Buck & Johnny’s

Cajun-Italian eatery in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

Allons Dancer, Acadiana! (Let’s Dance, Acadiana!)

Buck and Johnny’s Eclectic Italian in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana was under new management and looking to establish its identity as “more than just a pizza joint”. After all, the small community is a tourist destination and at that point was missing an upscale dining option. During my tenure as marketing director, the restaurant attained the rights to Zydeco Breakfast, a popular local event at which a live zydeco band and a mimosa-drowned brunch turn the entire restaurant into a Zydeco dance-floor at 8am every Saturday morning.

Branding the Breakfast

We branded the event “World Famous Zydeco Breakfast” and began live-streaming the events on Facebook. In the Press Kit (download here), it is noted that World Famous must be used on first reference in all publications.

Logo branding the event as “World Famous Zydeco Breakfast”

11x14” printed posters were placed all over the region and on social media. The tagline “America’s Most Unique Dance Party” tested very well on social media and was implemented on posters.

Using Guerrilla Marketing and no budget, I turned Zydeco Breakfast into a destination for tourists worldwide. The restaurant was featured on a CNBC live spot and named in an article on CNN Travel among many other acknowledgements. At program inception Buck & Johnny’s Facebook fandom was <1,000 - follows now approach 15,000.

Legendary Louisiana reporter Dave McNamara spent time with us in 2017 as part of his Heart of Louisiana series. Read article and see videos here.

Redesigned Menus and Advertisements

Early in my time with Buck and Johnny’s, the goal was to change the perception of the restaurant from a pizza joint to an upscale Italian eatery. In an effort to increase the perceived value of the food, I redesigned the menus and had them printed on high quality card-stock with laminate. Customers in the small town noted the improved look of the menus and entrée prices were increased without any downturn in customer volume. New social media ads were developed to draw attention away from pizza as the primary menu option. Pizza was moved to the backside of the menu, drawing customer eyes to the pasta and salad offerings first.

In parallel with the restaurant’s car theme (the structure a former auto dealership), an “Unleaded Menu” was developed to accommodate lunch crowds looking for lighter options as part of the EatFit Acadiana program.

Non-Profit and Community Work

A community leader in Breaux Bridge, Buck & Johnny’s was responsible for a number of community initiatives that I branded, designed collateral and wrote press releases for.