[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Every Monday we make a call to our restaurant clients to find out how they got on over the weekend. Were they busy? Did everything go to plan? Is there anything we need to look out for on social media or review websites? We’ll discuss our plan for the week, what are we going to push, chef’s specials, events booked in etc.
This week, when speaking to our clients the answers to our questions were as you would most probably expect in this current situation quite different to those we usually have. Bookings had been cancelled. “What can we do, we might be in trouble,” is the edited translation asked by the owner of an Italian restaurant.
Crisis Management Meeting Arranged – Decisions Needed to Be Made
We arranged to meet in their Cardiff restaurant at lunchtime. Collectively, we went through a couple of different options and discussed each of these before making decisions. We quickly profiled the customers for both restaurants. Where do their customers live in relation to the restaurant, what are their competitors doing or can do, how old are their customers – these were just some of the questions posed and answered.
Providing a takeaway service was the obvious answer BUT in both restaurants? Would it be viable based on the operating costs of each venue? The Cardiff restaurant isn’t! The clientele there is older and more likely to be self-isolating. There are so many takeaways in the immediate area, Mamma Lina’s could not compete on price. They have established a fantastic reputation for the quality of their dishes they serve and do not want to compromise by using cheaper produce.
In Rogerstone, a takeaway service would work. There is a large customer base of frequent visitors to the restaurant. Their social media channels are very popular and enjoy a lot of engagement with followers and the kitchen is large enough to manage multiple orders at once.
Team Alliance to the Rescue
Back in our office, we quickly made the changes to the website and social media pages so they could accept orders online. Speed was of the essence to keep ahead of the competition and we needed to work out how they could take payment online – their website package (we inherited) can’t do this. So, we put a process in place.
People order online via the website and we ask they include their telephone number. Mamma Lina’s then calls to confirm their order, take their address and use their restaurant card machines to take payment. Another member of the team then sorts out time slots and groups orders together based on this and local areas.
All Set to Start
Facebook and Instagram are the obvious social media platforms to use. We quickly prepared a couple of visuals to accompany posts and started promoting the free delivery service and takeaway options. We worked out the most suitable timings to launch and pressed the green button (well it was the post one really!)
An Incredible Response
Within 12 hours the post had reached (organically) over 25,000 people. People were sharing left, right and centre and the engagement was through the roof. We should add that the team at Mamma Lina’s have been welcoming local schools, clubs and organisations from the nearby area for a few years and they also provide prizes for raffles etc. They recognise the importance of their responsibility to the residents of Rogerstone, Newport.
The takeaway and delivery services launched on Wednesday and yes there were a few minor problems that needs fixing but overall it wasn’t too bad at all. Other local restaurants were starting to introduce their own takeaway and delivery services – they were even copying our posts and posting them online! We needed to keep Mamma Lina’s on the crest of the wave.
Coverage in the South Wales Argus
We contacted the South Wales Argus to tell them about the overwhelming of support the restaurant had received. A press release was drafted, photos taken and we sent it off to our contacts there. They liked it and published it (https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/18315944.mama-linas-owners-overwhelmed-newport-community-help/)which opened up the flood gates again in terms of raising awareness. We backed this up by posting photos of the team in action and making sure we communicated their heartfelt gratitude and love to their customers.
All Going Very Well But What Else Could We Do?
We wanted to do more. Speaking with our contacts at BBC Wales, we told them about what was happening in Mamma Lina’s. Highlighted the incredible public response and how the local community were showing their support for the Mamma Lina’s family. So, on Friday we welcomed the BBC Wales Today team to the restaurant and they recorded a feature to be aired on their prime time evening news programme.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/1knY_LjG3XQ” align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We have loved being in the thick of it, helping our clients by providing a range and level of services that very few of our competitors have. If your business needs any marketing help, please get in touch with via email or call us on 01633 449885[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
