Pita Gourmet opens its fourth location amid a pandemic

Finding success in their first three locations, Pita Gourmet knew it was time to bring their much-loved Mediterranean-American food to the Southtowns. With a plan to open an Orchard Park location in Summer 2020, Manzella Marketing was tasked with getting the word out. As frequent fliers of PG ourselves, we were thrilled to help with the launch.

Hinting at the fourth location

At the end of 2019 and into the beginning of 2020, we left (pita) bread crumbs on social media that something was happening by using “four” wherever we could.

The date (and location) is saved

Finally, the announcement was made in January 2020. Pita Gourmet was opening in the Southtowns in the Summer of 2020. Then COVID-19 hit in March and that plan came to a screeching halt. After COVID-related delays, the new date was finally set: December 7, 2020.

Keeping followers updated on the progress was important, going from a summer anticipated opening—to a big question mark—left people wondering if the new location was coming at all.

Spreading the word like hummus

We needed to get the word out, and a social media strategy made the most sense. First, we had to let the existing fans know. After all, many had been asking about an eventual Southtowns location, and we had to share the good news with them.

Then, we had to introduce Pita Gourmet to Southtowns folks who may not already be aware of the restaurant’s opening. We ran a series of Facebook and Instagram ads to let people know Pita Gourmet was on its way, and what they offered. We targeted people who frequented the Southtowns area, plus had an interest in the kind of food Pita Gourmet serves.

The results

The boosted posts proved to be engaging, resulting in a lower than average cost per engagement of less than $0.10. The ads driving web traffic to see the menu resulted in over 1,500 new website visitors at just an average cost of $0.15 per click.

Step Out Buffalo helps to get the word out

We also enlisted the help of Step Out Buffalo—a one-stop-shop for all things Buffalo-related. If you’re not already following them, you’re missing out on great content.

With their help, Pita Gourmet was able to spread the news of their new Southtowns location. E-blasts, social media posts and ads, and giveaways were used to reach as many people as possible. The result was a huge uptick in awareness, overall joy for Pita Gourmet opening a Southtowns location, and an incredible bump in Pita Gourmet’s social media account followings.

Pita Gourmet gained 438 new followers on Instagram, received over 3,100 link clicks on their co-sponsored social media ads, and had a low cost-per-click cost of $0.38.

A strategic plan yields successful results

The digital tactics that were selected provided a highly targeted and engaged audience at a lower cost. We knew our target audiences were on Facebook and Instagram, so it made sense to reach them where they live. Plus, Pita Gourmet benefited by tapping into Step Out Buffalo’s already engaged audience.

The new Pita Gourmet location at 3144 Orchard Park Road in Orchard Park has been met with great success since its opening. If you haven’t checked out this locally owned restaurant, we recommend the Greek fries and the Buffalo wrap, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.