Norman’s drives bookings and a 25x ROI with OpenTable marketing campaigns

How one restaurant uses OpenTable marketing campaigns to fill seats during off-peak times and help grow their bottom line.

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Norman’s drives bookings and a 25x ROI with OpenTable marketing campaigns

How one restaurant uses OpenTable marketing campaigns to fill seats during off-peak times and help grow their bottom line.

Explore plans

Contact sales

Key results

25x return

on every marketing dollar spent

$370K in total revenue

attributed to OpenTable marketing in one quarter

4-6 hours

saved by management each week

Key results

25x return

on every marketing dollar spent

$370K in total revenue

attributed to OpenTable marketing in one quarter

4-6 hours

saved by management each week

Norman’s, the renowned Orlando restaurant from the “Father of New World Cuisine” Norman Van Aken, has relied on OpenTable since its start.

For over 20 years, its team has used OpenTable’s tools and technology to help run their business. “They started with [OpenTable] mostly for managing tables…Now, I’m taking it to that next level where we’re really integrating and melding the marketing piece to the front of house and back of house so that we have a whole entire team engagement,” said Palma Frable, Norman’s marketing manager.

Last year, Norman’s moved from its legacy location inside a 5-star Orlando hotel to a property just outside the city. The team was excited about the opportunities the new spot and expanded floor plan would unlock. However, when the newness of the restaurant’s location wore off and a dip in Orlando tourism struck, they knew they had to find more ways to attract diners.

Frable sought out to fill the gap. She turned to OpenTable to increase the restaurant’s visibility and drive bookings with easy-to-track campaigns that guarantee a return on ad spend (ROAS).

Setting up effective campaigns in minutes

Frable set up both OpenTable Boost and Bonus Points campaigns to get Norman’s in front of more diners and drive bookings during off-peak times—and she hasn’t looked back since. She says diners value Bonus Points, which incentivize diners to book by offering up to 10x Dining Rewards Points, and she uses the campaign type frequently. Boost campaigns have become one of Norman’s top acquisition channels, helping the restaurant amplify its visibility in search results and show up to guests when it matters.

For every dollar spent on their OpenTable marketing campaigns, Norman’s sees a 25x return. The best part? They (and all restaurants) only ever pay for seated guests.

In addition to the effectiveness of the campaigns, Frable says that the ease of use of OpenTable’s marketing campaigns is key. “It’s super simple [to set up a campaign]. In less than five minutes, I can have a campaign going,” said Frable.

With OpenTable marketing campaigns, we see clearly who booked, what campaign they booked through, and when they dined with us. With this insight, I’ve been able to reduce spend on other channels by about 35-40%.

Driving bookings during slow shifts

For Frable, the advantage of OpenTable campaigns goes beyond filling seats—it’s the control she has over when she fills seats. Whether it’s a specific day of the week or shift, Frable chooses when campaigns run, launching them to fill last-minute availability and pausing them when Norman’s doesn’t need the demand.

“The most intuitive piece for me is that I can pick and choose the time frame,” said Frable. “I may not need diners at 7 pm—most of the time I don’t—so I can change that time slot to get some earlier diners or move it later to attract diners in the evening when our kitchen isn’t as busy.”

Increasing covers with pacing controls

It didn’t take long for Norman’s reservation book to start filling up as a result of their OpenTable marketing campaigns. When it did, the team began paying close attention to their pacing. They realized that their FOH and BOH had the capacity to serve more guests.

Frable described it as an “aha” moment for the team. They adjusted their pacing using OpenTable’s flow controls, which enabled them to offer more availability and maximize seatings.

Reducing OOH channel spend by 35-40%

For Norman’s, the ability to track their marketing efforts with OpenTable has been a game-changer. Unlike other OOH channels that can’t tie metrics to efforts, OpenTable’s marketing campaigns have robust performance tracking in a single, easy-to-use view. “With OpenTable, we see clearly who booked, what campaign they booked through, and when they dined with us. It’s very easy for us to track, which is very important for us to know,” said Frable.

With a comprehensive view of performance, they’ve been empowered to make data-driven marketing decisions, such as reducing their spend on OOH channels by 35-40%. This allows them to do more with less—eliminating the need to create and track campaigns in multiple places—and frees up budget so they can continue investing in results with OpenTable.

Saving time with easy-to-use, actionable reporting

Reporting is a huge part of Frable’s day-to-day. She analyzes NORMAN’S marketing campaigns and guest cover trends regularly, constantly looking for ways to optimize them to get the results they want.

“The reporting is very intuitive—it’s easy to use, and I can customize it as needed,” said Frable. “Some of our team doesn’t need to see all the stats, and I’m able to clean that up for them in seconds.”

Additionally, OpenTable’s reporting tools allow Frable to bring all the right data together in an actionable view for the restaurant’s management team. She estimates she saves Norman’s manager and assistant general manager 4-6 hours per week. This allows them to spend more time on availability planning, pacing, specialty days, and shift planning so they can find opportunities to drive more revenue.

With the entire team—from management to FOH to BOH—engaged, Frable is confident OpenTable will help fuel the restaurant’s success for years to come.

Learn more about restaurant reservation software

Take charge of your reservations with OpenTable’s best-in-class restaurant reservation management system, providing access to the world’s largest diner network. Explore our related blog posts for insider tips on optimizing reservation systems, enhancing the guest experience, and maximizing your restaurant’s success through effective reservation management.

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