Franchise
Grand Opening
&
Turnaround
Case Studies

Island Fin Poké, Tampa, FL: 1,013 Leads and 128 Customers Before Opening Day

 

The Problem

A new Island Fin Poké franchisee needed to build local awareness and customer demand before Opening Day on a limited marketing budget and no prior marketing experience.  Most new owners wait until the doors open to begin attracting customers.

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The Solution

IMS began working with the franchisee 2½ months before opening launch by developing an integrated Pre-Opening Marketing Campaign.  The turnkey campaign introduced the brand and menu while building a database of prospective customers that IMS engaged and motivated to visit. The full program included:

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• “FREE Island Fin Poké Bowls for a Year” lead-generation promotion

• Storefront window “billboard” creative

• Social media marketing

• SMS text and email campaigns

• Five-day Opening Day promotion countdown

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The Results

IMS helped Island Fin Poké, in Tampa, turn the critical weeks before opening launch into local awareness, customer leads and unprecedented Opening Day traffic:

• 1,013 opt-in leads generated before Opening Day and given to Franchisee

• 128 new customers waiting outside before the doors opened

• Best Opening Day among Island Fin Poké new-store openings 

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“It was amazing…we had 128 people waiting in line outside before opening on Opening Day. It was the best

Opening Day of all Island Fin Poké new stores.”

Jeff Sprout
Island Fin Poké | Tampa, FL

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The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill: Top-10 in Sales Among 65 Locations

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The Problem

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill opened a new store wanting to ensure it was a success from launch through its first year.  Since this was a new franchisee-owned store with a lack of franchise marketing experience, corporate leadership recommended hiring an expert local marketing partner, Impact Marketing Services, to help get the new store underway for success.  

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The Solution

IMS developed a New Launch & Grand Opening program specific to the local market of the new franchisee.  It  included the 4-step plan: Pre-Opening, Opening Launch, Grand Opening and Post Opening plan.  This turnkey plan introduced the restaurant to the local community, built multiple advertising touchpoints, and combined SMS and social media to capture first-party customer data and drive traffic.  ​

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The Results

The new Great Greek location rose to become a top sales performing store within the company leaping to a top 10 position among 65 restaurants in sales.  

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“Working with Impact Marketing Services (IMS) team was a true game-changer for one of our new restaurant openings. Their Opening Launch and Grand Opening Program, along with the Extended Post-Opening Plan, played a critical role in helping the new location quickly become a top sales performer in our system —a direct result of implementing the IMS Opening Launch Marketing Program- they partner with you to drive results."

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Chuck McAulay

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill | United Franchise Group

 

Wayback Burgers, Bellevue, WA: 69% More Customers, 42% Higher Sales

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The Problem

Within its first months after opening in February, the Bellevue Wayback Burgers location was underperforming in customer traffic and sales compared with other newly opened Wayback Burgers locations.

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The Solution

IMS customized a local marketing program for this struggling franchise location.  The strategy included targeted social and digital campaigns, a 3-mile direct-response campaign, a B2B outreach to nearby businesses, a lead-generation promotion, and a community Re-Grand Opening event.​

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The Results

IMS applied its local marketing expertise to identify performance gaps and implement a targeted, cost-effective strategy that turned an underperforming franchise location into a growing store with measurable results.

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• 69% increase in average customer counts

• 42% increase in sales during the program

• 45% increase in lunch traffic from targeted B2B marketing

• Sales continued to grow four more months with IMS's Extended Marketing Plan.

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“69% more customers—42% higher sales during our Opening Launch—documented results after Impact Marketing Services became involved and reinvented the Opening Plan for our store.”

Ben L.

Wayback Burgers | Bellevue, WA

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Robeks, Ashburn, VA: 136+ New Customers for Under $500

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The Problem

Robeks Juice & Smoothies in Ashburn, VA had been open 8 years. Sales were flat for 18 months with zero growth  and new competition opened nearby.  With limited marketing budget available the store was facing a serious problem. 

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The Solution

IMS built a Life Raft local store marketing plan that targeted businesses within 3 miles with 20+ employees, giving their staff a special offer to try the store.

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The Results

The Life Raft Program for less than $500 provided the Robeks team a plan to generate new customers during a 30-day promotion that resulted in a 56% increase in sales the following month.  The program provided a lead generation process that offered a roadmap for continued success.  

 

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"My store had been open 8 years. Sales were flat with no growth for 18 months and new competitors had opened. With a limited budget (less than $500), John Lee, Impact Marketing Services developed and initiated a Local Store Marketing Plan to target businesses in a 3-mile radius with 20+ employees with a special offer to the employees. It generated 136+ new customers during the 30-day promotion from employees of these target businesses. Sales the following month increased 56%."

Gary Comi

Robeks | Ashburn, VA

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Pizza Twist, Franklin, TN: 213 New Customers in One Relaunch Weekend

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The Problem

Pizza Twist had been open for five months with average sales, but many local customers still didn't know the restaurant was there. The store needed a way to increase awareness, attract new customers and build sales momentum.

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The Solution

IMS implemented its Life Raft Program, creating a Grand Opening-style relaunch designed to reintroduce the location to the community.

The campaign combined SMS messaging, social media, direct mail, community field marketing and a Chamber ribbon cutting with a three-day promotional event to generate awareness, trial and new customer traffic.​

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The Results

The Life Raft Program gave the location a fresh opportunity to get noticed, attract new customers and create renewed sales momentum.

• 213 new customers during the promotional weekend

• 128% increase in customer counts vs. a typical weekend

• 69% increase in sales vs. a typical weekend

• Repeat visits from new customers, with sales continuing to grow

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“The Grand Opening John and his IMS team put together gave us the strongest weekend we’ve had, with over 200 customers; most were new and didn’t know we were here. Since then, we have seen many of the

new customers come back.”

Dinesh Gudibandi

Pizza Twist | Franklin, TN