In a crowded food industry, visibility is everything. Getting the right people to talk about your food is just as difficult for restaurant brands as creating delicious food. This was well understood by Shawarma Royale, a well-known Middle Eastern restaurant chain in the Greater Toronto Area.
But what truly helped them scale their brand awareness and reach a younger, hyper-local demographic wasn’t just quality shawarma, it was strategy. Enter NJ Marketing, a powerhouse in crafting influencer marketing for restaurant brands. Their approach combined influencer partnerships and sharp PR campaigns to turn local buzz into measurable growth.
Brand Snapshot – Who Is Shawarma Royale?
Shawarma Royale isn’t just another place to get takeout. Bold flavors, genuine halal, and a dedication to consistency are the foundations of this brand. Shawarma Royale serves a wide range of customers at its several locations throughout Ontario, including families seeking a filling, reasonably priced meal as well as professionals and students.
But the food game has changed.
To stay relevant and keep foot traffic flowing, Shawarma Royale had to tap into a generation that lives and breathes online content. That’s where NJ Marketing came in.
The Challenge – Standing Out in a Saturated Market
There are a ton of halal restaurants, shawarma shops, and hip fusion restaurants in Toronto. Shawarma Royale had the food and the patronage, but it had a big problem:
Visibility.
- Their online engagement was stagnant.
- Brand mentions were limited to loyal customers.
- They were losing out on younger, content-driven audiences.
Shawarma Royale needed more than ads, they needed storytelling, authority, and authentic influence.
The Strategy – PR & Influencer Marketing That Converts
NJ Marketing deployed a two-pronged strategy:
- Local influencer activations
- Targeted restaurant PR campaigns
Their plan wasn’t about working with celebrities. It was about leveraging creators who could spark trust and hunger at the same time. The strategy included:
- Identifying mid-tier influencers with strong local followings.
- Creating a visual-first campaign centered around Instagram Reels.
- Crafting a brand message that blended culture, flavor, and emotion.
Coordinating PR placements to validate the brand across digital and print food platforms.
Each step was designed to trigger word-of-mouth, drive shares, and improve the restaurant’s SEO organically.
Influencer Collaboration Breakdown
A key highlight of the campaign was an Instagram Reel that quickly caught traction. View it here.
It featured:
- High-quality visuals showcasing Shawarma Royale’s kitchen and dishes
- A voice-over that explained why the brand stood out
- Emotionally engaging storytelling with a local influencer’s personality at the center
The result?
- Thousands of organic views within the first 48 hours
- Over 600 saves and shares across foodie accounts
- Increased UGC (user-generated content) with customers tagging the restaurant
- This wasn’t just a paid shoutout. It was branded storytelling with an impact.
Public Relations Impact – More Than Just a Buzz
While influencer marketing brought the audience, PR gave the campaign longevity and credibility. NJ Marketing leveraged their media relationships to pitch Shawarma Royale to:
- Local food blogs and Toronto-based publications
- Halal food directories and foodie forums
- Event coverage around grand openings and location spotlights
The PR efforts led to:
- 3 major online features within 30 days
- A rise in Google searches for “Shawarma Royale near me”
- Inbound collaboration requests from other influencers
Most importantly, it added a layer of trust. People weren’t just seeing content, they were seeing credibility.
Real Results – Metrics That Mattered
The success of a restaurant PR campaign comes down to performance. For Shawarma Royale, the numbers told a strong story:
- Instagram Reach: +74% growth in organic impressions
- Engagement Rate: Jumped by 3.2% in the first week of campaign launch
- Foot Traffic: Two locations reported a 20% spike in footfall post-Reel
- Google Search Trends: “Shawarma Royale” saw a noticeable bump in local search queries
All this, without spending a dollar on paid media.
What Restaurant Brands Can Learn From This
This campaign wasn’t a lucky break. It was the result of precision marketing designed for the food space. Here are key takeaways for other restaurant brands:
Influencer marketing for restaurants works best when it’s local.
Community-based influencers are more valuable than generic food bloggers who are not local.
Authenticity, not perfection, should be the main focus of content.
People want to know why food is important, not just to see it. That emotional pull converts.
PR builds staying power.
Influencer buzz dies down, but PR coverage builds long-term visibility and trust with new audiences.
NJ Marketing’s Edge | Why This Strategy Worked
What set NJ Marketing apart was their understanding of cultural nuance and their deep-rooted connections with local creators. Here’s what made their campaign successful:
- Tailored creator selection instead of generic outreach.
- Real-time analytics tracking to optimize campaign delivery.
- Cross-platform storytelling, from Reels to web features.
- Holistic approach that paired influence with media validation.
For NJ Marketing, this wasn’t just another project. It was a case study in how Business Promotion for restaurant brands can drive real-world results.
Influence + PR = Modern Growth Engine
The Shawarma Royale campaign proves that today’s restaurants don’t just need great food, they need great attention.
By combining influencer marketing for restaurants with targeted PR campaigns, NJ Marketing helped transform Shawarma Royale’s visibility, credibility, and customer engagement, all without chasing trends or burning ad budgets.
This is the blueprint for modern restaurant growth:
Authentic creators + Local relevance + Strategic PR = Real ROI