Even if you don’t live in or have visited the sunny locale of Los Angeles, you’re probably familiar with Urth Caffé. With locations across the globe and a significant celebrity following, Urth Caffé was founded in 1989 and is considered the first exclusively heirloom and organic coffee roaster in America. It pioneered the concept of environmentally and health-conscious heirloom, organic coffee, fine tea and healthful menu. As a trailblazer in the coffee house/café industry, leadership at Urth Caffé relied on word-of-mouth recommendations and celebrity sightings to promote its sustainable fare.

However, with the rise of the internet as a consumer research tool coupled with the increasingly digital lifestyle spawned by the coronavirus pandemic, management decided to take its marketing to the next level with a partnership with Popmenu. Whether looking for a location nearby or just craving a favorite menu item, Popmenu, a full-service marketing and customer engagement platform built for restaurants, revealed in its initial digital analysis that most customers start their journey with Urth Caffé online.

In order to streamline operations across locations, of which Urth Caffé has eight in Southern California, one in Las Vegas and several internationally, the brand now utilizes Popmenu’s all-in-one digital solution centralizing digital operations to create a consistent online guest experience. Popmenu’s platform brings Urth Caffé’s digital activities under one login; each location’s webpage, menu, and marketing is easily managed from one central dashboard.

“It’s as hard to [attract and engage customers] almost as it is to run the restaurant,” says Brandon Sweeney, CEO and co-founder of Popmenu, in a recent “Poptalk” online forum. Results from the Urth Caffé’s initial six months using the platform are staggering, with an average of 184,442 monthly sessions with specific location webpages performing at approximately 80,000 views during the fourth quarter of 2020. Popmenu’s digital menu and online platform have helped Urth Caffé maintain a low bounce rate and retain a website session duration of more than two minutes, meaning that customers are spending more time on the website browsing menu items than ever before.  

“Our Popmenu website is unlocking the potential of our menus and message right before our eyes,” adds Urth Caffé Co-Owner Shallom Berkman. “And the team is so knowledgeable, caring, and accessible.” By utilizing Popmenu’s dynamic menu technology, announcements, mass and smart messaging, SMS marketing, contactless menus and more, Urth Caffé is communicating with its customers more efficiently than ever – which is of growing importance during the age of social distancing.

“When third party platforms are used effectively – correctly – they can be valuable to the business,” says Tony Roy, president and co-founder of Popmenu, during the “Poptalk.” “Consolidation is key, [and] because the systems all talk to each other on the PopMenu platform, your results are better.”

Making it easier for consumers to find food they love, Popmenu is clearly playing a vital role in the restaurant industry. Whether used by a fledgling mom-and-pop restaurant or a multi-location chain, Popmenu has proved its digital techniques are resuscitating an industry that has been plagued with shutdowns, closures and operations challenges since early 2020.