Key Takeaways
- Simply Fish grew overall sales by roughly 25% over 18 months by shifting spend away from discounts and toward first-party data, personalization and owner-led storytelling.
- Capturing guest data through QR codes, digital menus and loyalty actions gave the restaurant a unified customer view that turned every visit into repeat, measurable revenue.
After more than 17 years in the restaurant industry, Simply Fish Seafood Owner Derek Taguchi had heard countless marketing pitches centered on discounts, coupons, and giveaways.
While those tactics could drive short-term traffic, they didn’t build long-term customer relationships or help him understand what was actually bringing people through the door. Simply Fish Seafood is an independent, full-service seafood restaurant in Costa Mesa, CA, founded by Taguchi who is an avid deep-sea fisherman.
As the restaurant entered a seasonal slowdown, Taguchi wanted a more sustainable way to grow the business that is committed to delivering fresh, high-quality seafood, exceptional hospitality, and an affordable dining experience that keeps guests coming back without sacrificing margins.
Why Simply Fish Needed a Better Way to Grow Revenue During Seasonal Slowdowns
Simply Fish Seafood and Taguchi contacted the services of Dishio, an artificial intelligence (AI) growth engine for restaurants. The platform captures guest data across QR codes, digital menus, micro sites, POS systems, reservations, and loyalty actions to create a unified view of the customer.
Dishio then activates that data through automated follow-up flows, retargeting, and AI-generated creative to allow restaurant operators to turn every guest visit into measurable, repeat revenue. It was built from the expertise accumulated over a decade of running Dineline, a restaurant marketing agency that has driven growth across 2,500 concepts.
What Dishio Does for Restaurants Looking to Turn Guest Data Into Growth
Dishio’s strategy for Simply Fish Seafood focused on shifting marketing away from discounts and promotions toward showcasing the restaurant’s unique offerings. This included live entertainment and the overall atmosphere to give guests reasons to visit beyond the food. A center piece to this was creating and boosting authentic, owner-led video content featuring Derek’s fishing background, seafood expertise, and behind-the-scenes stories.
The campaign introduced QR code experiences, including a “secret menu,” to engage guests and capture first-party customer data, and use that in retention marketing efforts. This information allowed them to deliver automated and personalized marketing messages based on customer data using AI to increase the likelihood of conversion.
Finally, they used campaign and customer analytics to identify which marketing efforts were driving visits and revenue, then continuously refined campaigns based on performance.
The Results
Simply Fish began seeing measurable improvements within approximately 30 days of launching the program and over the first 18 months, the restaurant grew overall sales by roughly 25%, while continuing to outperform previous years even during seasonal slowdowns.
“What I appreciate most is that the growth didn’t come from discounting or giving away food,” said Taguchi. “It came from understanding our customers better, including what marketing activity was driving people to the restaurant, and helping us tell our story.”
Simply Fish Seafood gained confidence that marketing investments were creating measurable business growth rather than simply generating impressions. Guests have regularly mentioned discovering the restaurant through its videos and online content.
“I kind of joke that I’m a celebrity now because of all the videos,” said Taguchi. “People come in and say, ‘Hey, you’re the owner.’ I ask how they know that, and they tell me, ‘We saw you on a reel.’ I talk about fishing, preparing fish, and what we’ve built here. Those are the things that are bringing people in – not because we’re giving something away, but because of our atmosphere and what we do.”
