You wouldn’t think a restaurant could have opened last August to become one of the most successful in Chico today, but that’s exactly what Drunken Dumpling has done! How did they do it? Location? Well, they’re not actually visible from a main thoroughfare. The answer is social media.
I wrote a 15 Minutes column for the Chico News & Review about the Drunken Dumpling food truck in June of 2018. When I returned to Chico over the summer, I was keen to follow up with them, thinking I could help to support their marketing efforts amid the pandemic. When I learned they were opening a store front restaurant, I thought they would need all the help they could get. They didn’t. They had been cultivating their social media presence for some time and felt like they were all set. They were right.
In fact, after a soft open of only a few days a week with limited lunch time hours, the response was so good, they were able to quickly expand their hours. They weren’t just busy, they were so busy that there were often lines and wait times. They raised some of their prices, it didn’t make any difference. I was there a few weeks ago on a Friday night and was told there was a 2 hour wait for take-out orders! While I left in disappointment, I was utterly impressed. Even I could not have guessed this level of success.
I went in and talked to co-owner Elizabeth Young as they prepared for Restaurant Week. She told me they hadn’t planned to open during a pandemic; they leased their equipment just a week before the lock down in March. The shut down meant they had to make some hard decisions. Instead of opening for dinner, they decided their outdoor seating was better suited for lunch and initially they were open for only 4 hours a day, 4 days per week. With their food truck experience, and the fact that their Asian food works well as take out, it wasn’t long before they felt ready to open for dinner, too.
Elizabeth confirmed that their primary marketing method is social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram. She had learned about the power of this marketing strategy during their first pop-up at the Winchester Goose in 2018. After posting about it, the response was almost overwhelming. They literally sold out in just a few hours. She told me she had to be very careful about clicking the “Post” button because the response was always so good. In fact, she already had about 20 pre-orders for their Restaurant Week special as a result of posting about it a full week before the event had even started.
Yes, they have a listing on Yelp and Google that they keep up-to-date. If you search for Drunken Dumpling, even Google will tell you “This place is usually very busy.” But, Elizabeth says by far, the best way to promote their business is social media. She credits their delicious food, which many people are unlikely to cook at home, as a major factor in their success, but cannot deny the power of social marketing.
While Drunken Dumpling’s story is remarkable for a brand new business, they’re not the only one harnessing the power of social media for success during the pandemic. Other restaurants with a strong social media following are also enjoying much greater success than their competitors who aren’t using it; the Foodie Cafe comes to mind as another example of a local restaurant making the most of social media. Even other types of stores have been able to use social media to pick up the slack left by reduced foot traffic. I wrote several social media posts for Ellis Art and Engineering Supplies in December that helped them to salvage their Christmas season.
If your small business is suffering, I urge you to step up your social media efforts right away to reach local customers and/or businesses who want what you’re offering. Let people know you’re open and available to serve them. Tell them about the great things you offer and get them excited to find out more about your business. If you don’t know how to proceed, get help. It could mean the difference between success and failure.
Cathy Wagner - Sales Copy Writer 