Social Media Spotlight: California Pizza Kitchen

I am most definitely a little bit biased since California Pizza Kitchen is pretty much my favorite restaurant ever. That being said, I follow them on just about every social media site and get their emails and in my opinion they are definitely doing it right.
First of all, they are consistent. They keep their Facebook, website, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram very up to date with multiple posts and interactions with customers every day.
If you scroll through their Instagram you will not only see beautiful picture of some of their classic dishes as well as new and seasonal ones, but also picture of the CEO cheering on his favorite sports team and employees helping out in the community. A month or so back they had a couple of new seasonal pizzas so they started a contest/campaign with the hashtag #BacktotheEarth. Followers on Instagram and Twitter were to take pictures "inspired by nature and fresh,earhty ingredients" and everyday a handful of favorites were picked out and given $20 gift cards. A great way to use social media as a tool to spread the word and get customers feeling connected with a brand they already love.
On their Tumblr they share their Instagram photos as well as other photos with little stories. For example, the boy who had a server make him a pizza to ask his date to prom because, as CPK puts it "After all, pizza is the (lesser-known) way to a girl’s heart." Or the couple that met working at a CPK in Virignia and had all their wedding catered by CPK, complete with friends they also met while working there as servers and the DJ.
If you scroll through their Twitter feed there are tweets about new things happening with the restaurant as well as countless replies to followers.
This is how social media should be done. It can be hard for companies to find a strategy to their social media but California Pizza Kitchen has found their balance between informing their customers and interacting with them.

They are doing such a good job that I have even found it in my heart to forgive them for taking the Garlic Chicken Pizza off the menu. But I did vote for them to bring it back on their survey, so my fingers are crossed!

photo courtesty of facebook.com/californiapizzakitchen

Check them out on all of their sites:

http://www.cpk.com/

https://www.facebook.com/californiapizzakitchen
https://twitter.com/calpizzakitchen
http://californiapizzakitchen.tumblr.com/