Success Story

Canal View Cafe Taps Social Media to Jumpstart Reopening After Winter Shutdown

Jean Tabarrini spent much of 2017 focusing on Facebook advertising and boosting posts to targeted audiences.

It was time well spent.

"We sit between two city markets, which made it too expensive to do print in both cities," she explains. "The amount of print advertising I was doing wasn't keeping our name out there."

With Facebook, however, Tabarrini found she could "target by zip code and reach a broader audience for less money."

Her Canal View is located at the point where the Erie Barge Canal enters Oneida Lake, offering a fine location for both indoor and patio dining. The water access makes it a convenient dining destination for boaters, with easy canal wall docking. It is also located near the Sylvan Beach Amusement Park and other local attractions.

The results of Tabarrini's marketing strategy have been impressive. "Business is growing," she reports, "and we have a connection with a group of customers that we can reach almost instantly. We now have over 4,600 Facebook Fans. We routinely do Facebook fan specials, where results are easy to track. We have a popular Italian Dinner for two that we serve on Saturday nights before Memorial Day and after Labor Day that is promoted solely on Facebook." Diners were urged to mention to their server that they saw it on Facebook in order to receive a 99cent cappuccino or espresso.

"After our two-month winter shutdown I posted our reopening and asked fans to share," she recalls. The post was seen by over 9,000 people. "We had a successful reopening without spending any advertising money."

Tabarrini says her Facebook marketing efforts cost a grand total of just $337 in 2017. "Such a minimal cost," she notes, "that has generated thousands." Her advice to other restaurant owners is to "use pictures that you can caption on a site like Image Chef. Yesterday's picture reached over 1,400 people (not boosted) and helped us to have a decent night in spite of a serious snowstorm."

In addition to Facebook, Canal View Café maintains what Tabarrini terms a "small" presence on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, "but I never see the numbers that I do on Facebook. Twitter connects me with other restaurants rather than customers, and I connect with employees more on Instagram." She remains open to the idea of shifting to more Twitter and is working on a promotion for customers to send their pictures. "The winning picture gets gift certificate and will build Twitter followers."

Tabarrini says she rarely responds to negative online comments anymore. "If a customer has a legit complaint I will do whatever it takes to make them happy - comp dinner, a gift certificate for a return visit, or both. We get few complaints, so we're generous with fixing problems. I don't like the concept of anonymous reviewers. I've had a reviewer complain about a dish that we don't even serve. I just rely on the positive reviews. However, I do think it's important to keep hours, info and photos updated on those sites."

Not surprisingly, Tabarrini expects big things in the rest of 2018. "Being the eternal optimist, it's going to be our best year ever." She intends to continue "to nurture a fun, caring work environment for our employees and a welcoming atmosphere for our guests."