You don’t need to look too far to see how Pokémon Go has caught on. It’s all over your social media feed and if someone around you is walking around aimlessly trying not to hit a pole or trip over a stone, you know they’re trying to catch ‘em Pokémons. Let’s take it from the top. Pokémon Go is a GPS enabled mobile game that projects various Pokémon characters on your screen via the phone’s camera. Your bathroom, office, gyms, salon–they’re everywhere for you to catch!
Where do restaurants fit in here, you wonder? Since these little characters are found in public spaces, restaurants turn out to be one of the spots for their chasers to get them. These restaurants have now introduced irresistible offers to convert Pokémon Go maniacs to customers. From offering discounts if a Pokémon is caught and a screenshot is uploaded on social media, to simply announcing that their restaurant is a Pokéstop, all kinds of restaurants are marketing themselves to the right target audiences. This augmented reality game has completely changed the way people have been playing video games. For starters, they’re all outdoors. Restaurants are looking at this as an opportunity cost and are playing along by giving their customers offers that keep them in for longer. Play, eat, drink, and catch ‘em Pokémons!
Read on to find out more about how restaurants in Sydney and Libson have warmed up to this game.
Cup Half Full, Surry Hills – Sydney
Cup Half full is located across the road from a very busy Poke Stop park in Surry Hills. Although Rowley, the owner, believes that “Pokémon Go would help [his] business a lot more if the shop itself was a Pokéstop.”
They are currently offering a Pokémon Go special on the weekends where customers can purchase any plate of food to receive a free drink. This is to help incentivise Pokéfans to come into the cafe rather than “linger outside”.
When asked about whether he plays it: “Yes, I play it. In fact, I take it way too seriously. I believe it is an unbelievable concept that is encouraging people to get out and about and walk around.” Rowley has also been giving tips out to customers and friends by suggesting they visit the Poké Vision website to see where all Pokemon are so that they know where to walk. In fact, in his last meeting with his Zomato account manager, he interrupted business chat to give her a Pokémon Go tutorial and show her how to use it.
Above all, Rowley from Cup Half full remains open to anything Pokémon Go “as long as it remains good for business.”
Andiamo Trattoria, Rhodes & Summer Hill locations – Sydney
Owners of Andiamo Trattoria believe that because of Pokémon Go “things for normal customers have changed” and they are “fearful that it might decimate their current loyal customer base”. That being said, “[They’re] all for it, but there is always two sides”. “[They] have also definitely seen a shift in the core business that [they’ve] been building because of Pokémon Go”
Note: Rhodes is one of the biggest hot spots in Sydney.
Tang Hui, CBD – Sydney
They are very interested in attracting Pokémon Go players and are now using it as a marketing tool.
Copo Cafe & Diner, Drummoyne – Sydney
Copo Cafe is another lucky cafe to have a Pokestop across the road. Because of this, Cafe owner Danny believes “Pokémon Go has had a big influence on the cafe as it has driven a lot of people to here”
Check out Zomato’s PokéNom Pitstops in Sydney!
Pizza na Brasa, Belém – Lisbon
“Pokémon Go is a huge trend nowadays in Portugal, but once I got into the Zomato Collection I’ve seen an increase of young people (the segment I’m focused on captivating right now) going to our restaurant in Quinta da Fonte (Paço de Arcos).
The Pokémon Go visits transformed into restaurant visits, due to the fact that most part of the kids that go there ask for an espresso or a glass of water and they are astounded to see the restaurant. So, they convinced their parents or, for some grown-ups, to go there with their wife or kids. Also, in visit stats it increased quite a bit comparing to other months – from 12 visits to 35 and going up. Even the presence on the Pokémon Collection is highly regarding and valuable to us!”.
Shawarma House, DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon
Navneet Nagpal, who owns and runs Shawarma House, opened the doors to his restaurant for Pokémon catchers and rewarded them with sodas, fries, wraps, platter and more, based on what level the player was at. “We ran it for three days and it brought us a lot of footfall, and the promotion did really well!”, he said sounding excited. He plans to run the promotion again this week, so all the hungry catchers know where their pitstop is to fuel up!
In short, Pokémon Go has stirred up a storm and it doesn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon. And if you’re a restaurateur, hop on the bandwagon and enjoy the ride!
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