Data Company Helped Colorado Restaurants Stay Connected to Patrons During Crazy, Isolating Times

During the first few months of the pandemic in 2020, data company PIN Business Network helped local restaurants by offering its services FREE for 90 days.

The last year was hard for businesses—specifically restaurants, which had been asked at the time to close their dining rooms and seating areas for a minimum of 30 days during the time of "social distancing."

But PIN Business Network, a data company based in Denver, Colorado, wanted to help keep local restaurants connected to the community.

empty restaurant

"The restaurants that are in your communities are suffering," said Joe Oltmann, CEO of PIN Business Network, when the pandemic first started. "I don't know of many restaurants or restaurant groups that have eight weeks of cash flow sitting around. And those restaurants that were lucky enough to have an order system already in place for takeout and to-go orders still had to find a way to put that message into the marketplace."

For 90 days, PIN had offered its unique advertising services to restaurants for FREE. This meant free access to all of the Our Community Now platforms and all the amazing reach and influence that came with being the largest social media environment in Colorado (over one million followers across the state).

A restaurant that is still offered takeout, delivery, and gift card purchases during those hard times could advertise its services through PIN's email platforms, text messages, YouTube channel, podcasts, Facebook pages, Instagram, Our Community Now news and events site, and more—all for free, simply because PIN wanted to be a part of supporting local businesses.

Watch Oltmann explain his offer to Colorado restaurateurs in more detail:

After the 90 days were up, each restaurant owner would have the opportunity to evaluate how PIN's services worked for them and whether they wanted to keep moving forward with the momentum PIN was able to build, under contract.

"We thought it was our obligation to put the tools and technology that some of the most successful restaurants in Colorado use and make them available for all restaurants," Oltmann said. "We use data and we use our environments to help restaurants thrive. This is our opportunity to support them, and we hope that by doing this, we can help them get through the next 90 days."