We are Olo, the on-demand platform for the restaurant industry, powering digital ordering and delivery programs for over 300 brands, including Wingstop, Subway, Five Guys, Shake Shack & more. Over 15 years ago, we set out to support the restaurant industry through the digital shift and when COVID-19 upended the world into chaos, we realized the opportunity to continue to step up to our responsibility to the industry we love. In addition to the many first responders fighting the pandemic, the food and gig workers were out supporting us in the way they know how: ensuring a bit of love and comfort through food. The campaign is our ode to chefs, delivery drivers, cashiers, curbside pickup runners, and all restaurants that continue to fight through unprecedented moments. To all of those who navigated empty streets and a downright scary time to keep America fueled, this is our “thank you.”
Outside of our contribution to NRAEF, we looked to express our gratitude in an understated, yet effective way. Our intent was to capture moments that spoke to the current unprecedented times in a poignant, yet hopeful way. These moments are the new normal. The videos capture the intimacy of what a meal means to people of all walks of life; whether it’s the vessel in which a delivery driver or chef makes a living or the places that unite friends and family over conversation. The intent was to acknowledge and thank the frontline workers risking their health and safety to work so that food establishments could still operate, whether it be the chefs, waiters, or delivery drivers. Those brave hospitality workers ensured consumers a slice of normal – whether it was a meal at lunch, or a family dinner feast. Sharing on our highly trafficked social media profiles on platforms like Twitter & Instagram allowed us to say “thank you” while offering a bit of respite from the daily overwhelm of the pandemic. The staggered release of our five thank you videos let us continuously say thank you, as the unpredictability of COVID still continues to change the landscape of everyday life.
As a company, we decided to allow time for the current climate to stabilize to get better understanding of the landscape. Unlike others in our space, we shifted our focus from outbound sales to gratitude and enablement. Our external communications energy went exclusively towards these vignettes, highlighting the work of the service industry workers keeping restaurants open. Upon release, we saw over 35,000 campaign views across social media with engagement in comments and reshares. We gave a targeted boost to service industry professionals and corporate teams and saw more engagement with each video released. Our intent was solidarity, support and gratitude – and remains so.
