01 Jan Case Study: Embers Wood Fired Restaurants – Effectiveness of Lunch-Centric Marketing Strategies

Introduction

In August 2024, Embers Wood Fired Restaurants engaged Embark Marketing to enhance their marketing efforts for their business. After market analysis & discovery meetings with ownership one of the key segmentations identified for expansion was weekday lunch.  With locations adjacent to hotels, Embers attracts a mix of local and tourist traffic, making lunch a prime opportunity for growth. 

This case study examines the impact of targeted marketing strategies implemented over a three-month period (August-October 2024), aimed solely at increasing weekday lunch sales and customer engagement from 11 am to 3 pm, Monday through Friday. The results from this period were benchmarked against the same three months in 2023 to evaluate year-over-year growth, as well as against the previous three months in 2024 to observe recent trends. Data for this case study was pulled from the restaurant’s POS system as well as social media accounts to conduct and quantify marketing effectiveness.

Objective

Our marketing goal was to drive higher lunch sales volume, increase foot traffic, and establish a strong midday presence across both Embers locations. Through carefully structured digital campaigns, including paid and organic social media outreach, we set out to capture the attention of local patrons and visiting tourists alike during critical lunch hours.

Methodology

This study is informed by quantitative data from Embers’ sales and social media analytics, allowing us to assess:

• Changes in lunch-specific sales and customer counts across both locations.
• Engagement on social media platforms to gauge digital reach and audience response.
• A comparative view of metrics from the same three-month period in 2023 and the prior three months of 2024, offering both a year-over-year perspective and insights on recent momentum.

Results and Analysis For Lunch Segmentation

1. Sales Performance by Location

• Revenue Growth at Both Locations: Total net lunch sales increased from August to October 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Lunch sales at Embers’ two locations grew by 12% at the 1604 location and by 10% at the Wurzbach location year-over-year, confirming the positive impact of the targeted marketing campaigns.
• Total Sales Impact: Combined lunch sales across both locations contributed a substantial portion of Embers’ revenue during this period. This increase suggests that a midday focus successfully captured a broader customer base, including local professionals, hotel guests, and tourists.
• Client Observations: Staff reported visibly higher foot traffic during lunch hours, noting that the dining rooms were consistently busier on weekdays. This qualitative feedback provides context to the quantitative data, illustrating that the rise in lunch revenue aligns with an increase in customer visits.

Overall analysis suggests that from both a quantitative and hard numbers perspective, Embers lunch segmentation did experience growth during the 3 month period. This data indicates that Embark Marketing’s strategic use of social media, both organic and paid, made a measurable impact on sales. The details of which are highlighted below.

2. Social Media and Digital Engagement

• Overall Social Growth: Social media outreach played a pivotal role in driving awareness of Embers’ lunch offerings. From August to October 2024, social media impressions reached 259,284 across all platforms, a 450.9% increase from the previous year. Engagements surged by 701.7%, showcasing active interest in Embers’ lunch options.
• Platform-Specific Performance: Facebook garnered the highest number of impressions, with Instagram delivering greater engagement. The increased interaction on Instagram, with a 311.6% jump in engagements, reflects a well-targeted approach that resonates with the platform’s demographic.
• Paid Campaign Metrics: Paid advertising was instrumental in broadening Embers’ reach. The campaigns, with a total spend of $900, generated over 200,000 impressions and 56,727 engagements, with a cost-per-engagement (CPE) of just $0.02. These metrics indicate that the ads were very cost-effective, reaching a wide audience without sacrificing engagement quality.
• Clicks and Conversions: The campaigns accumulated 4,195 clicks, showing a solid click-through rate. The high number of link clicks suggests interest in Embers’ digital content, which could have driven customers to in-store visits during lunch hours.

From this data, we can assess that the brand gained recognition on a broad scale contributing to renewed interest in the restaurant as well as awareness from new potential customers of both the local and tourist segment. By running advertisements on both Facebook and Instagram, we were able to capture both demographics and keep the brand in the forefront.

3. Year-Over-Year Lunch Sales Comparison

• Improvement in Customer Spend and Volume: Average spend per customer increased slightly, reflecting a combination of effective marketing and a possible increase in menu prices. The consistency in sales growth across both locations emphasizes the success of a focused lunch strategy that appeals to both new and returning customers.
• Traffic Volume: The total number of orders during lunch hours grew by an estimated 8% compared to the same period in 2023. This rise in order volume is especially notable in the context of hotel-based locations, where tourism fluctuations are common, indicating that the lunch campaigns were effective in maintaining a steady stream of local and tourist patrons.

4. Impact of Location and Tourist Foot Traffic

• Hotel-Adjacent Locations: Both Embers locations are strategically situated in hotel parking lots, which has historically attracted a transient customer base. This factor likely contributed to the campaign’s success, as increased foot traffic from nearby hotels aligned well with the lunch-specific promotions.
• Seasonal Tourism Growth: While tourism typically increases in summer, the marketing campaigns helped sustain this momentum into the fall months. The targeted lunch promotions enabled Embers to capture a segment of the tourist market while also appealing to locals, thereby expanding its reach and maintaining sales momentum beyond the peak season.

Conclusion

The lunch-focused marketing campaigns executed from August to October 2024 achieved substantial success. The combined effect of targeted digital promotions and social media engagement led to increased lunch sales at both Embers locations, validating the impact of a segmented marketing approach centered on specific hours and audiences. By emphasizing Embers’ lunch offerings to a strategically selected audience, the campaigns not only drove higher revenue but also enhanced customer engagement, establishing a strong midday presence that aligns with both local and tourist dining patterns.

This case study exemplifies how tailored, time-specific marketing efforts can be effectively utilized in the restaurant industry, driving revenue and maximizing the potential of key dining hours. Embers Wood Fired Restaurants’ success serves as a compelling model for implementing focused digital marketing strategies within the competitive hospitality landscape.

Does your food and beverage business need assistance with a particular segment or overall sales? Our team of experts can help create a tailored marketing strategy that produces results. Contact us today for more information and a free consultation on your current business strategy.