Housed in a beautiful historic mill complex, NextDoor Restaurant serves upscale and casual seasonal cuisine. Fresh ingredients from the vast landscape at its doorstep combine with the cultural diversity that Canada has to offer.

The emphasis on creating a memorable in-person dining experience proved a challenge for this Markham-based business when the pandemic began. Owner Jason Goodis and General Manager David Sikora knew they had to take a different approach, but always found it expensive to reach potential clients through digital marketing.

They qualified for a Digital Transformation Grant and worked with their local DMS Digital Service Squad to find the most cost-effective way forward.

To date, this has included social media contests, offering incentives for newsletter signup as part of a more consistent email marketing and loyalty program, and being more active on social media. All of this is being supported by new photography and video, which have also been used to revamp the website.

Jason and David are also investing in other website improvements to branch out into online merchandise and grocery sales.

“As we continue to navigate the pandemic, our efforts to adjust and align our positioning to better serve our community and clientele has been unwavering,” they said. “With the help of DMS and OBIAA, we are able to continue to explore better ways to reach new and existing clients. Without this assistance, is hard to see where our social outreach and our business overall would be today.”

 

 


The Digital Main Street program has been further extended through funding from FedDev Ontario and the Ontario Ministry for Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade (MEDJCT). The new round of funding includes $42.5 million from the Government of Canada’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, a national recovery initiative delivered by Canada’s regional development agencies. With $7.45 million from Ontario, this combined federal and provincial project will strengthen Ontario’s economic capacity for innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration, and will promote the development of a strong and diversified Ontario economy. For more information, please visit digitalmainstreet.ca/ontariogrants


 

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