How Alasoop Uses MailChimp to Help Local Restaurants

MailChimp is an e-mail marketing service provider that makes managing e-mail campaigns very simple. Where services like Constant Contact charge a flat monthly fee that increases with the size of your mailing list, MailChimp charges a very low fee per e-mail sent.

On MailChimp’s site there is a great case study about how Webstellung (a small communications business) in Paris is using MailChimp’s e-mail marketing tools to help local restaurants market themselves.

They created a service whereby they get lunchtime restaurant patrons to sign up to receive via e-mail the daily menus of local restaurants who provide a high-quality but reasonably priced lunch. The service (branded " Alasoop", a tongue-in- cheek phonetic rendition of French for "Dinner's on the table") helps office workers find out about restaurants they may not have tried and let’s them know what’s on special today. It also helps restaurants – none of which have anything like an advertising budget -- find new customers, and to fill their restaurants every lunchtime.

Apparently the restaurants currently piloting the service are receiving increased business and increased repeat business. There is a coupon program built in to the e-mails to provide a little incentive, and it seems there is very little unsubscribing in the mailing lists.

You can read the full case study here on
MailChimp’s site.