How Hachi Sushi Pub used Check This Out to increase reservations, attract new guests, and better plan restaurant operations
The Problem
Decreased Reservations & Unstable Walk-In Traffic
Hachi Sushi Pub is an urban-inspired, casual izakaya located in the heart of Bozeman, MT. As an izakaya—which means “stay-drink-place” in Japanese—Hachi specializes in a variety of dishes, from simple sushi plates to elevated sashimi to Japanese street food. The team at Hachi seeks to provide an enhanced dining experience through friendly guest service and inspirational dishes.
When first reaching out to Check This Out, Hachi Sushi Pub’s goal was simply to get more guests to their tables. This is a problem many restaurants have faced in recent years. Bozeman is an up-and-coming foodie scene with ever-increasing restaurant options, especially for lunch and dinner. While Hachi Sushi Pub often got walk-in traffic for meals, it was sporadic and not always reliable. As many restaurant owners know, a loyal, steady stream of guests is crucial for success. Hachi Sushi Pub hoped to increase reservations to compensate for irregular walk-in traffic patterns and grow its loyal customer base.
While they regularly posted on social media to attract and drive visitors to the restaurant, it was difficult to track how it impacted their revenue or if it did at all. Hachi Sushi Pub needed a cost-effective, impactful, and manageable way to increase its restaurant’s revenue, build its customer base, and track its marketing spend. That’s when Hachi Sushi Pub turned to Check This Out.
The Solution
Trackable, Effective SMS Marketing
By using Check This Out, Hachi Sushi Pub has successfully created trackable text message campaigns that take the work of restaurant promoting off its already full plate. Instead of using social media to make announcements—like specials or menu changes—Hachi Sushi Pub now uses Check This Out to spread the word. Check This Out’s trackable campaigns take less time to create than a standard social media post. They take about five minutes on average from creation to sending/scheduling to send. Now, unlike with social media, they could see the revenue gathered from each campaign. Hachi Sushi Pub utilizes Check This Out’s ability to send video and photo campaigns so they can better showcase their dishes and encourage people to visit in a unique way. With Check This Out, they don’t have to schedule expensive photoshoots or labor through design meetings. They can focus their efforts on running their restaurant rather than managing difficult advertising campaigns.
After implementing Check This Out, Hachi Sushi Pub has seen a direct impact on its revenue after sending out SMS marketing campaigns. Check This Out’s text messaging campaigns have a 98% open rate, so the platform makes it possible for Hachi Sushi Pub to meet their guests where they are, stay top of mind, and build lasting relationships. Since using Check This Out, Hachi Sushi Pub has had more reservations and visits from guests they’ve never seen before—their loyal client base is spreading the word thanks to discount incentives and personalized text messages sent via Check This Out’s referral marketing software. On their personal Check This Out dashboard, Hachi Sushi Pub is able to track which text campaigns are the most successful and improve upon less successful campaigns. They can easily see how many people open their messages, which ones booked a reservation after opening a text, and which guests are their top referrers. This knowledge helps Hachi Sushi Pub make informed decisions on what marketing efforts work, when they work, and how much revenue they should dedicate to marketing. With Check This Out, businesses only pay for what they use, giving Hachi Sushi Pub full control of their budget.
The Results
How Check This Out Impacted Their Efforts
Implementing Check This Out text messaging software led to:
- $27,922 in sales from 8 SMS campaigns.
- $10,120 in new guest one-year lifetime value.
- 24 new guests made reservations.
- 54 new guest contacts were acquired through discount activations.
- 30 new guest contacts were acquired through the Check This Out widget on Hachi’s website.
- 73 total discount activations from new and repeat guests.
Overall, Check This Out amplified and streamlined Hachi Sushi Pub’s marketing strategy while increasing its return on investment, client base, and trackable income. By using Check This Out, Hachi Sushi Pub has reinvigorated their word of mouth marketing and sees direct results on reservations and sales.
“We used to get mostly walk-ins. Now after sending a text campaign with Check This Out we often get 30 covers from reservations.”
Riley Slaughter, Director of Operation
“Because of Check This Out, we’ve seen people come into the restaurant who we’ve never seen before.”
Ramona Levi, Events Coordinator and Director of Catering
Get Your Demo
If you’re a restaurant owner looking to enhance your restaurant’s reach and increase your ROI through referral marketing, we’d love to help. At Check This Out, our goal is to get more feet through doors, more guests at tables, and more happy smiles spreading the good word about your business—all via text message marketing! Contact us today for a demo.