We look at Caribbean themed restaurant chain Bahama Breeze Island Grille and its use of social media and customer review sites as an extension of its customer service
The name conjures up images of white sand and blue sky, the warm smell of the sea air, perhaps the faraway sound of a steel drum. For Caribbean themed restaurant chain Bahama Breeze Island Grille, anything other than a friendly, pared back island atmosphere simply won’t do. This is something the brand seeks to extend through its customer service.
The restaurant chain’s expert use of social media and online review sites engages customers, allowing their interest and feedback to act as both an important component of its customer service and a key promotional tool.
Bahama Breeze’s online approach generates a range of positive effects. There is a focus on relaxation in both tone and content which brings together the delights of taking a vacation with the delights of home; the warmth and familiarity of the posts act as a continuation of the Bahama Breeze menus and the atmosphere of the restaurants themselves. By allowing its customers to speak for themselves the chain expresses a calm confidence in its products and services. New customers get an idea of the sort of welcome they will receive and established customers are made to feel that their experience and feelings are valued.
Facebook and Twitter
In terms of user engagement, Facebook and Twitter are forces to be reckoned with and the ideal platforms for addressing high volumes of consumers. In many cases, potential customers are more likely to turn to the profile of a business on either of these sites than they are to head to the company website.
Yet traffic aside, the two sites are indisputably different and attract different types of users. This truth is often addressed by businesses when crafting their social strategies.
While at 1.23 billion monthly active users Facebook is clearly ahead in user engagement statistics, Twitter boasts certain key features and characteristics which make it perfect for connecting businesses with its 241 million monthly users. Twitter calls itself, “powerful context to connect your message to what is most meaningful to your customers in real time”, and encourages businesses to establish a continued dialogue with followers who, as is noted by Jon Friedman for Investopedia, “form a very loud microblog cheering session.”
These differences aside, Bahama Breeze has chosen to duplicate the majority of its content across Facebook and Twitter.
While from a negative perspective this might show an unwillingness to recognise the two sites as different classes of platforms, there is clearly sound reasoning behind this move, which ensures that both professional content and the customer feedback posted on individual sites is delivered to the greatest number of social followers.
Yes, it’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken. We’re taking a famous southern favorite and giving it an #island twist! pic.twitter.com/rBSYBqTGSo
— Bahama Breeze (@BahamaBreeze) March 31, 2014
Alongside the professional shots of new dishes and cocktails intended to entice diners through its doors, Bahama Breeze also consistently shares photographs uploaded by customers, mentioning customers by name and complementing them on their photography.
Life is short. Eat #dessert first! #pinacolada #breadpudding Great photo @cherry_o http://t.co/8RCFQROwiS pic.twitter.com/dNwfZN0zgD
— Bahama Breeze (@BahamaBreeze) April 10, 2014
Don’t you know a #Cuban Sandwich’s best friend is a #Mojito? Great photo Alanna G. http://t.co/QSSQBulQYd pic.twitter.com/QdLndys5T2
— Bahama Breeze (@BahamaBreeze) April 24, 2014
The most striking aspect of Bahama Breeze’s use of social media is how it promptly replies to each and every customer comment, whether positive, negative or merely flippant. Although this is no doubt simply the work of a dedicated administrator, the lasting impression is that of a business which cares deeply about customer service.
Bahama Breeze works hard to cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship with its customer base, complementing them on their posts and responding enthusiastically to comments and suggestions.
Beyond this it addresses any complaints and negative comments in full view of its following, sharing negative feedback and endeavouring to reassure both new customers and those specifically affected. Eschewing complicated privacy settings and what might be the negative implications of restricting customer views of its negative feedback, all feedback is posted, and handled with good grace.
@MartynRooney We’d like to correct this issue ASAP! We’re so sorry we left you thirsty. Please email us @ feedback@bahamabreeze.com?
— Bahama Breeze (@BahamaBreeze) April 7, 2014
Bahama Breeze understands the importance of effective use of the hashtag feature to a successful social media campaign and achieves excellent balance, using hashtags to develop trademarks like #BahamaBreeze and #islandtime as well as consistently linking its content with keywords guaranteed to draw a crowd such as #cocktail, #paradise and #TGIF. Silly and obscure uses of the hashtag feature are a big part of what make Twitter (and increasingly Facebook) the fun business platform it is. Being in essence a hub for fun and relaxation Bahama Breeze uses this to its advantage, conveying its sense of playfulness to potential customers.
The #WalkingDead finale is tonight. Get in the post-apocalyptic, #zombie fighting mood with our #Zombie #Cocktail. pic.twitter.com/4X3nw8cHW8
— Bahama Breeze (@BahamaBreeze) March 30, 2014
Photos of delicious looking food and colourful cocktails shared by happy customers are linked with a variety of hashtags, ensuring that positive feedback reaches others who are already interested in similar products and services.
Seeing imagery organised and presented in a certain way can be powerful. Pinterest is the perfect place for potential diners to absorb the Bahama Breeze experience in a bright and beautiful way as a collection of pinned images and recipes.
Pinboards like “To Share Or Not to Share” and “Island Time” include mouth-watering professional shots of the dishes and the artfully decorated cocktails for which the chain is famous. Others function more like mood boards, for example “Caribbean Pantry” is a pinboard of ingredients associated with Bahama Breeze dishes, while “Take Me There” focuses on images of paradise and beaches.
“Island Recipes” is an interesting and novel example of Bahama Breeze’s attitude to customer service. Photographs of restaurant dishes past and present are presented alongside links to their recipes. This makes Bahama Breeze seem less like a formulaic corporation and more like a beloved family member, happy to pass down guarded family recipes to those it loves .
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/468022586247853826/
Much like Twitter, hashtags come into their own on Pinterest. Type #Hawaii into the Pinterest search bar and you will find a Bahama Breeze rum cocktail nestled amidst stunning photos of volcanic lava, palm trees and surf scenes.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/468022586247853756/
YouTube
Bahama Breeze’s activity across its YouTube channels add another dimension to the interactive, family-style experience. In addition to the promotional videos you might expect, the chain regularly posts tutorials and step by step recipe videos to help fans recreate its dishes at home.
In the past there have also been contests like “Caribbean Escape”, a YouTube specific contest which asked followers to send in video entries detailing why they felt their chosen nominee deserved to win a trip to the Caribbean.
Customer Review Sites
Sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor are great business tools in terms of customer service as they provide consumers with a comprehensive overview of the overall experience.
To the right-hand side of the customer reviews on Yelp there is a long list providing details of everything customers might possibly want to know about Bahama Breeze, from whether reservations are required, to a description of the ambience, to whether they allow dogs!
Both Yelp and Trip Advisor have links to the full Bahama Breeze menu including prices and even details relating to the most popular dishes for those who want to play it safe.
Most significantly, both sites allow the consumer to make informed decisions based on a wealth of detailed customer reviews which cover a wide scope of tastes and perspectives. Trip Advisor highlights what it recognises as the most useful portions from particular reviews and lets customers rate their experience on a scale according to factors like value and atmosphere as well as a final rating.
Customer comments on the Yelp profile for the East Side, Las Vegas restaurant location range from “nothing special” to “I am actually addicted to this place,” and the restaurant gets an overall Yelp rating of four out of five stars (based on a total of 239 reviews).
As Yelp advertisers, Bahama Breeze has the opportunity to attempt to overcome any negative feedback with adverts on the same pages promoting things like their happy hour, although it is worth pointing out that all business profiles on Yelp are accompanied by the disclaimer: “Your trust is our top concern, so businesses can’t pay to alter or remove their reviews.”