‘Let people know that we are here’: Latin Restaurant Weeks to help Atlanta’s Latin-owned restaurants

ATLANTA — Every successful restaurant has to have great chefs who create great dishes, but you also need to create a buzz.

“The challenge has been to let people know that we are here.” Lorenzo Masini said.

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Masini is the general manager of Buena Vida Tapas & Sol on North Angier Avenue in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. It first opened in late 2019, just weeks before the pandemic lockdown. The last 4 years have not come easy. That has been the case for much of the restaurant industry. Some places have gone out of business, and others are barely hanging on. This has been particularly true for Atlanta’s Latin restaurants.

“A lot of business owners focus on trying to do everything at once, but they tend to forget that ‘marketing’ is integral to their business. But not only is it important and vital, it’s also very expensive. That’s where we come in,” Karinn Chavarria-Luckett said.

Chavarria-Luckett is the co-founder of Latin Restaurant Weeks. They work to promote the city’s Latin-owned eateries. They just launched a free advertising and social media blitz to spread the word about local Latin restaurants.

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Masini says that is the buzz they need. “Even if you can reach a few people through marketing--when they come in and eat and have a great experience—they’re going to tell their friends. There will be word of mouth, and the restaurant gets known,” Masini said.

The two-week event started on Nov. 3 and ends Friday, Nov. 17.

Latin Restaurant Weeks’ goal is to increase foot traffic in local Latin restaurants by as much as 30% over the next few weeks.

For a list of participating restaurants, click here.

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