Marketing

Making pizza hospital donations happen at your brand

If yours is a pizza brands that hasn't quite been sure how and where to start to launch a food donation program for frontline workers, we have good news: You can start here. The following guide will walk you through the steps and the overall business importance of launching one of these efforts.

Photo: iStock

April 29, 2020 by Martha Lucius — Restaurant Strategist, marthalucius.com

If your pizza brand is seeking new ways to build business — even as the nation begins to relax some stay-at-home orders — consider starting a hospital food donation campaign. Whether your brand harkens to the call of Feed the Front Line, Pizza vs Pandemic or any other similar effort, it's a smart move as your business's social responsibility and ongoing strategic brand-building.

Granted, it may take a concerted effort to get your brand's initiative up and rolling, but the pay-off will come when your customers discover you are actively serving those risking their lives for the health of the community. For instance, amidst the pandemic, restaurant manager,Teyo Bautista, at Ellicott City, Maryland's Roma's Pizza and Subs, was seeking ways to feed and support local health care workers. Likewise, customers at the pizzeria who wanted to individually order pies for health care workers sought ways to do so without putting anyone at risk. 

Thankfully, the foundation for Howard County General Hospital in Columbia stepped in, knowing they could help the brand's effort logistically, and even partially finance the initiative. As a result, donations to the effort have been rolling in since late March. At Roma's, Bautista and the hospital's foundation formed a partnership to serve 100 meals twice each week at the institution. Roma's received their first donation — $100 — on April 11, and went to work to deliver on s promised twice-weekly provision of 100 meals to the hospital's workers.

"We plan to meet this goal twice a week, even if Roma's needs to contribute, too," Bautista said at the outset. "These healthcare workers are literally putting their lives on the line, the least we can do is show our support!" 

From the first day of the campaign, Roma's was innovating ways to get the news out about the effort, with messaging on all the brand's social media channels, support from third-party providers, website updates, local media coverage and efforts with local corporate neighbors. Within two days support was flowing in and weekly revenue was moving up. 

Launching your brand's campaign

As pizza restaurateurs and their businesses await Small Business Administration loans, amidst lackluster restaurant sales, creative, "everybody-wins" kinds of solutions are beginning to arise. The case study above can be recreated anywhere.  Roma's Pizza's efforts are helping to develop a steady influx of business for at least the next two months. But building partnerships with health care organizations near your brand can work the same kind of sales, social responsibility and marketing magic. Here are some basic steps:

• Find the right people in the hospital you choose: Call the main line, asking to talk to their team in charge of campaigns to provide meals to hospital workers, which will typically be the communications, marketing or charitable foundation at the hospital. Once you and the hospital team agree on the need, you can define your campaign, and form a partnership: This partnership is useful to community members and customers when they want to recognize your pizza business and the hospital. That kind of loyalty and appreciation is a motivator for pizza restaurant staff, who can undoubtedly use a morale boost or two about now. At Roma's they were given the challenge to serve, at minimum, 100 meals per delivery. Depending on the partnership, the hospital may agree to pay a portion of the meals delivered. Once the partnership is solid, implement a website "donation button" on your brand's homepage, and a donation "check box" at checkout on online ordering platforms and within your POS. Allow people flexibility to choose the amount they give.
• Externally, all social media must have the same consistent message and links. Consider social media advertising and make certain that you posts are shareable. 
• Take pictures when your brand delivers on these efforts at the hospital or other organization receiving your brand's goodwill. Consider reaching out to Instagram influencers to repost your message. Write a post on Linked In, as you may find food vendors, corporate partners and pharmaceutical companies want to participate, too.
• Ask the operators of any special app or third-party delivery service your brand employs to mention your efforts in their newsletters or other media. 
• Use your loyalty program to text messages to followers weekly, but don't overload them. Just let them know what the brand is doing and invite participation. 

The goal of these types of campaign is altruistic, with a side benefit of more revenue for your brand. In that way these initiatives deliver good news on both the community and business front for any great pizza brand. 

About Martha Lucius

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Growing up in Africa, Asia, the U.S. and Europe, I ate from street stalls, cafes and food carts. After receiving my bachelor's degree in Economics, then 10 years as a graphic designer, I opened two cafes in Baltimore, Maryland. Now I am a restaurant strategist. My mission is to bring success to the business and its owner. My blog helps owners with articles designed to help improve customer service, culture, operations, branding and financial stability. I hope you find my point of view approachable and useful.

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