Canada’s hospitality sector is diverse. From independent pizzerias and quirky coffee shops, to up-market seafood restaurants and laid-back BBQ joints, it is a unique and creative industry and it is growing.

Predicted to top sales of $100 billion per annum by 2021 (Restaurants Canada sector outlook) and with over 600,000 people working in the sector, Canada’s hospitality industry is the lifeblood of the country.

However, despite the sector’s popularity, nearly a quarter of Canadian hospitality startups close within the first year of business. That’s where SilverChef steps in.

A fellow B Corp and leading hospitality financier, SilverChef provides independent hospitality businesses with unique financing options, tailored to help them stay financially resilient during their first few years of business.

SilverChef’s innovative rent-try-buy model allows hospitality entrepreneurs to rent restaurant equipment at an affordable price, removing the risk associated with buying expensive equipment from the get-go. SilverChef also offers its customers the option to buy the equipment once they are in a position to do so, helping them on their way to asset ownership.

The Challenge

While SilverChef’s brand recognition in its home market (Australia) was strong, SilverChef had minimal brand awareness in Canada and needed to raise its profile among hospitality owners to increase its overall global impact.

Yulu has partnered with SilverChef since 2017 to increase brand awareness in the Canadian market. With SilverChef committed to investing $500 million in the Canadian hospitality sector over five years, Yulu knew SilverChef could bolster the dreams of Canadian entrepreneurs if only they knew about it.

 

 

The Strategy

Execution of the external communications campaign kicked off at Restaurants Canada, the country’s largest trade show in the foodservice sector. We used this conference as a platform to announce SilverChef’s $500 million investment in the hospitality sector, issuing a news release, and coordinating interviews with journalists at the conference.

Since then, Yulu has built SilverChef’s profile in Canada through a dedicated media relations and speaker circuit program, and continues to provide Impact Consultancy.

Impact Consultancy

Creating opportunities to showcase SilverChef’s impact has proven a powerful tool to increase the company’s brand exposure. Yulu helped to ideate, project manage and launch the national SilverChef Hospitality Awards in 2020: a new awards program that celebrates businesses that demonstrate social and environmental impact in their communities. The first year of the awards program helped shine a spotlight on purposeful businesses that often get overlooked, boosting their profile by leveraging SilverChef’s brand equity.

In addition, since the outbreak of COVID-19 (February 2020), SilverChef has worked harder than ever to keep Canadian hospitality businesses financially resilient, launching its #ServingHospitality initiative as a way to provide owners with another source of revenue when they need it most. The initiative enables customers to purchase e-gift cards from restaurants now, that will then be redeemed in future when the restaurants reopen. Yulu’s tailored media relations strategy is continuing to raise awareness of this vital initiative.

The Results & Impact

Since working with SilverChef, Yulu has secured over 157 pieces of coverage, with articles running in MENUMagazine, RestoBiz, Financial Post, Vancouver Sun, and Restaurant and Foodservice News. In addition, SilverChef’s customer base has grown to over 3,000 hospitality businesses in Canada, as of April 2020.

Since SilverChef’s launch, we’ve continued to build SilverChef’s presence in the Canadian market. Our case study counter is below:

  • Secured over 157 pieces of coverage in a variety of outlets: from national broadsheets and broadcast channels, to industry trade titles 
  • Featured in national and business outlets including Financial Post, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Ottawa Citizen, CTV, Business in Vancouver, CKNW and 680 News
  • Reached a North American of over 200M in 2019 alone