Olu Olu Poke

THE CHALLENGE

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 warmth of the in-store experience.

THE NUMBERS, AFTER 9 MONTHS

• +287% Instagram community growth (organic)
• 2.4M total content reach (organic across IG + TikTok + YouTube)
• 60+ short-form videos produced
• 4.7 stars Google rating maintained across 3 locations (3,000+ reviews)

From quiet feed to Montreal's go-to 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 TIMELINE, 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 Montreal poke fans tag without prompting.