Interview with Condado Tacos' Chief Marketing Officer Sara Kear about how to use social media for business and being forced to pivot.
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00:00 Welcome to Restaurant Influencers presented by Entrepreneur.
00:03 My name is Sean Walchek,
00:04 founder of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ Media.
00:07 I wanna give a special shout out to Toast,
00:09 our primary technology partner for believing
00:12 in the power of storytelling in hospitality,
00:15 for powering not just our barbecue restaurants,
00:17 but over 80,000 restaurants
00:20 with the digital hospitality tools
00:22 that they need to succeed in life,
00:24 in the restaurant business,
00:26 and in the new creator economy.
00:28 We learn through lessons and stories.
00:30 Our job on this show is to bring the greatest storytellers
00:35 onto the platform so that you can learn
00:37 how to improve your storytelling.
00:39 So eventually one day we're talking
00:41 about your restaurant or restaurants.
00:44 Today we have Sarah Kier,
00:45 who is the chief marketing officer for Condado Tacos.
00:49 If you're not following Condado Tacos,
00:51 this is the call to action.
00:53 Follow them on Instagram, follow them on TikTok,
00:55 follow them on Facebook.
00:57 Basically go online and find out
00:59 how they are spreading the message
01:01 of the restaurants that they have.
01:03 They have over 40 locations in eight states,
01:06 and they plan on having a hundred restaurants by 2026.
01:11 Sarah, welcome to the show.
01:12 - Thank you, Sean.
01:13 Good to be here.
01:15 - So excited to have you.
01:16 I'm gonna start with our favorite random question,
01:18 which is where in the world is your favorite stadium,
01:22 stage, or venue?
01:23 - All right.
01:26 I'm going to go with stadium.
01:28 So I would have to say the Cincinnati Bengals Stadium.
01:32 So I grew up with a dad who was a big Bengals fan.
01:36 So I would always watch games with him,
01:38 have great memories from that.
01:39 And then I married a Bengals fan, so I still watch.
01:43 I'm a big Joe Burrow fan.
01:44 And then we actually have a Condado Tacos location
01:47 at the Cincinnati Bigs right across from Pink Fork Stadium.
01:50 And some of the Cincinnati Bengals players dine with us.
01:54 And that's always fun too,
01:55 to see pictures of them in our restaurant.
01:58 So yeah.
01:59 - Amazing.
02:00 So we're gonna rent out the Bengals Stadium.
02:03 We're gonna talk to entrepreneur, talk to Toast,
02:05 talk to our brand partners,
02:06 put on a hospitality TEDx style content
02:10 storytelling conference for people that we like to say
02:14 are playing the game within the game.
02:15 You don't listen to a show like this
02:17 unless you're somebody that understands
02:19 that technology is changing rapidly,
02:21 hospitality is changing rapidly.
02:23 But I'm gonna put you in the middle of the field
02:25 and I'm gonna give you the main stage and say,
02:28 Sarah, sell us, sell us on Condado Tacos.
02:32 - Awesome.
02:33 So I'm Sarah Keer, resided in Columbus, Ohio,
02:38 and I'm the chief marketing officer at Condado Tacos.
02:41 I've been with the brand for two years, going on two years.
02:45 And before that, my background was agency side,
02:49 specializing in digital marketing.
02:51 And I love digital, I still do.
02:54 It's fascinating and ever-changing and always so exciting.
02:57 Really love brand storytelling too.
03:00 And before joining the Condado Tacos team,
03:03 I was a personal fan of the brand.
03:06 So it was one of my favorite places to go.
03:08 And then when this opportunity came available,
03:11 I jumped on it and it was really a great decision.
03:13 Since joining in less than two years ago,
03:17 we've opened 20 new locations.
03:19 We open our 45th location in St. Louis next month.
03:22 And a little bit about Condado Tacos.
03:26 So we serve, think unorthodox tacos,
03:31 so really craveable double-deckers,
03:34 but with clean ingredients.
03:36 And then we have a really strong dip game.
03:38 So we make all of our quesos and guacs in-house,
03:41 and then we have a full beverage offering.
03:43 We specialize in fresh margaritas, crafted cocktails.
03:46 We are full service, but we operate very fast.
03:49 So we have that flexibility.
03:52 If you want to go out for a quick lunch,
03:54 you can be in and out just as fast as fast casual.
03:57 But if you want to go hang out with your friends
03:59 on our patio and share some margaritas,
04:02 we're totally down for that too.
04:03 So it's kind of this emerging category of dining
04:07 that has been dubbed next-gen casual,
04:10 which is just that customizable speed.
04:15 And I saw that Cali BBQ's tagline is slow food fast.
04:20 - Ah, you saw, you did some digital digging on me.
04:24 I like it.
04:25 - Well, I'm like, you're going to get that point,
04:26 because it's like, you know, the consumers want,
04:29 what kind of changes that need for convenience.
04:33 It's like, you know, people want to be able
04:35 to grab something really fast,
04:37 but they still care about eating clean food and good food.
04:40 And so that is, you know, one element of the Condado brand
04:43 that I think is really unique.
04:45 And then, you know, another thing that is just, you know,
04:49 kind of a standout element is our atmosphere is just,
04:52 it's very unique.
04:53 So every Condado location is hand-painted,
04:56 floor to ceiling, with murals by local artists,
05:00 graffiti style, and every Condado is filled with Easter eggs.
05:05 So depending on the city you're in,
05:07 there are just, you know, tags and little themes
05:09 and stories into the walls that really kind of like tell
05:14 tales of that community, which is really fun.
05:18 So that's a little bit about myself and Condado.
05:23 - Well, I can't let you continue on
05:26 without addressing Easter eggs,
05:28 because Easter eggs is something that is definitely
05:32 a game within the game.
05:33 Explain the Easter eggs,
05:35 and how do you decide what the Easter eggs are,
05:38 and how does that go on to the overall brand mission
05:41 and marketing mission?
05:42 - Yeah, so we have an art team,
05:47 a full art team on the Condado side,
05:52 and that art team is really dedicated to planning out
05:56 with local artists, the interiors of our stores
06:00 and what makes sense.
06:01 So, you know, they're really what we have found works best,
06:05 because if you're local to a city, you know it best.
06:08 So, you know, we find local artists
06:11 and kind of create like a team there,
06:15 and identify what those themes that make sense
06:18 for that city.
06:19 And then other Easter eggs include,
06:21 we have characters that you'll see across
06:23 all of the Condado locations.
06:26 So, you know, Ghost Peppers, Taco Man, Piesler,
06:29 each of them kind of have a backstory too.
06:31 So Piesler oftentimes is portrayed without any pants on,
06:35 with the, you know, the backstory of that
06:37 is that he is just, you know, so hungry
06:40 and craving tacos that he runs out without pants.
06:43 And he's just kind of this like crazy cat looking character.
06:45 And then Joe Kahn, who is Condado's founder,
06:50 one of the artists was actually mad at him
06:52 and painted him into the wall in a way that was like,
06:56 you know, he kind of looks like this skeleton character.
06:58 And Joe loved it and he embraced it.
07:01 So now Joe is shown across all the Condado locations as well.
07:07 And, you know, related to how that, you know,
07:09 reflects Condado's values,
07:12 Condado, just from the top down,
07:15 it's from the beginning, Joe,
07:17 one of his passions has been
07:20 about treating people really well,
07:21 both inside the restaurant and guests.
07:24 So he grew up, you know, has been working at restaurants
07:28 since he graduated high school.
07:31 And he always just felt like a number
07:33 and wanted to flip the script on that.
07:35 Of just really, you know, wanting to create a place
07:38 that not only would he want to eat out every day,
07:41 but that he would want to go work there every day.
07:43 And so just, you know, treating people with respect,
07:46 you know, it's kind of commonplace now,
07:48 but Condado never had dress codes.
07:50 So, and we're very lenient with like, you know,
07:54 if you have colored hair or piercings or tattoos,
07:57 like any of that was fine.
07:59 And, you know, the kind of culture mantra
08:01 is come as you are.
08:02 So, you know, just welcoming individuality
08:05 and creativity into Condado.
08:07 And we're all about professional development.
08:11 So a lot of Condado's leadership
08:15 is for people who were there from the beginning.
08:17 So our chief operating officer
08:19 who runs obviously all of our operations,
08:21 he was the first person Joe hired as a bartender.
08:25 - Wow.
08:25 - But really they're, you know,
08:27 across the board at Condado,
08:29 people who really have been there from the beginning,
08:32 which is, you know, we're going on eight years now.
08:34 It's just abnormal for people to stay
08:37 at a restaurant that long.
08:38 But if you, you know, if you give people the opportunity
08:41 to grow and develop, that, you know,
08:44 that's really helped with our retention and recruiting,
08:47 which is very helpful
08:49 when you're opening a bunch of restaurants.
08:50 - Huge news, Toast, our primary technology partner
08:53 at our barbecue restaurants in San Diego
08:56 and the primary technology partner
08:58 of so many of the guests that we have on this show
09:01 have announced they are expanding
09:03 their business offerings with Google.
09:06 So now if you search on Google Maps
09:09 and you sign up for Toast Tables or Toast Waitlist,
09:13 you will have the opportunity
09:14 to improve the digital hospitality experience of the guest,
09:18 allow them to book through the maps
09:21 into the Toast reservation system.
09:23 One of the biggest difficulties that restaurant guests have
09:27 is when they search for your restaurant
09:29 and they want a table,
09:30 they do not have an easy solution to book a table
09:34 or to get on a wait list.
09:35 This is huge news for the restaurant industry,
09:38 huge news for guests and huge news for you,
09:41 the restaurant owner.
09:42 Check out Toast Tables today
09:44 and find out the new integrated solution that they have.
09:47 This is something that we've wanted for a long time.
09:50 How do you integrate reservations, wait lists
09:53 into your point of sale?
09:54 Toast has done it, check it out.
09:56 - I think when you are talking about the brand,
10:01 I can hear the intentionality
10:04 when you're talking about the things that you're doing
10:06 on the local level in different markets.
10:09 From a marketing and branding perspective,
10:13 this show, we always talk about,
10:18 it's always bigger than a restaurant.
10:20 You know, when I opened up my restaurant in 2008,
10:22 it was never to open up one restaurant
10:25 in Spring Valley, California, and to just make it.
10:28 It was always something bigger.
10:30 And I'm so grateful of the opportunity that I have now
10:32 to talk to seasoned executives like yourself,
10:36 professional storytellers that are doing
10:38 some of the coolest things for our industry
10:40 to help other restaurants understand
10:43 whether you're a single unit, whether you're a multi-unit,
10:45 whether you have 2000 locations, this stuff matters.
10:49 This stuff matters.
10:50 And the more that you put that into the ethos,
10:52 not just in real life, but now digitally,
10:56 more that your brand can grow,
10:57 and it helps you solve all the problems
10:59 that you're trying to solve,
11:00 which is getting more customers to come in,
11:02 retaining the customers, recruiting, getting investors,
11:05 whatever you're trying to do,
11:07 but it has to start with the intentionality piece.
11:09 Can you talk about intentionality at Condado Tacos?
11:13 - Yeah, I mean, I think that our leadership team,
11:21 Joe and Johnny, like all of the core group,
11:23 they just have done such an incredible job
11:26 of building a culture that is very genuine.
11:31 And I think that has really allowed us
11:37 to be successful at scale,
11:39 because it is not, again, it's kind of like that top-down,
11:43 our core values aren't just words,
11:49 where they're really put into practice.
11:50 And so I think that it really starts
11:54 with the leadership team,
11:56 and then empowering all of the managers along the way
12:01 to really live out those core values
12:04 and to live out the culture.
12:06 I think that it has helped very much
12:11 that we, from the beginning, have accepted people
12:16 and encouraged people to be themselves,
12:18 and really accepted that in that individuality of everyone.
12:23 So, because if you feel comfortable at your workplace,
12:28 you're more likely to stay.
12:30 And if you're happy, that transfers and translates
12:35 into how you serve guests.
12:36 And so I think there has just been,
12:39 and I don't know that it was necessarily intentional
12:44 from the beginning, but the group of people
12:47 who started Condado just did a really great job
12:50 of setting the kind of ethical practices in place
12:55 from the beginning,
12:56 and that has just really allowed us
12:58 to be successful at scale.
13:00 Chris Artinian, who is Condado's president and CEO,
13:06 he is a tenured executive of lots of successful brands,
13:11 such as Morton Steakhouse.
13:15 And he actually started as a busboy there
13:18 and became the CEO before he left.
13:21 So he's a success story himself.
13:23 So, and he actually found Condado,
13:29 identified Condado, he was on the private equity side,
13:32 and found Condado as a brand that he wanted to invest in.
13:37 But then he was so blown away by our brand and the business
13:42 that he joined the team the whole time.
13:46 So, I really do believe that we, I know we are,
13:51 we're creating something really, really special.
13:55 And the challenge, right, is it, to your point,
13:59 is that brand storytelling.
14:01 So what we have organically done really well,
14:07 we're now entering all of these new markets
14:11 where we don't have that brand equity that we have
14:14 in a market that we've been in for five years, six years,
14:18 in that word of mouth.
14:20 And so how we do that, how we tell the brand story,
14:24 how we build that brand equity very fast in new markets,
14:29 that's been kind of the big challenge for me
14:33 on the marketing side, which is that,
14:35 it's a fun challenge, it's an exciting challenge,
14:38 but it is definitely a challenge.
14:40 (laughs)
14:42 - Where do you find the courage to lean into
14:47 a brand storytelling perspective on TikTok?
14:51 And why don't more restaurants have the courage
14:56 to post on TikTok?
14:58 - So, I mean, TikTok is such an interesting one
15:03 because it has been somewhat controversial
15:08 from the beginning, right?
15:10 (laughs)
15:11 So I think a lot of brands might've been,
15:15 it also is a new digital, a new social platform.
15:19 - A new playground, a new digital playground.
15:21 - Yes, and I think that there wasn't necessarily,
15:26 it was something new to learn
15:30 and Facebook and Instagram and stuff
15:32 have been around forever.
15:33 And I think that is one thing that we're kind of
15:37 always challenging ourselves with,
15:39 is like listening, paying attention to our consumers,
15:42 really understanding our guests
15:44 and meeting them where they are
15:46 versus expecting them to log into Instagram
15:50 to see what we're doing there,
15:51 when in reality, if they're spending all their time
15:53 on TikTok, we can be engaging with them there.
15:57 And it's really interesting
15:59 and kind of like probably the nerdy digital marketer in me.
16:04 - Oh, you need to go.
16:05 This is the language we're speaking here.
16:08 Let's go, digital marketing, get into it.
16:11 This is an internet show.
16:14 We believe in all forms of storytelling,
16:17 but especially- - All forms of nerdiness.
16:18 - Yes, please.
16:20 - So when I started, I mapped out with the team
16:24 all of the social platforms that we are on.
16:29 - And what year was this?
16:30 Give me a context.
16:31 - This would have been in 2021.
16:33 This was when we had just, we had a TikTok account
16:37 and we were starting to post,
16:38 but we didn't really have a consistent content game there.
16:42 But we mapped out all of the social channels
16:46 that we are on today,
16:48 and then really both organically and paid, right?
16:52 So across everything from Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram,
16:56 LinkedIn, some Twitch, TikTok was there.
17:00 And then we did organic- - Twitter.
17:02 - Twitter, yeah. - You guys are on Twitter too.
17:05 - We did organic and paid,
17:06 and then we really went across
17:07 and just created this rubrics of like,
17:10 what do we believe that our consumers would want
17:13 or expect from us in these different channels, right?
17:16 And some of them are appropriate as a sales channel.
17:19 Instagram and Facebook work very well,
17:21 and that's the type of advertising that consumers want.
17:24 Some of them are appropriate for brand awareness building
17:27 or solely to entertain.
17:29 That was the goal of TikTok and still is for us today.
17:34 We do not, sales are not a box that is checked.
17:39 Some of these channels need content
17:41 or need community management.
17:43 So consumers are asking questions.
17:46 They want feedback from us related to everything
17:48 from products to hours.
17:50 And having someone who can respond in comments
17:54 was something that we needed.
17:57 Some of them were great for influencers.
18:01 YouTube is another social channel that we're on.
18:04 And especially in the restaurant industry, right?
18:09 It's like the vlogger,
18:11 the informal food critics of the world,
18:14 those people have a lot of power in today's,
18:18 the way it works today.
18:19 It's like that is kind of the new word of mouth.
18:22 And so how do we get in front of those influencers
18:26 who are in our markets?
18:27 And really what we have found successful,
18:31 and it was helpful coming from agency side,
18:34 the brands who had the best influencer programs in place
18:38 were doing it in-house because it-
18:41 - I'm sorry, what did you say?
18:42 Can you say that again?
18:44 - They were doing it in-house
18:45 versus working with an agency
18:47 to manage those influencer relationships.
18:50 And same with their organic social.
18:54 So paid social can be, I think,
18:56 successfully managed by an agency.
18:58 And someone could prove me wrong.
18:59 I'm sure this is different for brands, but again-
19:02 - We agree.
19:03 We're in agreement.
19:04 - The always on kind of nature of organic social,
19:08 and even that influencer, it's more like a relationship.
19:13 And if they feel like they really understand your brand
19:17 and you can communicate with them
19:20 in a way that helps them better understand your brand,
19:22 we've just had more success that way
19:25 versus it kind of going through another party.
19:29 So we give, I have,
19:33 we staffed up a pretty intentional team in-house
19:38 around content roles, social roles,
19:41 video and photography needs.
19:47 And then we give, I try to give my team a lot of leeway.
19:55 - Yeah, to post and content that is engaging
20:00 and really laddering up to those goals
20:03 that we have outlined.
20:05 - Yeah, I mean, I love,
20:06 I'm happy that you've been talking about that
20:08 because these are the things that the show was founded on
20:11 is understanding that in this new creator economy,
20:14 business creator economy, we're all creators.
20:17 This is a show for entrepreneur.
20:18 Entrepreneurs are the original creators.
20:21 Pre-internet, they were creating things,
20:23 creating businesses.
20:24 And I just got back
20:25 from the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago.
20:27 And we're talking about 11 football fields of vendors,
20:31 of brands, of selling products and services.
20:33 And not a lot of content was getting created at those booths
20:37 yet lots of money was being spent.
20:40 And the reason why we do this show
20:41 and the reason why we talk to people like you
20:43 is that you understand that empowering
20:47 the people on the team, bringing these things in-house,
20:50 having conversations like this,
20:51 that's why you guys have 75,000 followers on Instagram.
20:54 That's why you're building an engaging TikTok channel.
20:57 That's why when you go to your website, it's engaging.
21:00 You have stories.
21:01 That's why you're getting all these press opportunities.
21:03 These are the things that help you grow a brand
21:07 when you're, literally,
21:09 it doesn't matter the size of your brand.
21:11 Can you tell me at what point for the Condado story
21:15 or what point for anyone's story
21:17 does someone able to bring in a chief marketing officer?
21:19 'Cause I know we have a lot of restaurant owners
21:21 that they are the CEO, CMO, CFO, COO.
21:26 And eventually as you scale, you can go,
21:28 "Hey, I need to bring..."
21:29 And even once you get to that point,
21:31 I mean, we work with companies
21:33 that have thousands of employees,
21:34 even at that point, everyone needs to tell the story.
21:38 Everyone is in sales.
21:40 Everyone is in marketing.
21:41 Like it's all everyone's job.
21:43 If this is the brand that you believe in,
21:44 if you believe in the brand mission,
21:46 you don't need permission to post on LinkedIn.
21:49 You don't need permission to post on Instagram.
21:51 You don't need permission to tell the things
21:52 that you're excited to do in your work.
21:55 - Yes, 100%.
21:57 So, I really think of my role
22:01 as how I can empower everyone to market,
22:06 to talk about Condado in a consistent way
22:12 and for everyone to be a marketer.
22:15 And I think that when it...
22:19 I think it probably really depends on your business
22:23 and the size and scale
22:26 and for when a chief marketing officer role
22:30 necessarily makes sense.
22:31 But if you're in fast growth mode,
22:34 having someone who can be dedicated
22:36 to the plethora of opportunities that exist
22:41 for brand storytelling
22:44 and kind of wrangling and trying to align
22:47 digital marketing with local store,
22:49 like everything that goes into it,
22:52 having that dedicated person is very helpful.
22:57 But it really is like my job is working across
23:00 all of the departments.
23:01 So, and working closely with all of our teams.
23:05 - We believe that the truth vibrates the fastest.
23:08 And one of the most difficult things for brands to do
23:12 is to get to the heart of the truth quickly.
23:14 You're a taco joint with a margarita problem.
23:18 - Yes.
23:20 - How do you lean in to that?
23:21 And how do you make that truth vibrate
23:24 through all of the things that you put out
23:25 in real life and on the internet?
23:28 - You know, Sean, honestly,
23:31 we're still evolving that and what that looks like.
23:36 And I think, to some degree,
23:41 that brand identity and those differentiators,
23:46 that story is still being told.
23:49 You know, one of the first things that I did
23:52 when I started with Candado,
23:55 it just made a lot of sense given our growth goals
23:58 and where we're at as a company to do consumer research.
24:01 We're kind of at that point, we had never done it before.
24:04 And it is an investment, right?
24:07 To kind of take pause and do a research project
24:12 where we did quantitative research,
24:15 but consumer study to understand, you know,
24:17 the different- - Are these existing markets
24:19 or markets that you're going into?
24:20 - We did both.
24:21 - Okay.
24:22 - So we did existing markets
24:23 and then we did markets that we were entering in 2022.
24:27 And to uncover more about our consumers,
24:32 to really understand them, who they are as people,
24:35 how they make decisions,
24:36 what they really loved about Candado.
24:38 And then we did a qualitative research project
24:42 coming out of that once we kind of had a target consumer,
24:45 which our target consumer, we lovingly call the socializer.
24:49 So, which is not, you know, surprising,
24:52 but it is, you know, I think there were five total segments
24:55 and the socializer equated to over half of our visits.
25:00 So they really were, it was like someone who,
25:03 once they heard about Candado,
25:05 they were more likely to visit.
25:06 Once they visited, they were more likely to become a loyal,
25:09 like a loyal, you know, fan and consumer.
25:12 So, and then we sat down with these consumers,
25:16 both people who were already loyal fans of Candado
25:19 and people who were essentially a socializer,
25:23 but who weren't,
25:24 and talk to them about their dining preferences,
25:26 what they loved about Candado,
25:28 really to inform that, you know, that storytelling.
25:32 So that we can start kind of marketing these messages
25:35 in new markets, you know,
25:38 attention spans are so short, right?
25:40 - Very short.
25:41 - We're talking, you know,
25:42 we're working on video projects and stuff now.
25:44 - Three seconds, 1.5 seconds.
25:46 - Yes.
25:47 Where it's like, how, and especially, I mean,
25:50 you'll get this too, right?
25:52 Like how do you convey everything that you want to convey
25:57 about the brand or the thing that is the most important
26:00 to know to the consumer very quickly so that they,
26:03 you know, want to-
26:05 - Six words, you've got it down to six words.
26:07 It's very impressive.
26:08 Like a taco joint with a margarita problem.
26:12 That's very impressive.
26:14 - Thank you.
26:16 - I see a lot of bad marketing copy out there.
26:19 A lot of bad marketing copy.
26:20 So you guys have done a great job.
26:22 Can you tell me about the swag?
26:24 We believe in ABB, always be branding,
26:27 and leaning into your crazy,
26:29 leaning into the ethos of who you are,
26:31 your uniqueness, not just as an individual,
26:33 but especially as a brand.
26:35 It's very hard to do for a single unit restaurant,
26:38 but it's even harder to do as you grow and scale.
26:40 Tell me about the swag and the merch.
26:44 - Yeah, so the swag and merch,
26:47 the T-shirt I'm wearing today is designed
26:50 by one of our local artists.
26:51 So, you know, we commissioned this artist.
26:55 His name is Elliot Shultry.
26:57 He's out of Grand Rapids and we love Elliot.
27:00 But we commissioned him to do a design for our,
27:05 we called it like a band tour,
27:06 the Condado US Tour T-shirts.
27:10 So this was celebrating our 2021 locations.
27:14 And then, so that's actually Piesler, the character,
27:18 who's like one of our reoccurring characters.
27:20 And then on the back has all of the locations
27:22 that we entered.
27:25 Retail is actually one of the areas that is on my wishlist
27:30 to essentially make that available for consumers.
27:33 That was one thing that we heard from our guests.
27:34 They were like, we love your shirts.
27:36 We only get them sometimes.
27:38 We don't have a way for people to purchase,
27:40 you know, retail from us today.
27:42 But building that out is a goal for us.
27:47 Because it's fun.
27:50 They're all very, you know,
27:51 the shirt designs and retail that we do have,
27:54 highly, you know, creative, artistic, unique,
27:58 and, you know, kind of celebrating a variety
28:02 of different things about Condado.
28:04 So, yeah.
28:05 - How do you incorporate technology
28:07 into your marketing and brand initiatives?
28:09 - Yeah.
28:11 So, you know, what we have found with technology
28:15 or what has like worked best with technology
28:19 is really those areas that can improve the guest experience.
28:25 So how can we make this more convenient for the guest?
28:30 And whether that be the, you know,
28:33 toast handhelds at the servers, you know,
28:36 like getting the orders.
28:38 - Are you guys toast customers?
28:39 - Yep, we are.
28:40 - Really?
28:41 - Yes.
28:42 - I'm bad at my research.
28:43 That's amazing.
28:44 You have, you always been on toast?
28:46 - I don't know if we always have,
28:48 but we have since I have been with Condado, yes.
28:51 - Look at that.
28:52 There you go.
28:52 That's why we do the show we do.
28:55 All the best brands and all the best,
28:57 they make it easy for us.
28:58 We can take care of our guests
29:01 and work on selling more shirts
29:03 and all kinds of other stuff that'll bring more revenue
29:06 and make us more profitable and sustainable.
29:08 - A hundred percent.
29:09 So one, like just those elements of technology
29:13 that improve, that make it more convenient for the guests.
29:16 And you always want to walk that line
29:18 of not confusing the guests, right?
29:20 So we're always kind of looking at, you know,
29:25 new technologies, ordering kiosks at the table,
29:28 or, you know, if what makes sense
29:32 and trying to test it in a way that, you know,
29:36 we're just being very thoughtful
29:37 of making sure that it makes sense.
29:39 One area that we have had a lot of success with
29:42 related to technology is in back of house automation
29:46 and starting to incorporate more of that into our kitchens
29:50 that are, you know, we're already,
29:51 we're all about speed and efficiency and consistency.
29:54 So, you know, where and how we can do that,
29:57 we've had success.
30:00 And I think that will probably be an area
30:02 that we do more of in back of house.
30:05 And then, you know, we have our,
30:07 we launched a loyalty program.
30:10 We use Punch, our brand Punch for that.
30:14 And that has been another area.
30:15 We actually just had an app update go live today
30:18 where we launched challenges,
30:20 where we can, you know, kind of set specific objectives
30:23 of, you know, eat condado three times this week
30:25 and, you know, unlock 30 points type of like,
30:28 you know, frequency related challenges.
30:33 But yeah, so I definitely say related to like,
30:37 how can we improve guest experience related to convenience
30:40 and then just make, you know, things more fun,
30:43 gamifying where and how we can.
30:45 Those are a couple areas that technology,
30:47 I think will continue to play a big role.
30:50 - I would love to hear how you think about
30:54 the difference of marketing on-prem, off-prem and catering.
30:59 - Yeah, yes.
31:01 So, you know, it's so interesting
31:04 because COVID kind of changed a lot of,
31:08 I mean, a lot, right, obviously.
31:10 But kind of overnight, our business was, went from,
31:16 we fortunately had an off-prem business
31:21 before COVID happened,
31:24 but it was a very small portion of our business,
31:26 especially being full service.
31:27 And then kind of overnight,
31:28 it became the, really the only way for a period of time
31:33 that guests could eat at, you know, eat condado
31:36 was off-prem.
31:37 So the speed aspect of our brand was incredibly helpful
31:44 because again, we could kind of operate pretty much
31:47 like as fast as fast casual.
31:50 And so, you know, the way that we think about marketing
31:55 around these things is really just being thoughtful
32:01 of what messaging makes sense.
32:03 So kind of like ideal consumer journey with condado
32:08 is ideally we get them in the door the first time
32:12 so that they can experience, you know, the whole,
32:14 the atmosphere and that, you know,
32:17 kind of like unique element of dining in at condado, right?
32:22 So ideally they're visiting us in person for the first time.
32:27 And then they also realize that we are very fast
32:31 in the baking this really craveable clean food at home.
32:34 And so from a touch point perspective,
32:37 that is kind of the flow of it.
32:39 We are trying to, you know, incorporate like, you know,
32:41 most of our initial brand awareness efforts
32:44 are around dining in.
32:45 And then we are retargeting and using lists
32:49 and using things like, you know,
32:51 we actually just are testing in our Nashville locations
32:55 right now, a couple in-store elements related to,
32:59 we're launching, you know, kind of this sub logo
33:01 to condado go that really indicates just like the speed
33:05 around our to-go offering.
33:07 We're actually testing toast has new ordering screens.
33:10 Have you ever been?
33:11 - I don't know if crumble cookies.
33:13 - Yep.
33:14 - Okay.
33:15 Where they have the ordering screens
33:16 where it's like in progress and order ready.
33:18 - Amazing. Yeah.
33:19 They've rolled those out.
33:20 - Yes. So we're testing one of those just to, you know,
33:23 help guests realize how fast, like make it easier
33:27 for people picking up their food and help kind of highlight
33:30 how fast we can be with off from.
33:33 And catering has been such an interesting
33:35 line of business for us.
33:37 We just launched catering a few years ago
33:39 and it has really just exploded.
33:41 And you know, that our thought there is just that
33:47 there is not as many more people, but not still
33:50 not as many are offering catering.
33:52 So if you have a catering offering,
33:54 that is really good food.
33:56 And we try to be thoughtful about that experience.
33:59 We did a setup video that has a QR code
34:02 on the back of our boxes.
34:03 We just redesigned our boxes using like, you know,
34:06 all original art.
34:07 So they're nice and bright and vibrant, but,
34:10 and then we have, you know, hacks videos on the front
34:13 where people can, yeah, just like, you know,
34:16 it's mixed case.
34:17 - Are those published on the internet or are they published?
34:20 Are they, where are they hosted?
34:22 Those hacks videos?
34:23 - Our website.
34:24 - Awesome.
34:25 - So, yep. Mm-hmm.
34:26 - Sweet.
34:27 - Yeah. So, so all of, you know, we kind of thought that,
34:32 especially with the return to office, you know,
34:35 a lot of companies are still trying to figure that out,
34:38 that catering might not grow as fast
34:42 as we originally had thought,
34:43 but that really hasn't been our experience.
34:45 We have had a lot of success with catering and it is,
34:49 you know, it's, it is the same audience,
34:53 but really like, you know,
34:54 kind of like the best ways to engage with them.
34:56 A lot of field sales and food drops, and, you know,
35:00 we, if getting in with, with universities,
35:04 some of our, you know, biggest catering customers
35:06 are athletic departments at OSU and in, you know, Michigan.
35:10 And so, because it's really great food,
35:14 but it's also clean.
35:16 So people, you know, the teams feel good about,
35:19 about eating that.
35:20 So, yeah.
35:20 - Love it. I love it.
35:22 So every single Wednesday and Friday
35:24 on the social audio app Clubhouse,
35:27 we host a room called Digital Hospitality.
35:29 That's a chance for you, the listener, the viewer,
35:31 anybody that's following this content
35:33 to come on stage, to participate.
35:35 It's great to passively listen to a podcast
35:37 or to watch a YouTube video
35:39 or to see the clip on Instagram.
35:40 But we actually want to hear your voice.
35:42 If you're in sales, if you're in marketing,
35:44 if you're a content creator,
35:45 if you're in the hospitality space,
35:47 this is the playground that we hold for you.
35:51 We do a social shout out for those people that are,
35:53 my grandfather taught me to stay curious,
35:55 to get involved and to ask for help.
35:57 Curious people always want to level up.
36:00 They read books, they listen to shows,
36:02 they put themselves in the position to be better,
36:05 but then you actually have to do something about it.
36:07 You have to raise your hand, you have to get on stage,
36:09 you have to do the work.
36:10 And then finally you have to ask for help.
36:12 One of the hardest lessons that I learned.
36:14 But this week's shout out goes to our friend, Dean Labbe.
36:18 Dean Labbe has been joining us on Clubhouse
36:20 for the last two years.
36:22 He is a 62 year old that is recovering from a disability,
36:27 but he shows up every single week.
36:29 He loves hospitality.
36:30 He loves the digital aspect.
36:31 He wants to help independent restaurant owners,
36:33 but he wanted to go to the Restaurant Association Show
36:36 in Chicago.
36:37 He asked for help and within 12 hours,
36:39 the community had raised over $2,000 to get him to Chicago.
36:44 We saw him in Chicago.
36:45 He had a blast.
36:46 Dean, this is a shout out to you.
36:48 I wanted to give you a chance, Sarah.
36:50 I know it's on entrepreneur and I know it's easy to say,
36:53 you want to shout out your entire team,
36:55 but I need one person on the marketing team,
36:58 on the brand team that's gone above and beyond.
37:00 Who's a shout out for?
37:04 - I have to give my shout out to Evan Perdue,
37:07 who manages both our loyalty program
37:10 and customer experience.
37:11 So, you know, Evan gets my shout out
37:14 because he really does regularly go above and beyond.
37:19 So, and we appreciate you, Evan.
37:22 - I love it.
37:23 So now we're going to give you
37:24 the smartphone storytelling thesis.
37:27 So this is where I get to ask my guests
37:30 about your smartphone usage.
37:32 Are you an iPhone or Android user?
37:35 - iPhone.
37:36 - And what version?
37:37 - Oh, I think that I have the 14, not the new one.
37:42 - Okay, not the new one.
37:44 Do you prefer Apple music or Spotify or Pandora?
37:47 Spotify.
37:48 Email or Slack?
37:49 - Email.
37:51 I used to, in agency it was Slack.
37:53 - Agency or Slack.
37:54 - But now, yes.
37:55 - Now it's restaurant.
37:56 - I love email.
37:57 - Texting.
37:58 Yes, it's texting and email.
37:59 - Well, actually that leads me to my next question.
38:01 Can you get restaurant people to respond to email
38:04 or do they respond to text better?
38:06 - Oh, definitely text better.
38:08 Yes.
38:10 - Text or phone call?
38:11 - Yes.
38:12 - Text or phone call?
38:13 Which one do they prefer?
38:14 Or which one do you prefer, text or phone call?
38:16 - It depends on what it is.
38:18 So I prefer text, but sometimes phone calls
38:22 are so much faster.
38:23 - Yeah.
38:25 LinkedIn or Instagram?
38:26 - Instagram for me personally.
38:28 - Instagram, yeah.
38:30 Instagram or TikTok?
38:32 - TikTok.
38:32 - What's your favorite app?
38:34 - Ooh, man.
38:36 If we went by hours,
38:38 - Yes.
38:39 - It would be TikTok.
38:40 (laughs)
38:41 - How many hours per day are you on your smartphone?
38:43 - I think that my last report said around five hours per day.
38:50 - Five hours per day.
38:51 And do you take more photos or more videos?
38:56 - That is probably very even split.
38:58 Probably maybe slightly more photos still.
39:01 - More photos still.
39:02 What is your least favorite notification?
39:05 - Ooh, that's a tough one.
39:09 My least favorite notification.
39:12 - Do you live notifications on or notifications off?
39:18 - I mostly have them off.
39:20 (laughs)
39:22 So, I can't think of a notification
39:27 that I don't like offhand.
39:30 - And what is a cool app that you use
39:34 that you don't think most people know about?
39:36 - Ooh, let's see.
39:40 That people wouldn't know about.
39:47 I'm going to cheat and-
39:49 - That's fine.
39:50 - Just see if there's anything.
39:53 I, again, am not sure.
40:00 Well, I mean, this one's not new.
40:02 It's like, but, and well, yeah, I'll just use it.
40:07 Are you on Be Real?
40:09 - Be Real, yeah, I was.
40:11 I was on Be Real.
40:12 I tried it out, yeah.
40:14 - Yes, so I'm on Be Real and just really enjoy it.
40:19 I enjoy that app and enjoy connecting with people
40:23 in my network that way.
40:24 Just feel like they have done a really good job
40:26 of kind of like the not social network.
40:30 - Non-social, yeah.
40:31 - Yes, so yeah, if you haven't checked that one out yet,
40:35 check it out.
40:36 And all of my friends are going to make fun of me
40:37 for saying that one.
40:38 (laughs)
40:39 They're like, "Stop trying to make Be Real happen."
40:40 - That's even better.
40:41 That's fantastic.
40:43 Well, if you guys want to connect with me,
40:44 it's @SeanPWalcheff, S-H-A-W-N-P-W-A-L-C-H-E-F.
40:49 I am weirdly available on all social platforms.
40:52 I want to hear about your story.
40:54 I want to hear about your restaurant.
40:55 And don't be surprised if I make you start making videos
40:59 and posting them because no one's coming
41:01 to tell your story.
41:02 That's why we started this show.
41:04 Sarah, where can people connect with you
41:06 and where can they connect with Condado?
41:07 We're going to put links into the article
41:10 so that they can follow you guys on social
41:12 and go to the website.
41:13 But where can people follow you guys?
41:16 - So all of the major social platforms
41:20 that we talked about.
41:21 So, Instagram, LinkedIn is great for business news.
41:26 And then for me personally,
41:28 LinkedIn would be the best place to follow me too.
41:32 - That's awesome.
41:32 And any parting words of wisdom
41:34 for the restaurant marketing executive or entrepreneur
41:39 that is going to listen to this show?
41:41 - You know, I, the keep it simple, stupid thing.
41:46 I tell myself that all of the time
41:50 because it can just get so complicated
41:55 with all of the channels or feel complicated.
41:57 And at the end of the day,
41:58 it is a story that you are trying to tell
42:02 and connect with your consumers in a personal way.
42:05 So, you know, just as best as you can,
42:07 try not to over complicate things.
42:10 - I love it.
42:11 Don't overthink it.
42:11 It's just audio, video, words, and images.
42:13 That's all, that's all the internet is.
42:15 We, you're already doing it in real life.
42:17 Just publish it on the internet.
42:19 - Yeah.
42:20 - Sarah, thank you so much for your time.
42:21 Condado Tacos, check them out.
42:23 And we will catch you guys all next week.
42:25 Thanks for listening to the show.
42:26 Thank you for listening to Restaurant Influencers.
42:29 The best way that you can help us with the show
42:32 is to subscribe and write a review.
42:34 We love the opportunity to connect with you
42:37 no matter where you are on the globe,
42:39 no matter what restaurant you are running.
42:41 Please send us a DM on social @SeanPWalcheff.
42:46 If you are interested in toast,
42:47 if you want to improve your digital hospitality,
42:50 please send me a DM.
42:51 I will get you in touch with a local toast representative.
42:55 We appreciate you listening to the show.
42:57 The best way that you can help the show
42:58 is share it with a friend
43:00 and we will catch you all next week,
43:01 or we will see you on one of the digital playgrounds
43:04 that we call social media.