Case Study + Marketing + Video

Case Study: Video Marketing for The Falafel Shack’s Downtown Chambersburg Restaurant Location

Part I: Background Info on Company/Restaurant

The Falafel Shack is a family owned and operated multi-cuisine Middle Eastern restaurant. Husband, owner, and chef Amer Chaudhry along with his wife and co-owner Jasmina Ademovic have blended their Saudi Arabian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Bosnian roots in a small Pennsylvania town and even smaller brick and mortar location after being a staple at the local Farmer’s Market.

With original recipes from their home countries featuring intoxicating blends of spices, delectable desserts, and a festive interior, The Shack has become an attraction and hangout.

Its slogan, Spread Hummus Not Hate has become an international phenomenon. With people sending in pictures from places like Croatia, Cape Town and the Taj Mahal sporting their positive message shirt. This message builds onto the Falafel Shack’s ultimate goal of cooking: Make Falafel Not War With each dish, they aim to cross the divide of cultures and serve love.

Part II: The Challenge They Were Facing

Launching a new business always comes with its own obstacles. Introducing The Falafel Shack’s fresh flavors and customs to the community began with its own unique yet welcomed challenges. Progressing from being a stand at a Farmer’s Market and other similar locations for several years to a food truck for one year and making the final transition into a brick and mortar came with ensuring their guests they were offering the same street food but now with an elevated, expanded menu. From minute issues like offering their consumers full service now to combatting parking issues in downtown Chambersburg, PA the struggle remained raising awareness on who they were, their mission and what they were serving.

Part III: Our Solution

Our solution was to create a video that would introduce the community, surrounding towns and cities to the history, vision, and food of the company. The objective of the video served as both an open invitation but moreover an extension of trust and credibility. Since the owners’ passion stemmed in serving food made with love from their love of cooking, educating the audience was elemental. Through this, a connection was built. A dinner conversation began. Showcasing the distinct culinary skills and services through an online marketing video would create more buzz on search engines at a higher rate. Google, specifically, loves content that gains a lot of shares and views. The Falafel Shack’s video would organically show up in searches, introducing even more people to Amer and Jasmina’s mission to Make Falafels and Not War.

Part IV: The Results

With The Falafel Shack’s online menu and constant foot traffic, the video needed to be just as accessible and easy to watch online – and share – on mobile. Converting viewers into diners came from a seemingly interactive experience of while watching and hearing Amer and Jasmina open up about their ancestry, their travels and their place on the square of Chambersburg, PA. With the story’s unfolding, restaurant shots and enticing food preparation and service, the video enables watchers to share their experiences, creating more than a word of mouth campaign, but a visually stimulating testimonial.

“Working with Cross & Crown was easy and fun! The team made us feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera. Their team members are creative, talented and really helped tell our business’ story.”’ – Amer Chaudhry & Jasmina Ademovic, Owners