The Dinex Group Uses WiFi Tool to Collect Emails, Sell out Events
The Dinex Group, the 16-restaurant group owned by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, today announced the success of a new marketing initiative that has helped the company’s marketing team collect more than 64,000 email addresses from loyal customers.
“One of my first initiatives when I joined The Dinex Group was to grow and segment our contact list so I could have a clear understanding of who our guests are,” said Tami von Isakovics, Dinex’ executive director of marketing. “What we do for Bar Boulud is not the same as what we do for Boulud Sud or for db bistro or DBGB,” she said. “The messaging and content of what goes out to the public is very individualized and brand-centric.”
The Dinex Group relies on email marketing to alert customers to restaurant openings and special events. For years, the restaurants collected email addresses using newsletter sign-ups and comment cards. “List growth was slow,” said von Isakovics.
Until recently, the Dinex Group didn’t offer free WiFi at any of their properties. “People expect WiFi now and not having it is annoying,” said von Isakovics. As soon as Dinex installed WiFi marketing platform Zenreach, the team saw thousands of new emails flood in. “There were a lot of raised eyebrows at the number of contacts we collected,” she added. Dinex collected 64,000 addresses in just the first year.
The information they collected has allowed the marketing team to conduct more creative and relevant email marketing campaigns, segment audiences based on customer profiles and create separate lists for their locations.
“Targeting the right audiences has led to sold out events. “We can see the results,” said von Isakovics. “When we send out an email for a specific event, we usually see immediate action, with some events selling out two days after an email is sent.”
The Dinex Group, the Restaurant Group of Chef Daniel Boulud, operates 16 restaurants, including Daniel, Bar Boulud, Boulud Sud, db Bistro and Cafe Boulud. There are nine restaurants in New York City and an additional nine in national and international destinations.