64,000+ contacts collected in one year. 5.7% Walk-Through Rate™. Some events sold out two days after the email.
The challenge
A celebrity chef draws crowds until another opens next door. Dinex relies on email to stay top of mind.
The first gap was slow list growth. Hundreds of thousands of guests had dined there. Newsletter sign-ups and comment cards brought in a handful of contacts a month per restaurant.
A second challenge was no profile depth. Each brand needs its own messaging, from caviar dinners at DANIEL to whisky tastings at db bistro. Contact info alone couldn't target them.
The remaining issue was no guest WiFi. The group assumed free WiFi was wasted in fine dining.
The solution
Create the data foundation: making WiFi part of the guest experience. Executive Director of Marketing Tami von Isakovics argued guests expect WiFi in fine dining too. Adentro (formerly Zenreach) launched Guest WiFi across locations. Thousands of new emails arrived in the first month. Each connection built a Customer Data profile with contact and demographic data.
Identify the right guests: one list per brand. Audience Segmentation split contacts by location and profile. Bar Boulud got its own list for wine news and its weekly big-bottle lineup. Each brand's messaging stayed individualized.
Deliver the campaign: event emails to the right guests. Email Marketing sent event promotions to the segment that fit. "When we send out an email for a specific event, we usually see immediate action." Some events sold out two days after the send.
Read the outcome: emails to visits. Walk-Through Rate™ matched email recipients to verified return visits, at 5.7%.
“When we send out an email for a specific event, we usually see immediate action.”
Why the combination mattered
Guest WiFi increased capture across participating restaurants; Customer Data held visit and contact context; Audience Segmentation kept Bar Boulud's wine audience distinct from other restaurants; Email Marketing promoted each location's events; and Walk-Through Rate™ matched recipients to observed subsequent visits.
The results
- 64,000+ contacts collected in 1 year
- 5.7% Walk-Through Rate™
- Several hundred new emails each month, up from a handful a month per restaurant
- Some events sold out two days after an email