Our Client
Grata Café, located in Carrboro, is built upon the principles of gratitude, love and inclusivity. The Italian-inspired café is a new addition to Carrboro and offers home-cooked-style courses, which are said to have been cooked with love. Customers can enjoy breakfast all day, as well as a selection of different Italian classics, from Caprese salads to creamy rigatoni.
The Problem
Grata Café has a spacious layout and is currently focused on organizing more group events. Student organizations, including clubs and Greek Life, represent a key audience for its event and catering services. Additionally, Grata Café aims to highlight its core values, such as inclusivity and fair wages for employees. One of its primary marketing objectives is to present a more personal and relatable brand image. To achieve this, Grata Café sought assistance from 1893 Brand Studio to develop content and marketing strategies tailored to college student groups.
Visual Content
Our Strategy
Since Grata Café aimed to attract groups and host events, it was essential to develop a targeted marketing strategy for UNC students and the broader Chapel Hill community.
To support this initiative, the Brand Studio directly engaged with student organizations to coordinate event planning. All public relations updates for Grata Café were also managed through the Brand Studio.
Another key objective was to make the business feel more relatable and personal. To achieve this, the Brand Studio produced short video reels featuring the Café’s staff for social media. These behind-the-scenes clips showcased food preparation, staff introductions, and menu highlights. One example was a wine introduction series, where staff members described different bottle options.
Beyond video content, the Brand Studio also captured high-quality images of the food and restaurant for social media use. By focusing on storytelling rather than just promotion, this approach fostered a stronger connection between the Café and its customers, building trust and engagement.
Outcome
Targeting college students in Grata Café’s advertising strategy has proven effective, given the numerous student-organized events at UNC, particularly those hosted by campus clubs. Since launching the campaign, the Brand Studio has successfully secured multiple events for the restaurant.
In addition to event coordination, the Brand Studio enhanced Grata Café’s social media presence by emphasizing the restaurant’s core values. Grata Café is known for its warm, family-like atmosphere, fostering an inclusive environment for both employees and customers.
By humanizing content through video reels, potential customers can familiarize themselves with the staff and the restaurant before visiting in person. One recent Instagram reel reached nearly 2,000 accounts—outperforming 90% of Grata Café’s other posts.
Additionally, high-quality images of the café have been captured to highlight its inviting and cozy ambiance. For the video reels, the Brand Studio focused on showcasing the staff and featuring some of the café’s signature drinks.
