Gwinnett Burger Week: How a $10 Pass Increased Foot Traffic for Dozens of Local Restaurants

The Problem: Refreshing a Decade-Old Tradition

After nearly a decade, maintaining excitement and engagement around Gwinnett Burger Week presented a significant challenge. Explore Gwinnett needed a strategy to not only attract attendees but also to encourage them to actively share their dining experiences.

The Pass: The Gwinnett Burger Week Pass

To revitalize and gamify the annual Gwinnett Burger Week, Explore Gwinnett collaborated with Bandwango to introduce the Gwinnett Burger Week Pass. This digital pass, available for just $10, allowed patrons to savor uniquely crafted burgers at participating restaurants. The week-long event not only served up these great burger spots but also enabled guests to check in digitally, vote for their favorite creations, and earn exciting prizes.

Bandwango’s technology played a pivotal role in enhancing the dining experience by streamlining the sales, delivery, and management of the digital passes.

"The pass allows the team to schedule SMS messages and emails during the promotion. With such a short window of opportunity–  there are limited opportunities to speak to those who are participating. Communicating with patrons and encouraging dining throughout the week has been very beneficial."

This ensured that Explore Gwinnett and the participating restaurants could concentrate on what they do best—creating memorable culinary experiences for guests. The pass also facilitated the collection of valuable participant data, turning casual diners into active promoters and community influencers.

"Hundreds of people who were learning about the event from a printed flyer or from a friend, but the Gwinnett Burger Week Pass provided the team direct access to building a relationship with participants. – Without Bandwango, the organization couldn’t have done that."

The Marketing Strategy: A Blend of Old and New

Though the pass itself was digital, traditional marketing methods, such as printed flyers, proved to be highly effective, driving significant traffic to the pass page. Additional promotional efforts included sandwich board signs at participating restaurants, social media campaigns, and local community outreach. Explore Gwinnett emphasizes the importance of leveraging all promotional avenues, including the significant followings of participating businesses, to maximize reach and impact.

“Encourage the partners on your pass to promote the downloads as much as you do! Sometimes, we forget that they also have sizeable social media followings, e-newsletters and people walking in their doors each day.”

The Results: Tangible Growth and Engagement

• 1,084 pass sign-ups, up from 850 the previous year.
  
  
• 1,984 restaurant check-ins, significantly more than 1,333 in 2024.
  
  
• Deepened community engagement, with 32 diners earning recognition on the Explore Gwinnett Burger Wall of Fame.

The pass not only increased traffic to participating restaurants but also introduced many residents to new dining spots, aligning perfectly with the event’s mission to support and promote local eateries.

Explore Gwinnett plans to refine the pass experience by integrating the voting process more seamlessly with the check-in feature, enhancing user engagement and participation. This initiative has also inspired other gamified promotional efforts aimed at boosting local tourism and community involvement.

The pass has finished for 2025, but you can find more information on Burger Week here.

Learn how Bandwango can help turn your event into a community sensation. Book a demo here.

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