New Orleans’ premier restaurant group partners with the modern photo booth platform to delight guests and serve up social proof.
TLDR: Watch the Video
From the bustling streets of the French Quarter to the scenic banks of the Mississippi River, the Big Easy pulsates with a joie-de-vivre energy that is reflected in its cuisine. Often hailed as the culinary capital of the South, New Orleans boasts a unique blend of Creole, Cajun and French influences that have shaped its rich culinary landscape.
At the pinnacle of this scene is the Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts, a beloved family-owned and operated Louisiana business established in 1989 that runs some of the Crescent City’s favorite restaurants, bars, and events spaces.
With a primary focus on providing unforgettable experiences for Bayou locals and visitors alike, Creole Cuisine has found a winning formula that keeps patrons coming back for more.
At the heart of their successful marketing strategy lies a commitment to innovation and engagement, exemplified by their timely adoption of Simple Booth, a digital photo booth solution that has captivated guests and enhanced their overall experiences.
“Make it visible and it’ll work”
Simple Booth’s HALO setups are prominently placed near the location entrances to create excitement and fun memories with the photos displayed in real-time.
“Simple Booth is front and center. It’s attractive and easy. People see it from the outside and it draws people in,” said Brent Ledet, Director of Marketing at Creole Cuisine, which employs more than 1,500 team members across its 35 locations.
“Everyone in the room can see who just took a picture and then the image rotates into the gallery. It really just feeds itself and it’s very hands-off.“
“It sells itself.”
-Brent Ledet, Director of Marketing at Creole Cuisine
This immediacy creates a dynamic atmosphere that keeps guests entertained, invested, and engaged.
Driving Engagement with Seamless Integration
What sets Simple Booth apart is its seamless integration into Creole Cuisine’s marketing efforts, where they rotate the Live Feed into their digital signage, along with a mix of digital ads.
“We use it to cross-promote elements, like packaging user-generated content into marketing videos displayed on digital monitors within our locations,” Ledet explains. This strategy not only boosts engagement but also drives incremental revenue by enticing guests with immersive experiences.
“For example, we have guests who are using Simple Booth to take an image of them doing Jell-O shots. Say we’ve collected a dozen of these images and we’re able to package these dozen images to a short 15-second video, which then gets applied to our digital monitors in the location,” said Brent. “People put it together on their own. We don’t really have to say anything. They see people having fun, taking a shot, and toasting. It’s an add-on buy where they weren’t thinking about Jell-O shots, but now it’s in their mind.”
An Astronomical Number of Guest Uploads
“It is a tremendous hit for people who are stopping by, walking the street, and going in-between the galleries,” said Brent, who uses Simple Booth as a way to monitor traffic and see how it aligns with sales, and as an indicator of the number of people in the building. “It’s unique for us. I don’t see too many of our competitors with this–that’s attractive.”
And the results? Thousands of uploads every weekend in their most prominent venues, totaling over 200,000 and growing every day.
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Creating Engagement in a Vibrant City
Situated in such a vibrant locale means catering to diverse guest preferences, from young spontaneous Bourbon Street revelers to families and meticulous event planners.
“We have to market to two different types of guests: the impulsive and the planner,” Ledet said. “This was one element that seemed to attract groups and engagement. Anything we have to keep a guest in the location a little bit longer is helpful.”
The journey with Simple Booth began when Creole Cuisine’s IT director introduced the innovative solution to the team. Recognizing its potential to enhance guest engagement, Simple Booth was initially deployed at Flamingo A-Go-Go, one of their vibrant locations known for its Instagrammable ambiance.
Withstanding the Late-Night Punishment of Bourbon Street Traffic
Bourbon Street is known for lively, fun-loving guests who’ve indulged to excess during long evenings out in the Voodoo City. So the Simple Booth gear has to be able to withstand the rigors of N’Awlins.
“It’s durable. The iPad is extremely user-friendly and easy to use,” said Brent, who noted when there has been a challenge, it’s usually operator error, but those are few and far between. “The product’s been very stable for us. We have very few challenges with maintaining it and keeping it online.”
Simple Booth’s equipment doesn’t protrude and is easy to tuck away, which is important as it commonly takes a central, fixed place at the front of the establishments with plenty of foot traffic.
“It rarely gets bumped,” Brent said.
Looking Toward the Future
From capturing family moments at Flamingo Landing to adding flair to special events like White Linen Night, Simple Booth continues to delight patrons and drive engagement.
As Creole Cuisine continues to innovate across its diverse portfolio of busy bars and upscale restaurants, Simple Booth remains a cornerstone of their marketing strategy. Ledet expressed interest in exploring new features and advancements offered by Simple Booth, reinforcing their commitment to providing exceptional experiences for guests.
“It’s been terrific for us,” said Brent.
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