Mailbox to Mainstream: El Floridita Becomes a Celebration Destination
How Heyday used a targeted bilingual birthday mailer, compelling offers, QR tracking, and customer follow-up to increase reservations and turn El Floridita into a local celebration destination.
Client Overview
El Floridita Natural & Organic Kitchen is a well-regarded Cuban restaurant in Miami, appreciated for its vibrant atmosphere, authentic dishes, and deep community roots.
Objective
The objective was to significantly increase weekly and weekend diner traffic, attract new local customers, and foster community loyalty without over-relying on traditional digital advertising.
The restaurant wanted a warmer, more personal, and compelling strategy that would position El Floridita as the go-to celebration destination through a personalized direct-mail campaign delivered at the right moment.
Strategy & Execution
Heyday built a birthday mailer campaign around a meaningful moment in every customer’s life—their birthday—instead of sending generic promotions.
Targeted Data & Delivery
- Identified residents with upcoming birthdays within a three-to-five-mile radius of the restaurant.
- Mailed postcards to thousands of local residents approximately two weeks before their birthdays, creating anticipation and enough time to plan a celebration.
- Focused on foodies, families, and Latin households most likely to appreciate Cuban cuisine and the El Floridita experience.
Mailer Design & Messaging
A bright, celebratory birthday card was designed with:
- A free birthday entrée or dessert offer.
- A personal invitation to celebrate at El Floridita.
- A QR code and phone number for reservations.
- Bilingual English and Spanish messaging for the local audience.
- An optional group incentive offering a bottle of wine or pitcher of sangria when the birthday guest brought three or more guests.
Offer Tracking & Follow-Up
- Linked QR codes to a birthday-offer landing page with an optional reservation form.
- Trained staff to ask whether guests received the birthday postcard at the point of sale.
- Collected birthday visitors’ email addresses and phone numbers to nurture them through future promotions, holiday events, and long-term loyalty campaigns.
Results
- 2,500+ birthday postcards mailed per month.
- 23% redemption rate, well above the industry average.
- Over 500 birthday parties booked during the first three months.
- $72 average check size for birthday celebrations—30% higher than the average ticket.
- 35% of birthday guests became repeat customers within 60 days.
- Dozens of new five-star reviews mentioned celebrating a birthday at El Floridita.
