Bibis is a much-loved and iconic restaurant in Leeds city centre. Ask most people if they know it and most will respond ‘yes – but I haven’t been for years!’ This needed to change and we needed to use digital marketing to remind people of how fabulous Bibis really is and drive bookings to both the restaurant and their Showtime events.
CHALLENGE
Started in 1974, Bibis has been part of the Leeds restaurant scene for over 50 years, but as the city has grown so too had the competition, with a constant stream of new restaurants and bars opening every year. Although well known, Bibis needed to remind people they were still here and not just a place for celebrations. They needed support with their social media marketing along with their paid media and overall positioning.
KEY DECISIONS
Over several years, Laurra supported the in-house team as a marketing consultant, helping them to shape their social media strategy that protected Bibis’ heritage while keeping it current. The focus was on building a new set of content that captured the details of Bibis, the food, the drinks, Showtime and of course the team. That meant planning around what mattered most: key seasonal periods, government schemes (Eat Out To Help Out in 2020), and milestone events, including their 50 Years of Bibis in 2024.
STRATEGY
This was not about making Bibis look trendy, there were enough new restaurants doing that, Bibis had something unique – it was in a league of its own with its art deco-inspired space, an iconic cocktail bar, and regular showtime acts.
The challenge was making sure that people who would love Bibis actually saw it, and giving existing customers a reason to return, especially during a few high-pressure years for hospitality, including the Covid pandemic.
We also needed to broaden how people thought about Bibis, so it was not seen as “just” a celebration venue, but a place for corporate events and weekday meals too.
IMPACT
The work we did together over many years was designed to grow the social media channels, keep engagement meaningful, and bring new and old customers to Bibis.
Bibis is now regarded as one of the best Italian restaurants in Leeds and has cemented its place as not just a place for celebration, but somewhere to come for fabulous food, drinks and entertainment on any day of the week!
”We worked with Laurra over several years as a consultant. She has been very hands-on and full of original ideas to boost our online presence as well as contributing to our wider marketing strategy. Her creativity and ability shines through in all she continues to do for us.
Annabel HutchisonMarketing Manager, Bibis Italianissimo
