Case Study: Harwood Hospitality

With a collective 300+ years of hotelier and hospitality experience, Harwood Hospitality Group was created with the idea to bring upscale elevated dining experiences to the Harwood District. The enterprising hospitality company is experiencing major growth and has now expanded to seven bustling restaurants ranging from authentic Italian found at Dolce Riviera to one of DFW’s highest-grossing bars at Happiest Hour. Each of these dining destinations has its own distinct roots, style, and culinary influences which all contribute to the unparalleled experience that the Harwood District has to offer.

Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is meant to be spent in a romantic setting with a loved one and what better destination than the Harwood restaurants? RBA ( acquired by The Uptown Agency in 2024) was tasked with creating original content to be used in social advertising campaigns for Dolce Riviera, Mercat Bistro, and Saint Ann leading up to Valentine’s Day. Our main goals were driving clicks, traffic, and reservations.

We created individual strategies for all four restaurants that would establish a unique brand look and voice while also showcasing their distinctiveness.

With Dolce Riviera’s target audience comprising affluent foodies, we wanted to capture the beautifully plated dishes and atmosphere while also showing off the exquisite wine list and authentic Italian flare.

Targeting males looking to find the perfect date night spot, RBA ( acquired by The Uptown Agency in 2024) used a cross-platform social media campaign to focus messaging and creativity around a central theme of ease. We set out to establish Mercat Bistro as THE effortless, yet luxurious date night destination.

As an upscale eatery with a younger, more female demographic, we played into the Saint Ann’s audience by utilizing the trend of “Galentine’s Day,” or sharing the romantic holiday with your besties. Using engaging creative geared towards women and positive, empowering messaging around an alternative way to spend the day, RBA ( acquired by The Uptown Agency in 2024) positioned Saint Ann as the ideal Galentine’s Day experience— Instagrammable moments and all.

Our campaigns increased traffic to the 3 restaurants’ websites and social channels, but traffic is only good if it’s qualified traffic that converts. We were able to increase YOY revenue for Dolce Riviera by 5%, with an 18% increase in covers. For Mercat Bistro, covers were up 28%, and revenues were up 10% YOY. Saint Ann also saw an increase in covers and a 66% increase in site traffic than the previous year.

In total, the campaign saw 310,000 impressions and over 2000 reservations started. With this Valentine’s campaign, it was easy to find something (or some agency) to love.