Innovative Southwestern Restaurant Sizzles

Constant Contact customer Fajita Grill, located in Oswego and Fulton, New York, is satisfying the taste buds of thousands of people looking for fresh, top-quality southwestern food. Founded by co-owners Josh Molinari and Anthony Green, The Fajita Grill serves food "assembly-line" style so customers can choose what they want. The eatery's slogan, "Fresh food. Fast." gives a taste of what's available at this customer-centric, healthful restaurant.

Challenge: Restaurant Business All "Word of Mouth"

When Fajita Grill first opened, the management was looking for quick and effective marketing tools. They wanted to get the word out and start to build a loyal, repeat customer base. They needed an easy way to advertise evening specials and remind customers to stop into the restaurant. "I needed something quick and easy because I didn't have time to hand 'unsubscribe' people on the list or learn HTML," says marketing director Abby Weaver.

Abby tried traditional advertising—such as print ads and coupons—but found they were expensive and didn't bring that many people through the door. She decided that she would try email marketing instead.

Solution: Email Marketing Offers a Fresh Idea to Spread the Word

Abby searched the Internet for email marketing services and came across Constant Contact. "I read how Constant Contact helps get your emails into the inbox. That, along with the 60-day free trial, was the clincher for us," she says.

Today, Fajita Grill uses email marketing with Constant Contact as its primary promotional strategy. I can email a coupon at 10:00 a.m. and by 11:30 there are already people in line, coupon in hand.The restaurant has had great success with building its list and bringing in customers with coupons and promotions.

When Abby started using Constant Contact, she had a list of 480 emails. Now the list is 3,266. "I grew my subscriber list by sending out interesting emails that people would want to forward to friends, having a sign-up form on my website, and putting info about the emails on the LED sign at the restaurant. Even the employees are excited about it! They tell customers and help grow the list," she says.

Abby likes how easy it is to create and send campaigns. "I don't need a designer. I don't have to wait for a printer or the US Postal Service to get it delivered. I can hit send and watch how many people open it and where they click on my site. It's amazing! And I can do it all on my laptop."

Results: Email Coupons Bring in Sizzling Results

Abby says the Grill's email coupons bring in scores of customers on a regular basis. "I can't believe the number of people who walk into our restaurants and redeem coupons. Before I tried email marketing, I would put a coupon in the local newspaper—but fewer than 10 people would redeem it. I then put the same coupon in an email and sent it to 400 people. I saw 100 email coupons redeemed that month!" she says.

Sometimes the Grill gets even more immediate return on their Constant Contact investment. "I can email a coupon at 10:00 a.m. and by 11:30 there are already people in line, coupon in hand."

Abby is impressed with the 25% coupon redemption rate she gets from email marketing—a rate she never got from direct mail or other print methods. Plus, she loves the cost savings. "Constant Contact is saving me time and the huge expense of traditional advertising. And when customers sign up for my 'frequent eater' card or to receive our emails, they are raising their hands to say, 'I love your food and want to hear more.'"