BLUE SAKURA
How We Helped an All You Can Eat Hot Pot Spot Become One of Allston’s Busiest Restaurants
Blue Sakura is a new all you can eat shabu shabu and Japanese fusion restaurant based in the heart of Allston, Massachusetts. Surrounded by college students, young professionals, and foodies, the restaurant had everything it needed to succeed, quality ingredients, stylish interiors, and a menu built for group dining. What it needed was visibility, momentum, and a digital presence for their launch in 2024.
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That’s where we came in.
The Challenge
Blue Sakura was launching in a saturated market with no existing online footprint. They needed a partner who could build their presence from scratch and drive traffic both online and in person.
Key goals included:
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Attracting a steady stream of first time customers through content and ads
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Building strong SEO and SEM foundations to dominate local searches
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Creating a website that reflected the restaurant’s personality and made reservations seamless
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Launching with buzz, both online and offline
The Approach
We delivered a full stack marketing rollout that combined brand building with conversion focused strategies.
What we did:
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Designed and developed a custom branded website with reservation integrations
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Created and launched Google Search and Display campaigns to drive local traffic
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Implemented SEO best practices to improve ranking for key searches like “AYCE hot pot Allston”
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Created high quality photo and video content that showcased menu items and ambiance
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Managed influencer collaborations with over 20 local creators in the first month
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Designed and executed email marketing flows for promotions, loyalty, and announcements
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Ran Meta ads targeting students and locals with geo targeting and seasonal offers
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Built monthly reporting dashboards to track performance and guide optimizations
The Results
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Surpassed projected sales goals by 20 percent in the first month of operations
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Reached over 1 million organic views from short form content on TikTok and Instagram
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Generated buzz through influencer campaigns, leading to packed weekends and waitlists
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Dominated local SEO and appeared at the top of “hot pot near me” search results in the area
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Launched with a strong digital foundation across web, email, and ads
Why It Worked
We treated Blue Sakura like more than just a restaurant, we treated it like a brand. By combining great storytelling with smart strategy, we helped turn foot traffic into loyal customers and built a launch that exceeded expectations. The result? One of the busiest new restaurants in Allston, powered by real connection and content that people shared.
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Opening a new restaurant or rebranding an existing one?
Let’s turn your concept into a destination.
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