raleigh dining Archives - Clairemont Communications

Il Palio, Chapel Hill’s AAA-rated Four Diamond Italian restaurant, was in the midst of a $1 million renovation, featuring a fresh look and a revamped menu by its new chef, Teddy Diggs. Il Palio turned to Clairemont Communications to create a social media strategy that would refresh the restaurant’s image and win the hearts of young diners.

Social Media Strategy

Clairemont’s “Taste of Italy” campaign leveraged the clout of food and culinary influencers to generate awareness among the target demographic – millennial diners – and increase traffic to Il Palio. Clairemont chose to harness the broad reach of social media to efficiently and rapidly boost Il Palio’s image to a large audience.

Execution

Customized Experiences: Il Palio hosted a “Foodie Funday” dinner where Chef Teddy selected dishes for each blogger’s preferences. Who wouldn’t want the chef’s creation customized just for you? Chef Teddy also invited a prominent blogger into the kitchen to co-create a proprietary pizza that he named after her and featured on his menu. Chef Teddy handcrafted The Perfect Date Night Dinner for another blogger and his wife. The personalized touch struck home, producing a flurry of coverage on social media and blogs, and securing reservations.

Instagram Takeovers: To reach broader audiences, Clairemont crafted Instagram takeovers to share a visual “taste” of Teddy’s cooking. Chef Teddy helmed the Instagram of StarChefs – a culinary publication with more than 30,000 followers – during his annual trip to Italy, unveiling first his inspiration abroad and then the application back at Il Palio. In preparation for the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival, he creatively shared “a day in the life of a man who plays with fire,” with the festival’s Instagram followers, showcasing his wood-fired grill dishes. These partnerships increased visibility and boost Il Palio’s own social media metrics.

Il Palio’s Instagram Takeover with StarChefs.

Results

Il Palio – boosted by diner reviews – earned a Gold Medal from food critics as a “2016 Best Restaurant in the Triangle.” Clairemont met every goal, exceeded expectations in addition to the following results:

10 media articles/posts, reaching a combined followership of more than 50,000 followers on Twitter alone
Instagram takeovers in 2016 showcased the renovated restaurant, new menu and staff personality to approximately 45,000 followers

The work Clairemont Communications conducted in partnership with Il Palio earned a Best in Category in Social Media and an Award of Excellence in Social Media from the North Carolina Public Relations Society of America. It also earned a Platinum Award in Social Media from the Raleigh Public Relations Society. We are proud that this campaign represents two of the 175 awards we’ve received since starting Clairemont in 2010.

To read more about the work we do with clients, please visit the case study section of our blog.

Contrary to a Charlotte reporter’s infamous claim, Raleigh’s food scene is anything but blase, especially with this tasty twist. The pop-up dinner, the Triangle’s newest culinary foray, appeals to the developing Raleigh palette while satisfying our yen for community and conversation.

And, not to mention, our secret desire for red carpet treatment.

The Mystery Dinner

In its original form, the pop-up dinner featured an exclusive cast of chefs who pulled out all the stops to craft a one-time specialty menu. The guest list touted the “who’s who” of the culinary underground along an elite few “in the know.” Although guests knew the time and date of the soiree, everything else remained under wraps until 48 hours (or sometimes just 60 minutes!) prior to the dinner when…voila! Guests received a clever riddle unveiling the mysterious dinner location. How very Sherlock of us!

Acorn Kitchen, a Raleigh concept known for its distinctive catering, was one of the first to pilot the pop-up trend in the Triangle. Hosted in the courtyard of the Raleigh Architectural Institute, the mystery dinner piqued the interest of culinary critics and acclaimed foodies alike, delivering such social buzz and culinary zest that it has since become a hallmark event.

Pop-Ups with Wide Appeal

The latest iteration of the pop-up dinner has a broader appeal. You don’t necessarily have to know somebody who knows somebody with the secret handshake to enjoy a sparkling evening with fine wine. Ashley Christensen, 2014 James Beard Award recipient, recently launched a pop-up dinner series as a precursor to her upcoming concept, Death & Taxes. With the right ticket price, guests receive a VIP tour by Ashley herself (there’s the red carpet element!) followed by a four-course meal prepared by acclaimed chefs. The difference? The details are known, but the allure of the “backstage pass” remains.

Marketing with Meals

Pop-up dinners can serve a worthy function, too. Restaurants and chefs engage in friendly competition with other eateries to stoke interest in their collective brands. Catering companies, such as Snap Pea, forge a loyal following and engage new customers who may not otherwise have tasted its fare. ChickenWireNC provides local chefs opportunities to showcase their latest dishes to a select few fans and friends. All exclusive, all intriguingly delicious.

Rivaling the classic dinner-and-a-movie, the pop-up dinner pairs entertainment with a five-star meal. Raleigh certainly jumped on the right end of this rising trend—and we can’t wait to taste what’s next!

Any pop-up dinners that we should put on our watch list?

P.S. A special thanks to foodie friends Durham Foodie, Raleigh What’s Up, CookEatLife and FeliciaPhoto for their tasty tidbits about Raleigh’s food trends!

Clairemont Communications

Tag: raleigh dining

Mystery Meals Sweep Raleigh