The Power of Pasta Month

In case you missed it, October was National Pasta Month! We at Barilla did our part to mark the occasion, and celebrated it with a number of our restaurant partners, big and small, and all across the country. From local NorCal favorite, Mary’s Pizza Shack, to Louisiana’s Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro, and the Italian family-style Buca di Beppo – even to personal chefs and independents like Chicago’s Logan Oyster Socials got in on the fun. Pasta month delivered the goods, connecting chefs, restaurants and guests with one of their favorite things…Barilla pasta!

The following are some snapshots from NPM, to give you some ideas for how to use the power of pasta next pasta month, or any time of year!

SMT1046_MPP_All_1_092916Mary’s Pizza Shack:

A local favorite since 1959, Mary’s Pizza Shack is a mainstay of family-friendly Italian fare in Northern California and the Bay Area. With 19 locations and growing, Mary’s was looking to boost loyalty program participation and e-newsletter signups, and encourage traffic and sales. With a simple pasta “personality quiz” and the incentive of a weekly prize, Mary’s Pasta Month promotion did just that.

 

 

 

Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro:SMT1047_PastaWithAnyone_SocMed_092716

Cheesecake Bistro is a four-unit extension of the Copeland’s restaurant empire, with units in Louisiana and Atlanta, GA. Similar to Mary’s, Copeland’s aimed to boost sales and traffic, as well as social media engagement and loyalty program signups. With six new pasta entrees debuting during the month, there was a lot to work with! A simple open-ended contest, asking Facebook fans questions like “If you could have pasta with anyone in the world, who would it be?” received more entries than any Cheesecake Bistro contest to date.

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Buca di Beppo

92-unit Italian powerhouse Buca di Beppo had recently switched to Barilla, and wanted to advance awareness and sales of pasta, while adding fans and loyalty program participants. The allure of a custom trip for two to Italy proved irresistible, with nearly 88,000 entrants!

In addition to these marketing successes, our partners at Chefs Roll helped bring out some really creative, eye-popping applications with our pasta happening all across the country. A few of our favorites from Instagram using the #barillapastamonth hashtag:

  • Fall baked ziti with honey nut squash, goat cheese, cheddar, crispy pork belly, Calabrian chile and brioche crumb (The Tasting Room, Del Mar)
  • Lamb T-bones over pumpkin butternut squash parmesan sauce and pan fried yellow sweet potato (Logan Oyster Social, Chicago)
  • “Four Seasons” – four pasta dishes in one image, with each representing a season. Spring featured asparagus and fresh herbs; Winter a cream sauce with fennel and bacon, and a pipette of smoked extra virgin olive oil (just for fun, according to Personal Chef Lisa Delgado)…you get the idea.

 

For more information about a pasta marketing partnership with Barilla, email [email protected]