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[ Bragging rights ]

A Restaurant: Impossible?


 

At the beginning of April 2012, Alternative Strategies accepted a mission that would put any food network reality TV show to shame. The mission? Open four restaurants & bars in 30 days. The result? With the aid of new team members, cooperative clients, and frequent Starbucks runs, Alternative Strategies took this feat and ran with it--and the results are in.

Opening #1: Serenity Restaurant & Lounge
At the start of April 2012, Serenity Restaurant & Lounge looked to Alternative Strategies to assist with their launch in the Downtown San Diego district. With the utmost belief in this inventive Asian Fusion restaurant, Alternative Strategies developed a website, advertisements, and social media plan of action to reflect this brand's unique melding of contemporary San Diego with progressive Asian cuisine. Once the designs were complete, it was time to simultaneously unveil this hidden downtown gem to the media and public. Located directly across from The San Diego Convention Center, it was pertinent for Alternative Strategies to coordinate memberships and relationships with various organizations in the surrounding area. From securing advertisements at the Convention Center, to arranging grand opening events that leveraged relationships with business and networking groups like 6Degrees, Serenity was exposed to a variety of business professionals, food enthusiasts, and tourists. By the end of April, the scene at Serenity was more than just serene...it was a packed house.

Opening #2: Miguel's Cocina Carlsbad
Approaching their 30th anniversary, Miguel's has established itself as integral part of San Diego's reverence for Mexican cuisine. Reaching many southern San Diego areas such as Point Loma, Coronado, and Old Town, The Brigantine Family of Restaurants decided it was time to take their south of the border concept up to North County with a Carlsbad location. After weeks of planning and construction, the Miguel's Cocina of Carlsbad developed into a refined and stunning restaurant that was unlike any other Miguel's, (or any restaurant in the surrounding area)...and Alternative Strategies anticipated supporting this opening. When April hit, so did the work. Alternative Strategies immersed into the launch of Miguel's sixth location by managing advertising, graphic design, eblasts, and press releases. By the end of April, when the restaurant prepped its first bowl of jalapeno white sauce, Alternative Strategies was there, attending multiple soft openings, such as a "friends and family" dinner and a grand opening dinner, which also served as a fundraiser, raising over $3,600 for the Women's Resource Center. Now, more than a month since its opening, Miguel's of Carlsbad continues to treat Carlsbad locals and tourists alike to a true taste of south-of-the-border hospitality.

Opening #3 & #4: barleymash & ginger's
At the start of 2012, barleymash broke ground at the corner of 5th and Market St. in San Diego's Gaslamp district. As barleymash developed further in the early months of construction, the Verant Group (the corporate entity behind this concept, along with seven others in the San Diego/Arizona areas) decided that a second concept would be included in this opening. The result? Gingers: a downstairs getaway for the working woman to enjoy friends and cocktails in a casual, yet sophisticated lounge. With both barleymash and ginger's in the construction phase, it was Alternative Strategies' priority to ensure that barleymash and ginger's were established names prior to their launch. Thus, through aggressive social media campaigns (including contests, strategic fan interaction, and venue updates), barleymash and gingers' fanbases were building into strong, enthusiastic groups. In addition, Alternative Strategies had the opportunity to fully embrace their creativity and further develop the barleymash and ginger's brand, including designing ginger's official logo, developing and designing advertisements in various print and online media outlets, and building custom websites.

Once April rolled around, with the estimated opening date in near sight, Alternative Strategies ensured that once barleymash and ginger's opened, they would be integrated into the surrounding downtown community as best as possible. Within April, Alternative Strategies secured barleymash and ginger's with a membership to the SDCVB (San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau), placed ads at the SD Convention Center, and established connections with concierges. By the second week of May 2012, the doors opened for private events, where Alternative Strategies helped orchestrate through designing invites and coordinating guest lists. One of the biggest contributions Alternative Strategies made for this launch was hosting a private event where various professionals from local media had an exclusive first-look and experience at barleymash and ginger's. Since then, throughout May, barleymash and ginger's have acquired strong coverage of their openings, which seems to only be the start of a long duration of media and public interest in this new Gaslamp hotspot. 30 days. 4 locations. 1 company. At the end of the day, the current success each establishment is experiencing has made all the effort worthwhile. What seemed like an impossible mission, has become a "job well done" through the efforts of a great relationship and the teamwork between Alternative Strategies and their amazing clients. Raise a toast to success!