Gujarat Palace
A newly opened Indian fusion restaurant in Parc-Extension carried 30 years of Bombay Mahal heritage but needed Montreal to know it existed. We built a cinematic video library and ran Google Ads to catch high-intent diners. The result: 1,840+ new customer reservations from paid channels, a 3.8x Google Ads ROAS, and ad creative that converted at more than 2x industry benchmark.
THE CHALLENGE
Gujarat Palace opened with credentials most new restaurants would kill for: 30+ years of expertise from Bombay Mahal, a Montreal Indian institution. A chef trained in traditional Gujarati techniques. A modern fusion concept blending classical Indian flavors with contemporary plating. A beautiful Parc-Extension space designed to feel like Indian heritage meeting modern sophistication.
What they didn't have was reach. In a city where new restaurants open every week and customers discover them through TikTok and Google, a great concept and a great room isn't enough. Montreal needed to see the food before it could decide to come try it.
The brief was focused: build a video library that captured the modern sophistication of Gujarat Palace, then put that video in front of the diners most likely to book. No spread-thin multi-channel campaign, just two channels run with real depth.
THE NUMBERS, AFTER 6 MONTHS
- 3.8x Google Ads ROAS (blended Search + Performance Max)
- 5.8% average click-through rate (vs 2.4% industry benchmark)
- 18+ cinematic videos produced
- 1,840+ new customer reservations from paid channels
From new opening to a full reservation book.
Video was the foundation for paid performance: the 18+ cinematic videos gave Google Ads video-first creative that consistently outperformed text-only ads. CTR landed at 5.8%, more than 2x the restaurant industry benchmark of 2.4%.
Google Ads delivered consistent new-customer flow: Search Ads on high-intent dining queries brought in 1,840+ tracked first-time reservations across the 6-month window. Performance Max layered prospecting on top of search demand.
Cost per acquisition improved month over month: a 32% reduction in CPA as bidding tightened and high-performing creative scaled. The pipeline became more efficient every month rather than plateauing.
Heritage translated into modern positioning: 30+ years of Bombay Mahal expertise rendered in modern, cinematic visuals. The same heritage that built loyal in-person customers now lives in ad placements that bring in new ones.
THE TIMELINE, month by month
- Month 1: discovery and first production cycle. Brand interview, content strategy, shoot list locked, first onsite production complete. Google Ads architecture built in parallel.
- Month 2: Google Ads launch with first creative batch. Search Ads live on high-intent queries. First Performance Max campaign deployed. Conversion tracking wired to reservations.
- Month 3-4: scale and optimization. Second and third production cycles. Performance Max scaled with proven creative. CTR climbed past 4%. First 800 new reservations tracked.
- Month 5-6: compounding. 18+ videos in the library. CTR locked at 5.8%. ROAS held at 3.8x while CPA dropped 32%. 1,840+ total new reservations from paid. Google Ads now the primary acquisition channel.
"The video captured every dish the way it tastes. Popnest put those videos in front of the right diners. Our reservation book hasn't been the same since."