Restaurant patronage is particularly sensitive to online information – 75% of consumers say they decide whether or not to visit a restaurant based on the information online.
The Vin Room restaurants and VR Wine shop brand was expanding, but facing a dilemma.Their branding was inconsistent and unrecognizable between locations, stores, advertisements, menus and other collateral. Their digital properties and social media were repelling potential customers because they weren’t well representing the experience of visiting the shops / bars in person, leading to a number of negative comments online. More importantly, it represented a huge lost opportunity in converting interested web visitors into actual paying customers in the restaurants and shop.
According to a recent study, 92% of consumers had used the internet in the last month to research a restaurant on a desktop computer.
Meanwhile 81% of consumers had searched for a restaurant on a mobile device – and 75% said they decided whether or not to visit a restaurant based on those search results.
The amount of web research around restaurants and bars is the highest among even other highly searched industries, including entertainment, retail outlets, hotels, and personal services, according to a study by SinglePlatform. Thus, restaurants, particularly high-end ones, ignore their websites and their yelp reviews at their own peril.
Our contribution
After in-depth a heavy audit of their web properties (which were lacking the fundamentals that every restaurant website should feature front and center: the menu, specials and happy hour information (including social media promotions), address with a link to Google maps, a functioning online reservation system, and basic hours of operation, parking, and contact information), we conducted research into Vin Room and VR Wine’s online search engine performance, online reviews, and social media strategy.
(You can read the report here to get an idea of the kind of research and insights you can expect from us →)
From this, we charted a path forward to managing the businesses’ online properties and brand presentation.
Branding Guidelines
The first step forward was to establish branding guidelines, overhaul the existing logo, and start implementing the branding system across the restaurants and wine shop.
You can view the branding book here →
Results
Vin Room and VR Wine have begun implementing the branding guidelines across their properties and have greatly improved their online presence to date, lending the business more credibility and brand recognition.
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