Case Study — Social Media Management
Hapa & Motomaki: Back on the Menu
How OCN Eats rebuilt Hapa and Motomaki's social presence from the ground up and turned followers into full tables.
5,000+
new followers across platforms
All-Time High
revenue reported since returning
2+ Years
retained continuously since day one
Client
Hapa Sushi & Motomaki
Industry
Restaurant & Hospitality
Services
OCN Eats Social Media Management
Client Background
Hapa and Motomaki are sister restaurant concepts based in the Denver Metro area. Hapa is a full-service sushi restaurant and bar with multiple locations, known for high-quality sushi, creative naming, and a strong cocktail program. Motomaki is the fast-casual counterpart, offering sushi bowls and burritos, and currently operates two locations.
Client goals
- Increase social media presence and visibility.
- Grow revenue and customer base.
- Rebuild name recognition in the Denver Metro market.
The Challenge
Hapa and Motomaki had worked with OCN Eats for over 5 years but left the partnership due to budget constraints, relying solely on their own Facebook page and limited local exposure. During that gap, they experienced a noticeable decline in traffic and sales, prompting them to return for full-service social media management.
Key challenges
- Declining name recognition and slowing sales.
- Limited social media presence — Facebook-only, with no dedicated strategy.
- No pre-return sales data available to quantify the decline.
- Motomaki's footprint had already shrunk from more locations to two.
Business impact
Without a consistent social media presence, both restaurants saw slower foot traffic and softening revenue. While exact figures from the gap period weren’t tracked, the client was clear that the absence of a strong social strategy was felt directly in day-to-day business performance.
Our Approach
OCN Eats built a full social media management program across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, layering in hyperlocal “Now” page placements (Denver Now and Boulder Now for Hapa; Boulder Now and Lakewood Now for Motomaki) to target audiences near each specific location and rebuild reach from the ground up.
What we did
- Managed Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for both restaurants.
- Ran frequent content shoots, scheduled or approved directly with the client.
- Used location-specific "Now" pages to expand reach in each restaurant's market.
- Built a consistent, predictable posting schedule balancing structure with creativity.
- Collaborated with the client's internal team to feature specials, promote events, and launch new menu items.
- Managed all direct message responses from followers on the client's behalf.
The Results
Since returning to full-service management, Hapa and Motomaki have seen a strong rebound in social presence and engagement. Instagram activity was reignited, and TikTok was launched from scratch, growing combined followers by more than 5,000. The client has reported that revenue is now stronger than ever, even though exact figures aren’t shared externally.
The outcomes
- Over 5,000 new followers gained across platforms.
- TikTok presence built from the ground up.
- Revenue reportedly at an all-time high, per client feedback.
- Follower growth directly correlated with sales growth, particularly at Hapa Sushi.
- Client retained continuously for 2+ years since returning.
Why This Strategy Worked
By combining consistent, high-quality content with hyperlocal targeting through the “Now” network, OCN Eats gave Hapa and Motomaki both broad brand visibility and neighborhood-level relevance.
Taking full ownership of social media, including follower DMs, freed the client to focus on running their restaurants, while the steady cadence of content rebuilt the recognition and momentum they’d lost during their time away.
See Similar Results at OCN Eats
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