Through social media, events, commercials, and implementing modern processes, Garage Door Films is helping Sundowners Family Restaurant grow and maintain a 35% margin.
Short into the life of Garage Door Films, Eric Parra and Andrew Boomer were approached by a local San Bernardino restaurant, Sundowners Family Restaurant.
They were the first big, recurring client of Garage Door Films. The owner told Eric and Andrew that he had little social media presence and was looking to increase his customer base.
Talks began, and Eric and Andrew communicated how their services could help and what their long term strategy would look like.
They determined their strategy for Sundowners would be to share their story through achieving the following goals: increasing their social media and commercial presence, engaging with its local and loyal customers, and creating a sustainable ecosystem for Sundowners’ growth and continued evolution.
With these goals established, Andrew and Eric went to work on setting Sundowners on a path to financial stability and an engaging media presence.
Beginning with Embracing the Local’s Love for Sundowners to Share its Story Through Multiple Channels
Eric and Andrew knew Sundowners had a large and loyal existing customer base that was waiting and willing to engage in the restaurant. They determined this group was essential for their strategy and tailored it to speak to them.
They implemented a new and modern social media presence, targeting the existing customers of the San Bernardino area, and sharing with them the unique story of Sundowners.
They created Facebook ads,social media advertising, ran in-person events, and engaged Sundowners’ loyal supporters on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
In under two years, these social media strategies had resulted in over 2,300 more followers, increased interaction, and more platforms for customers to engage with the local restaurant they loved.
As part of this phase, Eric and Andrew also created commercials for the restaurant, including full-length ads, promotions, and shorts on social media platforms. The customer base grew to such an extent that Eric and Andrew were able to convince Sundowners’ owner to host a live event to celebrate the restaurant’s 40th birthday—a key landmark in the Sundowners story.
They organized and spread the word through Facebook events, created physical on-brand materials on-site, a raffle, and even invited the mayor of San Bernardino. The mayor showed up, as did thousands of others. Within three hours of the first day, Sundowners had run on another of Eric and Andrew’s ideas, an “all-you-can-eat baby back ribs” feast.
At the end of the day there was no food left, but there was an excess of success. Customers engaged and showed their support and affection for a restaurant they loved. The owner was blown away, and soon after, increased his investment with Garage Door Films.
Ramping up Production to Engage with Loyal Customers
The week following their first-ever event planning and filming, Eric and Andrew ramped up their social media production with more posts, more interaction, and across more channels.
They synthesized film and creativity with the power ofcommunity loyalty to create a social media ecosystem around Sundowners that enabled it to share its unique story to not only grow but become the go-to restaurant in the area.
Eric and Andrew did not take advantage of that loyalty, however. Their social media posts, commercials, and ads were founded on honesty, transparency, and a clear message.
They embraced the loyalty and affection of the locals, increasing their engagement with them and Sundowners.
These strategies paid off. Because of Eric and Andrew’s understanding of their client and the client’s target audience, Sundowners regularly receives over 65,000 views per commercial, ad, or post.
For a small local restaurant, this meant a huge increase in their monthly and annual margins. They helped Sundowners’ story arc go from stagnation to expansion. Sundowners now has locations in Fontana, Victorville, and are looking to expand throughout the inland empire.
Eric and Andrew continue to work on these strategies, but a unique aspect of the Garage Door Films process is how they do not “stay in their lane” but seek to improve their clients and outreach ecosystem in every way. This is what they did next.
Improving Sundowners’ Internal Processes and Incorporating them into the Sundowners Story
After working with Sundowners, Eric and Andrew realized that there were operations and internal processes that were holding it back from its full potential—in both client engagement and ease of order.
At this time, Covid-19 was in full swing and upon seeing Sundowners had no delivery process, Eric and Andrew convinced the owner that his restaurant needed one to survive the debilitating effects Covid has had on the restaurant industry.
They did convince him, and soon after, Sundowners had its own fleet of delivery cars. The Garage Door team made sure the locals were aware of it through social media and a series of commercials, leading to an increase in sales while competitors slowly dropped.
Other internal processes they noticed needed modernizing were Sundowners’ cash-only policy and a lack of a carry-out system. Without sacrificing Sundowners’ classic and traditional feel, Eric and Andrew were able to convince the owner that taking credit cards was a necessity and that a carry-out system would be essential for them to survive Covid-19.
Again, they made the whole community aware of these new processes on multiple channels and with a series of digital advertisements and promotional videos.
Sundowners was the biggest and first recurring client of Garage Door Films, but they provided a variety of digital, social, marketing, event, and internal services that belied their youth and shared the Sundowners’ story to success.
Their success shows they don’t need much time to deliver. On their first try, they elevated a local business struggling to communicate and convince its loyal customers to come through the doors into a steady and profitable franchise able to expand.
If you would like to learn more about the Garage Door Films duo of Eric Parra and Andrew Boomer, or if you would like to learn more about how they can help your agency, business, or restaurant, you can contact them on their website here. You can also interact with them on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
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