PaStation is a standout Italian eatery in London, famous for its fresh pasta and viral popularity. Like so many restaurants now PaStation London has an open kitchen concept so that you can see their chefs making the pasta in front of your eyes. This is a clever idea as it draws customers into the food making process. But best of all, PaStation London restaurant succeeds at social media – here is how a tiny restaurant in London has built a huge 70,000 following.
Authentic, engaging content
So we’ve already touched on the most viral aspect of their restaurant concept – creating the food. They make regular posts showing the making of their homemade pasta with behind the scenes footage of the kitchen and vibrant food reels which engage followers and reinforce the authenticity of their service. It is fascinating watching a chef add sauce to paste, twirling it in the pan, and topping it with truffles. It makes your mouth water and you want to try it.
The focus for these posts (reels and photos) is the quality of the food and the unique experience for their diners at the restaurants. Imagery emphasises fresh ingredients and how customisable the pasta dishes can be.
They’ve also got a cracking sense of humour. This works for their brand because, let’s face it, food is where we go to when we are happy, sad and every other emotion in between. This shows they understand their audience – with UCL and SOAS nearby they’re attracting students who are bargain hunting for filling food, especially in cooler weather, so jokes about exams resonate. The viral nature of their food means travellers and visitors to London go and check them out, which leads to great user generated content (UGC). London foodies and families are also fans.
Collaborations and influencer marketing
PaStation works with a range of local influencers and viral food bloggers on their content. This drives new customers through social proof and word-of-mouth referrals to the restaurant. For example, they invited Aman Ranjan & Hiya Narang from @yourdailytreats (140k followers on the gram) and Maisie Walker, the @_experienceaddict_ with 30k followers to eat at the restaurant and both made collaborative reels (9k and 136k likes respectively). Inviting influencer guests gets their posts out in front of huge audiences that are already interested in food content.
One of PaStation’s celebrity coups came about naturally when Sachin Tendulkar’s daughter Sara suggested he eat her favourite pasta dish – nearly half a million likes on one video on Instagram and nearly 2 million plays on Facebook. This was a win for PaStation that is still getting talked about. It supercharged their visibility and engagement across Indian, British and foodie communities. He points out that the restaurant is actually tiny with 10-15 seats ‘at the most’. PaStation is actually currently closed for renovation so we can’t wait to see it when it reopens.
Viral videos and reels
Short-form video is working well for PaStation – videos under 1.5 minutes long. They team it up with gimmicky fun captions and delicious food that can bag them 20,000 likes for a sweet treat – the cannoli is clearly a popular menu item! Much of this footage is captured by the team while on the go. Customers often film the pasta selection or cooking process and PaStation shares these posts for added reach. This works for both the customer and the restaurant. Many customers highlight the bargain prices – pasta in London for £5.95?! But despite the price, most reviewers mention the delicious food and the excellent customer service.
Customer interaction and community engagement
PaStation have nailed the art of social media – it’s meant to be social (if I had a $ for every time I said that). They reply to comments, repost user-generated content, celebrate customer milestones and answer reviews. That’s not a small thing for a busy food outlet. This builds a loyal online following and increases trust in the brand which in turn encourages bookings. People check out user reviews before eating at a restaurant or ordering from a takeaway, they matter.
Storytelling and brand consistency
PaStation posts are consistent in their storytelling about the Italian heritage of the brand and the genuine hospitality they offer to their customers. They do this through imagery, video footage and voice overs and in the copywriting for their captions. You feel like you know who they are before you have even stepped foot through the door. By shouting out to their local community and through user testimonials they reinforce their identity as a local “community hub”.
Impact on restaurant footfall and reputation
Viral posts can drive high social media engagement. This can lead to increased footfall and bookings for the restaurant. The restaurant’s online reputation is supplemented by positive reviews and high interaction on posts by regular diners and influencers.
PaStation London restaurant’s success on social media
PaStation London’s success on social media is driven by a variety of factors but the main ones are great content, customer engagement and leveraging influencers. Great content includes behind the scenes video content, eye-catching photography and knowing who they are talking to in the copy and captions. By engaging customers through sharing their posts and answering their comments, they’ve built up a loyal following. Leveraging celebrity and well established foodies has boosted their visibility on social media. The authenticity of their food storytelling, engagement and community translates online buzz into real world popularity. Do you need this for your restaurant?
What could they improve?
PaStation London makes great use of organic social media tactics to get their restaurant known and loved by locals. They don’t use Facebook much and they are not currently running ads. This is missing a trick as Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram are a powerful way to target local people who are most likely to make a booking and reach audiences that the algorithm makes difficult organically. Now, I would say this of course, because I am an ads manager but I have seen amazing results for restaurants and takeaways in London.
If you are looking for someone to manage organic social media for your restaurant or takeaway and would like to explore the costs, let’s talk.