The casual dining landscape has become a sea of “sameness” across the country. The experience offered by the large national brands have begun to converge in the consumers’ minds, and suddenly the name on the door becomes a commodity to a copycat offering.

When the small, young national brand Aspen Creek Grill approached Radius, the company was blazing a trail directly into the same experience offered by the major brands. Local neighborhood breweries and restaurant concepts were creating unique experiences for the consumer. Although consumers felt the Aspen Creek Grill experience was very good, it lacked anything remarkable enough to create a buzz.

Through the strategic advice and execution from our team at Radius, the Aspen Creek Grill brand was overhauled to reflect a modern brand. Changing the experience didn’t stop with a new brand, however. The new brand needed a story to match – one every consumer could relate with.

When you think of time spent outdoors with those you care about most, any chance your memory flashes back to a campfire? As we spoke with the target audience, the campfire was a fond recollection for many, and allowed us to build a common heartstring into the brand message.

Once we had a story to tell, the Radius team helped to roll out promotional offers and special campaigns designed to drive traffic in the door. Holiday gift card programming led the way, alongside new weeknight specials and a seasonal drink promotion. The result is a consistent sales trend above the industry average and outpacing previous year sales data.

In addition to creating eye-catching designs presented in store, Radius also overhauled Aspen Creek Grill’s social media strategy. We began incorporating video in Facebook and Instagram posts, which receive more engagement on average than still images. We also shifted the focus from mundane messages to timely, trendy and brand-relevant posts, keeping Aspen Creek Grill in the forefront of their audience’s minds.