Telling Your Story & Standing Out

Telling Your Story

 

Customer confidence in restaurant quality is often reinforced by knowing the owner and their values. That is why customers can find an owner’s departure unsettling.   

For several years, Janine Coons had co-owned an award-winning pizzeria in Provo, UT. She had quietly run the financial side of the business, while her more outgoing “front of the house” partner served as the popular “face” of the restaurant.  

Then her partner relocated. Suddenly Janine became the sole, mostly anonymous, owner-operator. 

With her partner’s departure, some customers wondered who was running the business? Had it sold? What might happen to their favorite food? 

Janine needed to quickly reassure her customers that a strong, quality-driven owner was still in place.  

To tell her own story consistently to as many customers as possible, Janine got help from a digital marketing agency whose work she admired. To fund the marketing investment, she reorganized her staff, eliminated the paid kitchen manager position, and personally took over those responsibilities. 

After watching how other women-owned businesses share their stories on social media, she decided to just tell hers in her own way. 

The quality, consistency, and frequency of her online content immediately improved.  

Especially engaging are her self-filmed videos entitled “Day in the Life of a Pizzeria Owner.” In each, Janine shares with customers (through the camera) her thoughts on being a hands-on business owner, while she shows them how she makes dough, runs restaurant errands, and even attempts assembling new kitchen equipment. 

While the ideas are mostly Janine’s, her agency provides good advice and takes care of everything else, including producing, editing, and scheduling her posts when they will gain maximum reach. 

As a result, the business is growing, the community finally knows Janine as the owner, and supportive regulars feel part of her success! 

 

Janine Coons, Owner 

Fat Daddy’s Pizza 

Provo, UT 

 

 

Standing Out

Heritage (and a Song)

Decades after first learning to cook as a teenager in his family’s pizzeria, Raphaelle Aiello now shares his love for la vera cucina with his regulars by posting cooking videos on his website. In each DIY presentation, Ralph doesn’t just prepare the dish, he includes insider tips like how to properly “butterfly” chicken breast or how to visually judge when frying eggplant reaches golden perfection.  However, what makes Ralph most endearing is watching his eyes smile as he shares his culture (and some canzoni italiani) with his customers! 

Raphaelle Aiello, Owner 

Original NY Pizza Ristorante Italiano 

Broomfield, CO 

Always Improving

To keep his 51 year old restaurant as vital and popular as ever, third-generation owner Joe DiMaggio continually seeks improvement. Joe’s goal is finding ways to further elevate his food and/or “get more done” without compromising quality or customer satisfaction. That is why Joe replaced his traditional deck ovens with new conveyor models which still bake on stone slabs. Because they don’t require a skilled “oven-tender” to constantly monitor and reposition baking pies, the new automated ovens free up Joe (or another skilled employee) to do something equally valuable during each shift! 

Joe DiMaggio, Owner 

DiMaggio’s Pizza

Fairfield, IL