The short version
‘Olu ‘Olu Poke, a Hawaiian poke brand with three Montreal locations, ran a 9-month social and video program with Popnest Media. The results: 287% Instagram community growth, 2.4M organic reach, and a 4.2% engagement rate, more than 2x the industry benchmark.
Three beloved Hawaiian poke spots in NDG, Downtown, and The Village had stellar 4.7-star reputations but a quiet social presence. Over 9 months we built a content engine and ran ongoing video production across all three locations. The result: 287% Instagram community growth, a 4.2% engagement rate, and a 60-video library that keeps ‘Olu ‘Olu top-of-mind for Montreal poke.
‘Olu ‘Olu Poke already had what most restaurants spend years building: a stellar in-person reputation across three Montreal locations. 4.7 stars on Google with 3,000+ reviews. Loyal regulars in NDG. A festival crowd at Ste-Catherine. A lunch-rush following near McGill on Sherbrooke. The food spoke for itself the moment a bowl hit the counter.
But online, the brand wasn’t telling its own story. Instagram posts were sporadic. Video content was thin. The three locations each operated with their own social rhythm, or none at all. In a category where Reels of build-your-own bowls drive 80% of new customer discovery, great food with a quiet feed is a slow leak.
They needed a content engine that ran across all three locations on a consistent cadence, video production that captured the tropical energy of the brand, and a daily Instagram presence that matched the in-store experience.
A content engine that spoke to all three spots — NDG’s neighborhood feel, Downtown’s lunch energy, The Village’s festival vibe — while keeping one unified brand voice across every channel.
Rotating production cycles at NDG, Ste-Catherine, and Sherbrooke. Hero food cinematics, build-your-bowl sequences, behind-the-scenes prep, customer reactions, and seasonal reveals. Every video designed for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts.
Daily Instagram management. TikTok content strategy aligned with poke and food-discovery trends. Stories, polls, and reactive content tied to Montreal events. UGC sourcing to amplify what customers were already posting.
The content engine spoke to all three spots with localized references and crowd-specific angles while keeping a unified playful voice.
60 short-form videos over 9 months meant ‘Olu ‘Olu had build-your-bowl Reels, behind-the-scenes prep, and seasonal reveals running constantly. Reels became the channel new customers cited when asked how they found the restaurant.
A 4.2% average engagement rate (vs the 2.8% F&B benchmark) proves the community actually wants ‘Olu ‘Olu content. The younger downtown audience consistently shared their bowls in Stories, creating an always-on UGC pipeline.
The 4.7-star rating with 3,000+ reviews was ‘Olu ‘Olu’s real moat. The content engine reinforced it online, giving prospective customers the visual proof to match what they read in reviews.
Discovery and content strategy. Brand voice workshop, location audit, content pillar framework. First production shoot scheduled.
Foundation. First production cycles at all three locations. Daily Instagram at full cadence. TikTok strategy deployed. First build-your-bowl Reels live.
Scale. Bi-weekly rotation locked in across NDG, Ste-Catherine, and Sherbrooke. YouTube Shorts added. Engagement past 3.5%. UGC pipeline self-running.
Compounding. 60 videos and 180+ content pieces. 2.4M total organic reach. Engagement locked at 4.2%. ‘Olu ‘Olu now the brand Montréal poke fans tag without prompting.
We trusted the food to do the talking. Popnest gave us a way to let it talk on Instagram too. Three locations, one voice, every single day.
Whether you’re a local brand looking to dominate one city or scale across multiple markets, we build the SEO and GEO foundation that compounds. Learn about our restaurant SEO services.
The short version
‘Olu ‘Olu Poke, a Hawaiian poke brand with three Montreal locations, ran a 9-month social and video program with Popnest Media. The results: 287% Instagram community growth, 2.4M organic reach, and a 4.2% engagement rate, more than 2x the industry benchmark.
Three beloved Hawaiian poke spots in NDG, Downtown, and The Village had stellar 4.7-star reputations but a quiet social presence. Over 9 months we built a content engine and ran ongoing video production across all three locations. The result: 287% Instagram community growth, a 4.2% engagement rate, and a 60-video library that keeps ‘Olu ‘Olu top-of-mind for Montreal poke.
Whether you’re a local brand looking to dominate one city or scale across multiple markets, we build the SEO and GEO foundation that compounds. Learn about our restaurant SEO services.
The content engine spoke to all three spots with localized references and crowd-specific angles while keeping a unified playful voice.
60 short-form videos over 9 months meant ‘Olu ‘Olu had build-your-bowl Reels, behind-the-scenes prep, and seasonal reveals running constantly. Reels became the channel new customers cited when asked how they found the restaurant.
A 4.2% average engagement rate (vs the 2.8% F&B benchmark) proves the community actually wants ‘Olu ‘Olu content. The younger downtown audience consistently shared their bowls in Stories, creating an always-on UGC pipeline.
The 4.7-star rating with 3,000+ reviews was ‘Olu ‘Olu’s real moat. The content engine reinforced it online, giving prospective customers the visual proof to match what they read in reviews.
‘Olu ‘Olu Poke already had what most restaurants spend years building: a stellar in-person reputation across three Montreal locations. 4.7 stars on Google with 3,000+ reviews. Loyal regulars in NDG. A festival crowd at Ste-Catherine. A lunch-rush following near McGill on Sherbrooke. The food spoke for itself the moment a bowl hit the counter.
But online, the brand wasn’t telling its own story. Instagram posts were sporadic. Video content was thin. The three locations each operated with their own social rhythm, or none at all. In a category where Reels of build-your-own bowls drive 80% of new customer discovery, great food with a quiet feed is a slow leak.
They needed a content engine that ran across all three locations on a consistent cadence, video production that captured the tropical energy of the brand, and a daily Instagram presence that matched the in-store experience.
Discovery and content strategy. Brand voice workshop, location audit, content pillar framework. First production shoot scheduled.
Foundation. First production cycles at all three locations. Daily Instagram at full cadence. TikTok strategy deployed. First build-your-bowl Reels live.
Scale. Bi-weekly rotation locked in across NDG, Ste-Catherine, and Sherbrooke. YouTube Shorts added. Engagement past 3.5%. UGC pipeline self-running.
Compounding. 60 videos and 180+ content pieces. 2.4M total organic reach. Engagement locked at 4.2%. ‘Olu ‘Olu now the brand Montréal poke fans tag without prompting.
A content engine that spoke to all three spots — NDG’s neighborhood feel, Downtown’s lunch energy, The Village’s festival vibe — while keeping one unified brand voice across every channel.
Rotating production cycles at NDG, Ste-Catherine, and Sherbrooke. Hero food cinematics, build-your-bowl sequences, behind-the-scenes prep, customer reactions, and seasonal reveals. Every video designed for Reels, TikTok, and Shorts.
Daily Instagram management. TikTok content strategy aligned with poke and food-discovery trends. Stories, polls, and reactive content tied to Montreal events. UGC sourcing to amplify what customers were already posting.
We trusted the food to do the talking. Popnest gave us a way to let it talk on Instagram too. Three locations, one voice, every single day.
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‘Olu ‘Olu Poke grew its Instagram community 287% and reached 2.4M people organically in 9 months. Let’s talk about yours.
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