Partnerships and collaborations mean innovative marketing for restaurants today.

A BHR Interview with Roger Drake,
Interim Chief Marketing Officer, Condado Tacos

Roger, what are some of the more innovative marketing methods you utilize for the restaurant brand today, and why are they effective? 

Partnerships and collaborations that create a win-win opportunity work really well for this brand. Matching the restaurant brand’s target guest base with synergistic partners who attract a matching demographic profile creates an optimal partnership opportunity. Exposing your brand in new ways to your focus audience creates a cache and a path to further brand awareness and identity. Brands that only exist inside their four walls are missing out on an opportunity, and appropriating a realistic budget toward partnerships that make sense for both parties is good directionally for the overall viability of the business. One example at Condado is its recent alignment with Feeding America, embarking on the first company-wide fundraising campaign, and something the local restaurant teams have been clamoring for. Next step: the food innovation team at Condado tested and developed a customized Feeding America Taco, named the Southwest Midwest Taco and made with a Sweet Lucy shell, roasted chicken, black beans, lettuce, tomato, cotija cheese, and its own Southwest Sauce. A percentage of this taco’s purchase proceeds raised over $100,000 cash donation along with volunteer opportunities for over 2,000 Condado employees encompassing its 49 locations, with 25 food shelters under the Feeding America umbrella in coordinating markets. This initiative, in turn, has created an enhanced sense of community for Condado staff and guests. Not-for-profit organizations such as Feeding America focus on food security, a cause that is easy to rally behind and a recognized issue in the US, fosters goodwill, and resonates as a tangible “community give back” from the brand. 

Another area of innovation is improved customer data platforms and technology implementation for existing and new guests which have ongoing benefits for Condado’s marketing efforts. Hospitality means knowing who your guests are, where they come from, and their dining preferences to the extent that it doesn’t feel too “big brother” and obtrusive. There is continued utilization of advanced technology such as smart devices for order taking, and back-of-house reduction in overall ticket times, yet without sacrificing human interaction with guests. The more knowledge we are able to ascertain about the brand’s loyal guests and its new guests acquired, the better. It’s also important for Condado to identify the guest journey, for example, other lifestyle brands they prefer and other retailers along “the guest path,” that complement the dining preferences. This helps create a comprehensive guest profile, thereby establishing a better familiarity and recognition that they have earned status as a “regular.” Also, it creates more opportunities to co-brand in the future. This knowledge base adds new meaning to the expression, “I’ll have the usual.” Condado is employing a new database partner in 2024 to assist with these efforts and expand its growing guest loyalty platform.

What is the marketing structure of the organization and what are the areas of specialization for the team members?  

For a brand that markets primarily to the Gen Y segment, Condado’s Marketing Team is vitally important in growing and building the brand, while simultaneously driving guest visits and generating more online orders, on a daily basis. Condado employs a small but effective social media team that focuses on Instagram (i.e., food and drink photos) with clever, cheeky captions and TikTok videos, the latter for more edgy, off-the-wall, and entertaining content. Add in a Brand Manager who heads Condado’s growing Guest Loyalty program, a support coordinator, and a Marketing Manager who liaises with Condado’s operations and training teams on local restaurant promotions and new restaurant opening events. This marketing team is led by the Chief Marketing Officer, who oversees digital, paid search, SEO, and menu analysis and pricing among other areas of responsibility. Also, the CMO is a member of Condado’s Executive Team and reports regularly to the Private Equity board. In my role with the team, I secure all earned media in our local market, pitch Condado story angles, brand “holidays” such as National Margarita Day and National Taco Day, build and grow brand awareness through booking industry conferences panels and speaking opportunities for the executive team, generate podcast appearances, and work with our restaurant teams on media partnerships, as they make sense.

Do you work with third-party agencies to manage social media, paid search, and email marketing? Do you consider these approaches innovative in any way? What makes these distribution channels distinct from other brands? 

Condado does a great job with its content, especially with a lean internal team.  Condado employs many third-party vendors who assist in areas such as market research, brand positioning, location search, SEO tracking, and selecting freelance influencers with strong followings and high-level engagement. Condado is bringing on a new creative agency in 2024 to help guide the creative strategy moving forward.

Do you look to other industries to find clever marketing approaches?  Is there any industry or company you feel is “getting it right” and marketing uniquely?  

It is vital to track the Next Gen fast-casual segment, especially competitive brands that lead with tacos, which Condado regularly assesses. Our brand takes it a step further with market research studies on specific competitors that have a similar price point and growth plan. We also track fast casual dining brands with a successful marketing approach, who understand their audience and have a significant market niche. Brands like Shake Shack and Sweetgreen come to mind.

Based on your history in the world of restaurant chains, has marketing changed dramatically, and if so, how so?   

Marketing spend is all about specific targeting and analyzing return on investment. Digital, paid search, and SEO encompass the primary spend, however, influencer marketing and ongoing market exposure are still important for a brand that needs to continue to build its market awareness as it evolves from a smaller brand to an emerging regional (and at some point, national) brand.

Roger, what tools or new marketing approaches would you like to see utilized in the future? How do you envision the future of restaurant marketing?  

AI tools will continue to present interesting opportunities; when utilized correctly, they could help restaurants drive additional frequency and spend through intuitive online ordering. Suggestive selling using AI recall can better target guest purchase preferences. In 2024, there is such intense competition for the dining dollar, so increasing restaurant market share is vital. It will be even more essential to diversify the business with new revenue centers in addition to dine-in; for example, making it seamless for the to-go pickup and delivery portion of the business or adding new elements such as drive-thru lane business within the Fast Casual segment. Speed of service becomes more important every day, so the perception of being fast and accurate helps create guest habits and can also increase frequency. Adding one-off elements dependent on the location, such as “drink” windows for restaurants situated in high-volume entertainment center areas or with nearby stadiums and arenas for pre-, in-game, and post-game – is also noteworthy. We need to think out of the box with each location within the brand.

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