The Forge Restaurant is an iconic Miami Beach establishment that frequently hosts the likes of  Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Britney Spears. 

Approaching it’s 50th anniversary in 2019, ARTRPRNR wanted the inside scoop on how such an iconic venue staysrelevant in the digital age.

ARTRPRNR asked General Manager Eric Rosenwach how he keeps The Forge current despite its historic reputation:

What platforms is your company currently using for social media marketing?

The Forge uses Instagram mostly, but we update our Facebook and Twitter pages regularly as well. We also heavily rely on industr

y platforms like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and OpenTable. All our servers carry business cards with links to our TripAdvisor page, and OpenTable was at one point the only way to book reservations in our restaurant. This goes to show how important technology is in our operations.

How frequently do you post and whose responsibility is it?

In terms of online presence and exposure, we do our best to remain as relevant as possible. We keep our menu updated for Miami Spice and other events throughout the summer months, and make sure to list the new evening dishes from our Executive Chef every Monday. All our marketing is done in-house, so the staff has fun collectively brainstorming new content for our pages.

Do you currently use influencers to promote your brand?

It’s great when we have people with large audiences post about the restaurant on their social media. We encourage promoters and large parties to patron the restaurant and The Forge Bar to give more energy to the spaces, and take some beautiful photos of our famous decor.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmbkxwSnfo9/?taken-by=theforgerestaurant

What is the biggest challenge you face managing content for your pages?

Time management; and prioritizing exposure on spontaneous events.

Have you seen an uptick in activity at The Forge since you began using social media?

Of course, not only has there been more guests, but our staff also keeps up with the pages on their own time. Especially TripAdvisor; they’re constantly monitoring the comments to make sure service is on par with expectations. It’s proven to be a great resource for staff encouragement, and the feedback we’ve gained through our online presence is an invaluable insight into our guests experiences.

In the hospitality industry, much of what you do is visually pleasing by nature. How do you exploit this strength on your pages?

Our new Executive Chef is extremely talented, and takes great pride in his culinary work. His food is visually appealing; so it’s easy to convey that tantalization through pictures. We believe that showing our social media audience the beautiful creations from our kitchen will encourage them to indulge, and it’s definitely been an effective means of driving reservations.

What is the most effective marketing strategy The Forge uses?

The Forge is going on to celebrate its 50th anniversary this coming year, so word of mouth for this historic property is still the most prominent strategy we utilize. Travel websites such as TravelZoo, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and OpenTable are also important for their direct booking capabilities. Making it simple for guests to book reservations has certainly helped increase our numbers.