How ‘Olu ‘Olu Poke Turned Three Montreal Locations Into Instagram's Go-To Hawaiian Poke Brand
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.
+287%
Instagram Community Growth
2.4M
Total Content Reach
60
Short-Form Videos Produced
The challenge: Stellar reputation, quiet social presence
‘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.
The programme
Our approach: Three pillars, one integrated system
Multi-Location Cadence
Pillar 01
Three locations, one voice
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.
Onsite Video Production
Pillar 02
Bi-weekly across all three spots
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 Social Engine
Pillar 03
Always-on Instagram + TikTok
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.
Delivered
What we delivered
✓
Monthly content calendar (IG + TikTok + Shorts)
✓
Bi-weekly video production rotation
✓
Hero food cinematics
✓
Build-your-bowl video series
✓
Behind-the-scenes content per location
✓
Daily Instagram management
✓
TikTok content strategy and posting
✓
YouTube Shorts deployment
✓
UGC sourcing and amplification
✓
Monthly performance reporting
the Outcome
The results: From quiet to Montréal's go-to Hawaiian poke brand
Three locations, one cohesive voice
The content engine spoke to all three spots with localized references and crowd-specific angles while keeping a unified playful voice.
Video became the discovery engine
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.
Engagement signals quality, not just volume
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.
Reputation reinforced, not replaced
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.
The engagement
How it happened, month by month
Month 1
Discovery and content strategy. Brand voice workshop, location audit, content pillar framework. First production shoot scheduled.
Month 2–3
Foundation. First production cycles at all three locations. Daily Instagram at full cadence. TikTok strategy deployed. First build-your-bowl Reels live.
Month 4–6
Scale. Bi-weekly rotation locked in across NDG, Ste-Catherine, and Sherbrooke. YouTube Shorts added. Engagement past 3.5%. UGC pipeline self-running.
Month 7–9
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.
— ‘Olu ‘Olu Poke
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What results did ‘Olu ‘Olu Poke get?
Over 9 months, ‘Olu ‘Olu Poke grew its Instagram community 287%, reached 2.4M people organically, and held a 4.2% engagement rate, more than 2x the food and beverage benchmark.
What did Popnest Media do for ‘Olu ‘Olu Poke?
Popnest ran a daily social content engine across all three Montréal locations and produced 60 short-form videos for Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
How long did it take to see results?
The content engine launched by month 2, engagement passed 3.5% by month 6, and the program reached 287% community growth by month 9.
Ready to scale your brand?
Want Results Like These for Your Brand?
‘Olu ‘Olu Poke grew its community 287% and reached 2.4M people organically across three locations in nine months. Let's talk about yours.