La Parrilla and Popmenu partner to deliver landmark online sales via powerful marketing solution.
Client Spotlight:
La Parrilla is a Tex-Mex legend that grew from a single location funded from the founders' 401ks to a sprawling 23-location group throughout Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. The restaurant has entrenched itself as a routine spot for families to enjoy celebrations and meals together and serves as an inspiration to other entrepreneurs: over 15 other restaurant brands started from a previous La Parrilla employee. The team credits their success to the community they've built with both their staff and their guests.
However, in an increasingly digital world, maintaining that sense of community while sustaining their brand's growth has become one of La Parrilla's biggest challenges. Before partnering with Popmenu, La Parrilla was looking for a tool that would extend their hospitality online by creating a uniform experience across all of their locations while maintaining a personalized touch with each guest.
"The most challenging part of marketing is combining technology with community. Popmenu is helping us understand that path, because they understand how best to communicate to the masses. What's more, they actually understand restaurants. Many people sell technology, but they don't always understand what we do here. With Popmenu, they actually treat us like a restaurant because they know what the restaurant experience is all about."
Juan Fernando Henao, Vice President of La Parrilla & Casi Cielo
A database that keeps on giving
Developing meaningful guest loyalty starts by collecting contact information, something La Parrilla understood from the over 50,000 guest contacts they accumulated throughout their 30+ years of operation. The restaurant grew their list by 60% in under a year thanks to Popmenu's online ordering automatically collecting that information at checkout. The platform doesn't stop at contact information, it also collects order history and marketing interaction data so La Parrilla can develop a deep understanding of who their guests are and what they like, helping them establish lasting connections with guests.
"Working with Popmenu on our database, we've seen more results. We're increasing our contact list. And we're learning new ways to use it and to get messages delivered effectively to our guests—which is just as important. That, to me, is what makes Popmenu such a valuable resource, because they help us see all of our guests in a more clear way, and provide an easier way to communicate with them."
Juan Fernando Henao
Vice President of La Parrilla and Casi Cielo
Through this deeper understanding of their guest, La Parrilla is able to improve their marketing by sending guests messages they actually want to receive, including automated emails sent by Popmenu based on actions guests take on the restaurant's website. For example, if a guest hasn't ordered in a specified number of days, Popmenu will send a personalized email inviting them to place another order—an email that has resulted in nearly 1,000 orders the restaurant otherwise wouldn't have received. By using Popmenu's suite of data-driven marketing tools, La Parrilla has earned over $616,000 in marketing-influenced revenue.
From unanswered calls to fresh revenue
Although La Parrilla has never wavered from their mission to foster a sense of community, the team struggled to keep that feeling alive when it came to answering phone calls. They reached a point where they were so busy with dine-in guests they couldn't keep up with the influx of calls, which led to unanswered calls (and frustrated guests). They turned to Popmenu and their AI Answering technology, which fields calls with custom responses and sends links for orders and reservations.
"Now that we have the ability to reroute phone calls by sending a text to our guests with online ordering information, our online ordering has increased in a very rapid way. With Popmenu AI Answering, we have been about to increase our to-go business because we are no longer losing those phone calls."
Juan Fernando Henao
Vice President of La Parrilla and Casi Cielo
With AI Answering, La Parrilla is able to provide an excellent experience to guests over the phone without distracting their staff from in-person customers. The restaurant has earned an estimated $1,220,000 in sales through the AI phone service. Not only does the team appreciate the efficiency and revenue gained from using AI Answering, they also value the ability to track their success within the Popmenu platform.
"It is difficult to grow and to make decisions without having measurement tools. Popmenu's solution has given us the opportunity to create an interactive website that includes dynamic online ordering, allowing us to track the success rate on each individual menu item. These tools have helped us be a better restaurant. I don't see how a company can grow without them. With AI Answering, specifically, we can track the number of to-go orders and see that number increase by giving people the option to order online."
Juan Fernando Henao
Vice President of La Parrilla and Casi Cielo
Passion + Popmenu = endless possibilities
The La Parrilla story spotlights what's possible when passion for food and hospitality is paired with the right marketing solutions. By consolidating their tech stack, investing in database growth, and leaning into AI, they've cooked up new revenue streams, built guest loyalty, and set themselves up for long-term success.
Now that they are an established, successful business, they have some advice for newcomers to restaurant ownership:
"I would tell them to start working with a company like Popmenu right away, because they understand people and understand technology. And if you start working with them from the beginning, it is much easier, and you're going to be a healthier company in the long run. The biggest takeaway is to not be afraid, because it will be one of the best investments they will make in their business."
