Image via Audrey Kelly for Jack’s BBQ
Case Study: Jack’s BBQ
Consumer Food & Beverage · Restaurant · Organic & Paid Social · Content Strategy & Production · Brand Growth · Event Launch
August 2016 – February 2022 · Via Plaid Pig PR
One SoDo location. Six years. Six more locations. A festival. National press. +602% Instagram growth. The kind of partnership that only works when the strategy grows as fast as the brand does.
The Challenge
Jack’s BBQ opened its first location in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood in 2014 - serious, authentic Texas-style BBQ in a city that was ready for it. By the time I came on in 2016, the product had earned its reputation. What it needed was a digital program sophisticated enough to grow alongside a brand that was about to have a very good few years.
The engagement came through Plaid Pig PR, with clear lanes: Jason at Plaid Pig handled PR and online reputation management across Yelp and Google. I owned content strategy, social execution, and audience growth across Facebook and Instagram; building the digital presence of a brand that was earning national recognition while simultaneously expanding its physical footprint across the Seattle area.
The Approach
Facebook was where Jack BBQ’s existing community lived - local regulars, Seattle food lovers, the loyal early adopters who’d been there from the beginning. That base needed consistent nurturing: menu updates, event announcements, location news, and the kind of warmth that turns a follower into a regular and a regular into an evangelist.
Instagram was the strategic growth opportunity. Jack wanted to build it deliberately, and the approach required thinking about two distinct audiences simultaneously: the Seattle locals who were already converts, and the visitors and travelers who were researching where to eat before they landed.
Early on I identified video as the content format worth investing in before it became the obvious choice. Behind-the-scenes content, how-it-made features, and menu spotlights gave audiences a window into the craft and process that static photography couldn’t match. Smoke, fire, brisket being sliced - that’s content that moves. And at a time when most restaurant Instagram accounts were still leading with plated shots, Jack’s was already moving toward being interactive.
The national press momentum created its own content opportunities. When established Texas pitmasters acknowledged Jack’s work in the Pacific Northwest - including a notable write-up in Texas Monthly - that wasn’t just a PR win. It was a credibility signal worth amplifying strategically to both local and traveling audiences. Coverage in Rachel Ray Every Day, Zagat, CNN, and other national publications followed, as well as regional with print, radio, and tv; and each piece became part of a content strategy designed to say: this is a destination, not just a neighborhood spot.
As Jack’s grew, the content program scaled with it. Each new location - the Columbia Building, South Lake Union, Algona/Federal Way, Jackalope in Columbia City, a food booth at CenturyLink Stadium - was a launch moment with its own audience, its own community, and its own story to tell. Menu expansions, new service offerings like grab-and-go breakfast tacos and ticketed Prime Rib Dinners, and ongoing seasonal updates kept the content program alive between the bigger moments.
The strategy also was informed by ongoing competitive monitoring across three distinct landscapes: the emerging Seattle BBQ scene, the broader Pacific Northwest restaurant and food culture, and established Texas BBQ institutions. The Texas piece was particularly intentional - Jack wanted to ensure the brand was staying in step with what the originators of the craft were doing, not just competing locally. Understanding that context informed both content positioning and the cultural credibility that made national press recognition feel earned rather than surprising.
In 2019, the Low & Slow Festival was launched; an all-day block party at the SoDo location with multiple bands, lawn games, and BBQ. Taking an established brand and building a community event around it required a different kind of content strategy: pre-event anticipation, day-of coverage, and post-event storytelling that turned attendees into advocates.
By the time my engagement ended in early 2022, two additional locations - Lakewood (South Tacoma) and Bellingham - were in development, with early strategic groundwork already underway.
The Results
+602% Instagram audience growth across six years
Six location openings supported through content strategy and launch campaigns
Low & Slow Festival launched and executed in 2019
Regional and national press amplified across content strategy - Seattle Met, Eater, Texas Monthly, Rachel Ray Every Day, Zagat, CNN
Strategic groundwork developed for Lakewood and Bellingham locations prior to end of engagement
Sustained Facebook community engagement as the brand’s primary local audience base throughout
Digital Platforms: Facebook · Instagram
Services: Content Strategy · Organic & Paid Social · Video Content Production · Editorial Planning · Creative Direction · New Location Launch Campaigns · Event Launch & Coverage · National Press Amplification · Destination Audience Strategy · Menu & Service Launch Campaigns · Contest Management · Competitive Analysis & Ongoing Market Monitoring