STARR Restaurants consistently drives 63% more direction requests year over year.

For four consecutive years, STARR Restaurants has relied on Map Labs to generate double-digit channel growth on Google Maps.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Based in Philadelphia, STARR Restaurants is one of the largest multi-concept operators in the country and offers a range of casual and fine dining eateries, including the Michelin-starred Clocktower with chef Jason Atherton. 

Map Labs began managing and optimizing all of STARR’s Google Maps locations in January 2017 and added value within the first three months. 

Map Labs works closely alongside Randi Sirkin, STARR’s VP Creative Services, to regularly coach and guide the marketing team on strategy and execution so that STARR is able to make the most out of Google Maps as a top marketing channel.

PROBLEM

STARR faced several significant challenges that were hindering their ability to increase the performance for each of their locations. 

Despite using an aggregator service for three years, STARR was unable to see any meaningful results or improvements. They were seeking tangible evidence of success beyond the basic management of their profiles. 

And although STARR could manage their Google Business Profile information such as name, phone numbers, and URLs, merely setting up profiles was not enough to measure actual overall performance and between locations, such as YOY and MOM direction requests, phone calls, and bookings. 

The inability to measure real engagement made it difficult to make confident decisions and justify spend. Managing multiple business profiles at scale was proving to be too complex to handle efficiently. Lastly, not having a partner with a vested interest in STARR’s success made it difficult to get the insight required to adjust quickly.

“With 37 unique restaurants, it’s hard enough to manage the basics. We needed a partner to help us make sense of our Google Maps performance for each location.”

Randi Sirkin, VP Creative Services

SOLUTION

After assessing STARR’s Google Maps channel, Map Labs got to work. The goal was simple: generate more revenue and improve customer engagement.

Map Labs specializes in Google Business Profile (GBP) optimization and reporting. And being a multi-location business, STARR quickly benefited from better reporting and channel management, especially for the locations that were not performing as well as others. They also saw how easy it was to manage, monitor, and report on 37 individual listings, including holiday hours and review responses. 

GBP quickly proved to be STARR’s #1 customer engagement channel, significantly outperforming SEO, Google Ads, Social Media, and aggregator services. 

Reallocating and reinvesting money was a no-brainer.

“The clarity we get with Map Labs is amazing. We now know what’s working and what isn’t.”

Randi Sirkin, VP Creative Services

RESULTS

Except for the pandemic in 2020, STARR Restaurants has consistently achieved double-digit growth on Google Maps across all KPIs.

IMPACT

Partnering with Map Labs enabled STARR to get a complete 360-degree view of their entire GBP portfolio at a fraction of the cost of paid media. They also have a deeper understanding of the nuances between their restaurants, knowing what locations aren’t doing well, how to fix them, and what adjustments were made to fix them.

With Map Labs, STARR is able to:

• Drive revenue growth and strategic decision-making
• Actively engage with customers 
• Reallocate and maximize spend
• Track and measure GBP’s direct impact on conversions
• Automate tasks, post updates, and review responses

“Map Labs has made our lives easier. They’re an extension of STARR. They look out for my best interest and they tell me what I need to know. They’ve proven that they’re not just providing a service, they’re actually invested in our success. That is very important to me.”

Randi Sirkin, VP Creative Services
STARR Restaurants

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