EARLS RESTAURANTS – INNOVATIVE PIONEER THEN, INNOVATIVE PIONEER NOW

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Creating a social media experience like no other with the first ever “Social Menu” Facebook Application

April 2, 2013 – Vancouver, BC - Earls Restaurants Ltd. has partnered with Vancouver based Invoke, an award-winning digital innovation company, to launch the “Social Menu App”, the first time a restaurant menu has been included in a Facebook application. The new, and for now exclusive to Earls, app gives menu items the ultimate interactive treatment.

Leveraging Facebook's social platform and custom actions with Earls’ beautiful food photography, Invoke, working with the Earls marketing team, has powered the “Social Menu” app creating an exciting way for users to recommend menu items and allow them to discover, like - or in our case love, and engage with friends over popular dishes. A playful and visually appealing site, the Earls Social Menu is all about conversation about great food.  

Linked to all of Earls Facebook pages, Earls’ main page and 63 local pages across Canada and the US, the application will have Earls guests from across two countries sharing their menu favourites, calling out regional dishes available in specific locations and new menu items, both in flagship locations and in all their restaurants. A quick hover over a beautiful image of a menu item shows what it is, where it’s available and which one of your friends likes it. Favourite dishes can be shared out among friends and invitations to try a dish appear as an interactive post on the user’s home page, with friends engaged further through comments and tagging.     

“We know how much our guests love food and love to share their Earls dining experiences on social media, so we wanted to give them an opportunity to experience our mouthwatering dishes in a more visceral way. It’s more than just a dynamic menu, it’s really about engaging in conversation.” said, Monique Gomel, Vice-President Marketing, Earls Restaurants Ltd.

The popularity of food discovery sites, the excited engagement of the #foodporn hashtag on Instagram and Twitter, makes it abundantly clear that restaurant-goers really love to feast with their eyes but  it’s the added social engagement  provided by friends and trusted peers that often sways their choices.

“Earls is absolutely about great, fresh food, but it’s also about community and the experience of sharing a meal and good times with the people around you,” says Rebecca Marstaller, Managing Director at Invoke. “The Social Menu takes popular food glamour shots to the next level by adding a meaningful layer of context, making it a place for connecting, not just ogling.”

Invoke and Earls share a history of breaking new ground in their respective industries. Earls was the first to introduce the concept of the "upscale casual" or “casual fine dining” category to the North American restaurant industry and have been pioneers in the craft beer, approachable wine list, service and full service casual dining experiences. Invoke earned the prestigious Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer badge, only one of five Canadian companies to receive the honour in 2012.

Start discovering and engaging with Earls irresistible dishes on the Earls' Facebook page and coming soon, on-the-go from any mobile device. Earls Social Menu

A limited number of one-on-one shared screen tours of the social menu app are available for media, please  contact Lima Lima Al-Azzeh, Marketing & Communications Manager Invoke lima.al-azzeh@invokemedia.com for an appointment  604.398.6028 

About Earls

Earls Kitchen + Bar is a unique restaurant concept that marries fresh, made from scratch, often local ingredient driven interesting menus and irresistible food in beautifully designed full service dining rooms paired with engaging, lively lounges and bars. A chain that does not operate in the traditional model, each restaurant is designed uniquely for the location and region it’s located in. Menus offer dishes they are famous for and seasonally changing menu items that allow for regional and demographic tastes, local products and suppliers. Restaurant staff, who are hired for attitude and trained for excellence, deliver engaging experiences in 65 restaurants throughout Canada and the US. 

Earls Restaurants Ltd. and the Fuller Group is a family owned operation started by Leroy Earl (Bus) Fuller in 1982 with their first restaurant in Edmonton, Alberta.  Earls Kitchen + Bar (Earls is not a franchise) is operated by CEO Stan Earl Fuller and President Mo Jessa. Earls head office is located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Awarded Top 50 Employers in Canada, Earls employs close to 7,000 employees in Canada and the US.  Earls newest restaurant will open in Miami, Florida in February 2014.

About Invoke

Invoke is an award-winning digital innovation company that works with the world's leading brands to bring meaningful web and mobile social applications and digital experiences to life. Invoke was founded by David Tedman, Dario Meli and Ryan Holmes and is composed of Invoke Labs, an incubation company, and Invoke Media, a digital services branch. Together the three founders developed the leading social media dashboard HootSuite and built the first two million users in HootSuite's first 24 months. Invoke is a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer with deep industry expertise and a successful track record of leading multichannel digital strategies for global brands such as AOL, NBC, The Walt Disney Company, Dove, EA, GAP, Wells Fargo, ViaCom, Jim Beam and Piaggio North America. Invoke is based in Vancouver, BC, with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

For further information, visit http://www.invokemedia.com/ or email press@invokemedia.com. 

For further information contact Cate Simpson - Communications, Earls Restaurants Ltd.   csimpson@earls.ca or visit earls restaurants

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