The Client: Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe is well-known in the Chicagoland area for its Cuban and Mexican cuisine and slow-cooked and smokey barbecue. Chef and owner Chuck Pine spent several years training under Chicago’s celebrity chef and TV’s Top Chef Masters winner, Rick Bayless, before opening his first small storefront restaurant in 1995 in Burbank, Illinois. In 2009, Chuck expanded his restaurant to three times its size, and has also received acclaim from food critics such as Steve Dolinksy from ABC 7 News and Pat Bruno of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Challenge: Though it had generated a healthy number of loyal regulars, Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe was eager to get some new faces through their doors from outside of their Burbank neighborhood. Having tried other forms of advertising such as newspaper ads and social media promotions, Chuck’s decided they needed a more effective strategy that would reach a broader targeted audience while still delivering measurable results. Having been a long-time Groupon subscriber, office manager Lisa Cortez began researching how other businesses had benefited from a promotion on Groupon. She was astounded by her findings and realized Groupon was exactly what Chuck’s was looking for.

The Deal: Chuck’s Groupon feature gave buyers $20 worth of barbecue fare and more for $10.

The Results: Chuck’s Southern Comforts Cafe was a huge success, with an amazing 3,078 Groupons sold. Of the 60% of Groupon customers who redeemed in the first five months, consumers have spent an average 125% more than the face value of the Groupon, which has put extra money in Chuck’s pockets. More importantly, Chuck’s achieved their primary goal: they were able to reach customers who had never heard of their restaurant and gain exposure outside of the Burbank neighborhood. They’re also seeing a lot of new faces among their regulars.

The Proof:

• Groupon customers spent an average of 125% above the face value of the Groupon
• Reached a new audience who had never been to their restaurant before
• Redemption rate over 60% after just five months