A lively bar or nightclub filled with people socializing, drinking, and enjoying a lively atmosphere. Neon signs and decorative lighting create a vibrant ambiance.

Curio

Celebrating The Unconventional

San Francisco, CA

SERVICES

Concept Development
Naming
Messaging Strategy & Public Relations

The Challenge

Adjacent to iconic independent music venue, The Chapel, Curio is a restaurant and bar in San Francisco’s vibrant mission district. In 2017, our team helped concept and name the restaurant as well as consult on menu and programming development. Curio opened as a busy and bustling restaurant and bar that brought people together from all walks of life, with delicious, shareable food and inventive cocktails. Then 2020 happened.

With The Chapel closed and large indoor gatherings halted for the foreseeable future, the restaurant had to reinvent itself and find ways to continue to bring people together...at a distance. By mid-late June the restaurant was ready to open with a new outdoor friendly concept.

Close-up of a burger with a sesame seed bun, lettuce, cheese, and barbecue sauce, served with potato wedges and two drinks in the background.

Photography: John Valenton

Strategic Public Relations

Following the initial two-month restaurant shut down of 2020, Curio reopened at the end of Q1 with a talented new team and an incredible opportunity. Amidst a wave of reopenings, Curio was able to stand out by creating a lively and atmospheric outdoor destination, growing from under 50 seats to more than 200—so successfully that Q3 sales eclipsed pre-pandemic levels. Our team successfully announced the new concept garnering media in local, regional, and national publications, including a remote spot on NBC’s California Live and inclusion in all the major local outlets, notably Eater’s brunch heat map and the San Francisco Chronicle’s feature on the most notable outdoor dining venues.

A black and white photograph of a man sitting at a table, wearing a striped shirt and glasses, with a backdrop of a large map.

“10 Spacious Outdoor Restaurant Patios in San Francisco, Bay Area”

“Curio Is The Hottest Reopening In San Francisco’s Mission District”

A busy outdoor sidewalk café with people dining and socializing. There are trees lining the street, colorful umbrellas, and decorative signs on the building reading 'Curio'. The scene is lively with pedestrians walking along the street and bicycles parked at the curb.

Photography: Hardy Wilson

Social Media

After reopening amidst the pandemic, Curio utilized social media to message changes to menus, operations, hours, and other happenings, while introducing the restaurant and bar to new audiences through influencer partnerships, social media giveaways, and budgeting ad spend toward an awareness ad and boosting organic posts.

A round wooden table holds two dishes: a white bowl of macaroni and cheese topped with crispy fried onions, and a rectangular white plate with stuffed mushrooms topped with cheese and herbs. A pink cocktail with a small edible flower garnishes the setting.

Photography: Hardy Wilson

A hand holding a phone taking a picture of a plate with a small dish topped with flowers and vegetables, and potato chips on a wooden table.

Social media engagement experienced a consistent increase during our partnership as we positioned the social media channels to allow the restaurant to communicate with their audience in a more direct and spur-of-the-moment way. Nurturing a select group of local influencers, Curio became a regular spot for influencer entertainment, adding to the legitimacy of the unique indoor and outdoor experience post-pandemic.

Within the first five months of managing organic social media for Curio’s Instagram and Facebook, their combined following grew by over 12% with minimal spend, attracting more than 1.1M impressions.