Branding Restaurants with Live-Stream Orders

CURATIONS OF EATS

We will be attending the California Restaurant Show this upcoming weekend here in Los Angeles, August 25th - 27th. In celebration of such, we are providing today’s curations to a new-era of restaurant + eats marketing: the concept of live-streaming orders.

We at Curations are unaware if the concept of live-stream ordering exists, or has been tested. But we feel confident that it will do wonders for eatery brands of all shapes and sizes.

*Update (August 22nd 2024): we found a pizzeria that livestreams, Pizza Stop in Preston, Idaho. At the time of this writing, there are 81-people watching this pizza eat prepare orders. Pizza Stop also has close to 22k subscribers on YouTube, and roughly seven-million views.  

View: Pizza Stop’s YouTube Channel

The purpose of this curation is to uncover how this new concept could:

• Engage with customers.

• Elevate a restaurant’s status as both a local favorite, and a tourist destination.

• Utilize platforms like YouTube, Twitch + TikTok and others for maxim reach with their SEO-enabled capabilities.

By uncovering + implementing this concept, restaurants and eateries can build a connection between their brand + audience through the means of a captivating experience that satisfies culinary curiosity.

In This Curation:

• Culinary Livestreams

• The Benefits

• Marketing Strategies

• The Gear

• Action Items

CULINARY LIVESTREAMS

A YouTube video posted last year, in June of 2023, titled, ‘75 Minutes of Breakfast Services,’ showcases this new trend of POV content and cooking in restaurants. The video features a local team member from a local restaurant preparing breakfast orders and has garnered close to two-million views.

The video provides a unique comfort, a comfort that is similar to ASMR-style videos. There is a digital essence that also brings calm and comfort.

Platforms like YouTube, Twitch + TikTok have seen a surge in content creators exploring unique angles, such as POV cooking videos like the one above. This trend is not isolated as thousands of similar videos exist, some reaching millions of views from folks that do not necessarily have a large digital following. The trend in this type of content suggests to us that there is a deeper psychological trend where individuals seek community and comfort online, even as they physically isolate themselves.

But at Curations, we have yet to find a restaurant or eatery that truly live-streams their orders in real-time. So, if you are reading this and have influence to an eatery brand, you might be a forerunner in this new + exciting concept.

THE BENEFITS

The marketing elements that we have listed below are only ground-level, meaning these marketing elements are very limited to what further uncovering by others + time can truly create and uncover to help maximize this new concept. Here’s our initial findings:

• Enhance Brand Visibility: This is obvious. But by incorporating SEO-enabled platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and/or TikTok, eateries are able to showcase their preparation of meals. Restaurants can further highlight their culinary skills + unique offerings, attracting both local patrons and tourists.

• Unique Selling Proposition: A live-streamed order can become a memorable experience, encouraging repeat visits and word-of-mouth promotion.

• Boosting Online Engagement: Live-streaming provides an opportunity to interact with audiences in real-time, further fostering a sense of community and loyalty.

• Driving Online Orders: Platforms such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and others are raking in the money as online orders are increasingly growing. Digital patrons have the ability to see in real-time their order being prepared, or even chatting with the food prep, could be the defining factor in why one hungry customer chooses a certain eatery over the other.

MARKETING STRATEGIES

Like the benefits above, these strategies are also nuanced to us. But here’s some ways that we believe eateries can capitalize on this concept with the implementation of the below marketing strategies:

• Brand Stickers: For both online and to-go orders, include a sticker that reads, ‘Livestreamed Order,’ adding a personal touch and thus promoting the live-stream experience.

• Interactive Content: Host live Q&A sessions or cooking demonstrations, allowing viewers to engage directly with chefs and staff. This could even be a membership perk paid subscribers on your restaurant’s YouTube Channel.

• Collaborations with Influencers: Partner with flood bloggers, or local influencers, to reach a broader audience. Having POV content from a celebrity chef, a public figure, or even bringing onboard someone for a nonprofit donation drive could go a long way.

• Highlighting local ingredients: Use live-streams to showcase the journey of ingredients from farm-to-table, appealing to patrons who value sustainability.

• Branding Collaborations: Brands of all types can jump on the opportunity to pay your eatery for product placements, product usage, product shout-outs, and much more. This could also be a time to promote nonprofit drives, charity fundraisers, and local advocacy causes within your community.

THE GEAR

We are currently uncovering gear suitable for this live-streaming concept, and will update accordingly. These are not sponsored placements. Thus far we have found:
*Last updated: Sunday, August 18th 2024

• Various cameras from Insta360

• YVLUUT Body Camera with Video Recording Cam - Bodycam with 1080P HD Built in 64GB Memory Card….via Amazon.

• AKASO Brave 4 4K30fps 20MP WiFi Action Camera Ultra HD with EIS 131ft Waterproof Camera Remote Control…via Amazon.

*Be sure that the gear you buy is WiFi enabled, and allows you to live-stream. There are various methods to live-stream, and we at Curations can help you with all of this.

*Trust your gut: when live-streaming, simply ensure that you are not providing customer information, etc. Camera should also be away from sensitive information like credit cards, addresses and so-forth.

This concept might work for some eats depending on setup, it might not. If implemented, we do expect trial-and-error for some small unknowns, but we at Curations will curate and implement this new concept with both you and your team. We believe this concept is one where the juice will be worth the squeeze. As odd as it might sound initially.

ACTION ITEMS

We are interested to see where this curation of thought takes those that do implement this idea. So much so, we have shared this article with connections at both DoorDash and Uber Eats, uncovering if this could be an interesting angle - maybe include a ‘Now Livestreaming’ widget on restaurant landing pages.

We hope that you enjoyed this curation. Stay in-touch with us and our curations of branding thoughts by subscribing to our newsletter below. It is free. We also have a Reddit Community that is brand-new, under-construction. But all are welcome to join us on Reddit prior to our launch.

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