The Client: Lebanese Taverna is an award-winning multiconcept restaurant specializing in authentic Lebanese cuisine. With 11 locations throughout the Washington and Baltimore areas, Lebanese Taverna has endeared itself to the Middle Atlantic—30,000 readers voted it Washington City Paper’s Best of D.C. in 2010 and 2011.

The Challenge: Lebanese Taverna has been a staple in the Maryland/Virginia area for more than 30 years. But with age comes maturity, and Lebanese Taverna wanted a new way to reach a younger crowd. Past marketing efforts weren’t fruitful, and Lebanese Taverna couldn’t correlate forays into traditional advertising with any demonstrated success. After hearing how Groupon has been able to market successfully to a younger demographic and provide tangible results, Lebanese Taverna decided to run a feature. Owner Grace Shea worked with her account representative to craft a deal that would appeal to the younger customer base that Lebanese Taverna desired.

The Deal: For $20, customers got $40 worth of restaurant fare at any of the five participating Lebanese Taverna locations.

The Results: On the day of its feature, Lebanese Taverna sold almost 15,000 Groupons, creating a steady stream of customers for the next six months to their five participating locations. Not only were Groupon customers young and new to the restaurant, but they also were spending an average of 66% more than the $40 value of the Groupon.  And the new customers were tech-savvy, posting favorable reviews and spreading the good word about Lebanese Taverna across the Internet. The slew of positive reviews helped increase Lebanese Taverna’s online footprint, creating a self-perpetuating marketing engine.

The Facts:

• 90% of Groupons were redeemed at the restaurant
• Customers spent an average of 66% more than the value of the
  Groupon