Best Use of Social Media to Save Your (Restaurant's) Ass – Critics' Pick: Bowled and St. Pete Brasserie, St. Petersburg.
This year two St. Pete restaurants on the brink of closing, Bowled and St. Pete Brasserie, reached out to their customers through Facebook and the like, announcing that business wasn’t so great and inviting people to come and eat before the doors closed for good. The response? Record numbers for lunch and dinner in the following days and continued success in the next few months — and they’re still packing them in every night. Both eateries regularly update their social media pages, interacting with their faithful “fans,” and list daily discounts and specials. Ah, the power of social media. Bowled, 3451 Fourth St. N, St. Petersburg, 727-895-2695, bowledrestaurant.com; St. Pete Brasserie, 539 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-823-3700, stpetebrasserie.com
The St. Pete Brasserie's owner, Andrew "Wilko" Wilkins, also took the Critics' Pick award for Best Restaurant Host (And Owner).
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2010.