The simple pop-up set-up outside Steve & Cookie ’ s
Chef Vernick serving at the pop-up event
at the hotel restaurant , which he says took a lot of time to sort out . “ We were lucky to be able to collaborate with the hotel ’ s banquets team during the planning process which helped to ensure all the prep work needs were met and that we could continue to operate the restaurant as is ,” Chef Vernick says .
Since the pop-up was part of a brand awareness campaign , ROI was partially measured in the reach it had to new audiences in the nearby shore towns . The seaside restaurant is also very familiar and special to the Philadelphia community . “ Most of the customers were those who lived down in Margate or vacationing for the week in those neighboring beaches ,” says Lisa Tareila , director of Public Relations & Marketing Communications at the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center . It was also covered in national media outlets like Food & Wine and Town & Country .
Tareila adds that after the event , the hotel restaurant saw a 13 % uptick in new guest reservations , many of whom joined them for the first time during the Down the Shore pop-up , attended the Farm to Table Benefit dinner , or heard about Vernick Fish through the added exposure it had from local editorial stories and influencers . During the campaign promotion , the hotel ’ s combined social media followers grew by 84 % when compared to the previous quarter , and social engagement was up by 42 %.
When designing a culinary experience outside of the home hotel restaurant , it ’ s also important to listen to local partners who know the market and can help support generating awareness , especially when it ’ s a location that many in the community have deep and personal feelings about , Tareila adds . “ We took recommendations of where to place promotional material and market our event in key locations that would drive the most foot traffic ,” she says . “ Collaborating with local influencers gave us the ability to tap into their engaged audience and capture content to drive social buzz and continued foot traffic throughout the week . We loved hearing that guests learned about us through seeing it on their social feed – it underscores the power of social media and how it can help amplify a marketing campaign .”
Taking the team out of the kitchen for a weekalso created this powerful team-building moment which was really important to Chef Vernick . “ After the ups and downs over the last two years , it felt refreshing and energizing to get team members out of the restaurant , and give them a chance to interact with guests , serve our food and practice our style of hospitality within a different environment ,” he says . “ Being so close to the sea has many benefits .”
In fact , the team was so energized from the momentum built during the event it is already taking the steps to make it an annual event . “ In planning for Down the Shore , we created an identity ; from the custom build that included our personalized logo , to the branded merchandise , we integrated ourselves into the community . Next year , we ’ re hoping to bring more of our staff , so the entire team gets to experience the magic of Margate ,” Tareila says . “ We received many requests from our social media followers looking to purchase the branded merchandise that we ’ re considering adding online and in-person pick-up capabilities for next year to allow our fans based outside of Philadelphia .”
Guests enjoy the sold out , $ 1,000 a seat benefit dinner