITE"
Building a website is one thing, building a digital initiative that scales your business is another. The EatDrinkCrave.com website provides customers and prospects the content and tools they need to be loyal to the Crave brand. It is imperative that your website helps your customers do business with you.
solution
Even in our modern world, it still starts with the brand. We evolved the new Crave to have a distinct identity from the one we created 16 years earlier — expressed in everything from a refreshed logo to environmental design to a highly functional website.
We opened the new Bowery Street restaurant by showcasing the brand and experience before the doors ever opened. Distinctive window graphics got people excited about what was to come.
We all know that promotional tactics that worked 10 years ago (or 10 months ago) don’t work the same way today. Everything in our integrated campaign was created with social media in mind: sharable content, geotargeted paid ads, a robust influencer program with a special focus on lunch, even window decals featuring a selfie mural to generate buzz. We used local alliance marketing – joining forces with the neighbors to infuse more life into downtown Akron. Social search and locally targeted SEO made sure Crave was found. And with established social communities, we were able to turn challenging time slots like Friday lunch hours into opportunities.
SUPERIOR CONTENT DRIVES TRAFFIC
results
Even with the restaurant industry reeling since the COVID pandemic and civil unrest in downtown Akron, we opened the doors during the summer of 2022. Despite the challenging climate, we quickly determined that the next generation of Crave will continue to be a success. Why? Because we let diehard fans and new believers know that Crave is where Northeast Ohio goes for a unique experience to host events, lunch, an intimate dinner for two—and to satisfy those cravings for an amazing dining experience.
“Comfort food with a fine dining twist. We call it Eclectic New American”
