How Ocho Rios restaurant master their social media and Google presence – with some help from Hookle

Background

Founded in March 2021, Ocho Rios Authentic Caribbean Cuisine caters to a Canadian market in Calgary. The company is named after the well-known town Ocho Rios, in an island of Jamaica.

Neisha is the founder of the restaurant and feels that Calgary has a distinct lack of high-quality cuisine. The excited restaurant owner decided to create a business that focuses on high-quality cuisine that gives customers value for their money while also enjoying a uniquely Jamaican experience.

It is not a coincidence that Neisha started a restaurant business – she is a foodie. She runs the business with with her sister. Ocho Rio's Operations and Admin Manager, Brian, manages the business's marketing. Here's what he had to say about social media marketing:

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Restaurant started by Neisha

Authentic Jamaican food is not fast food

The restaurant usually has a steady lunch and a very busy supper. They cook everything from scratch, even hand rolling their patties every morning before opening time. So Jamaican food is anything but fast food.

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Authentic Caribbean Cuisine from Ocho Rios restaurant

Ocho Rios restaurant offers cuisine produced using only the freshest ingredients, often obtained locally. They are committed to a quality, authenticity, and they are proud supporters of local, small businesses and Albertan farmers.

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More delicious dishes from Ocho Rios restaurant

Social media marketing is critical for food service business

In food service business, supportive functions like marketing are also important. Especially social media marketing is critical to them. They use Instagram, Facebook, and Google as a platform to market the restaurant.

“As a new business, it's very difficult to market yourself consistently, find affordable advertising mediums, and keep ads creative”, Brian enlightens the others. The key challenges are posting high-quality content consistently and staying engaged with customers.

The key challenges are posting high-quality content consistently and staying engaged with customers.

Brian continues: “It's very easy to vastly underestimate how much time and effort it takes to build a following on social media and to keep those followers engaged”. That’s one of the reasons they have selected Hookle as their social media assistant tool.

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Instagram post from Ocho Rios Restaurant

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Facebook post from Ocho Rios Restaurant

Hookle offers active presence on social and Google with ease

They have connected all their social media accounts to Hookle: Google My Business, Facebook, and Instagram. Goal is to update them at least once a day from Thursday to Sunday.

“We exclusively use Hookle for Google My Business and we find that it works flawlessly”, says Brian. Ocho posts mainly promotions, upcoming events, and photos of their menu items. They plan and schedule posts but often just post on the go. Posts always consist of brand colours, usually their logo, and at least one food item.

"A simple user interface and consolidation of all our social media platforms in one place"

“Hookle has two features that help us make the most of our time: A simple user interface and consolidation of all our social media platforms in one place”, Brian praise.

Focus on tasteful content and engage with followers regularly

Brian’s advice to other newbie restaurant owners is: “Post at least once a day, focus on tasteful content framing what you're selling, push your brand identity, and engage with your followers regularly”.

For delicious Caribbean food in Calgary Canada, visit ochie.ca.