Matthew Leach | @MatthewLeach13 As a part time college server familiar with the restaurant business, I can attest to the issues that come with opening a new restaurant, one of which is building awareness and a network of regular customers. With so many types of cuisine and mainstream restaurants out there, it can be difficult for new local restaurants to break through the clutter.

S?R Steak + Spirits, an urban Dallas steakhouse sitting 27 stories high atop the Hilton Anatole hotel, faced similar matters this past month when trying to develop an online presence to promote their Grand Opening party on October 17.

During the party, 2 flat-screen TV’s were on site featuring S?R’s live Facebook and Twitter feeds for all to see. This kind of interactive promotion encouraged many to tweet about their experiences with the restaurant. As a result, more than 120,0000 twitter accounts were exposed to the S?R proclamations.

To further social media exposure and encourage personal endorsements, S?R promoted the hashtag #Yelp4SER accompanied by an exclusive event with S?R samples. Accordingly, guests would then write their very own personal review of the restaurant and their S?R experience via the online user review site. According to the Business Insider, 92% of people trust word of mouth recommendations above all other forms of advertising when making a purchase decision. And because Yelp is the most popular form of online reviews, it was imperative that S?R begin their business ventures with positive customer endorsements.

As a result of the #Yelp4SER hashtag promotion and event, more then 71,000 Twitter accounts were reached with a total of 50 customer tweets, all over the span of 17 hours. Most importantly, the event resulted in 19 Yelp reviews for the restaurant.

All in all, S?R comes out on top with a top of the line steakhouse complemented with a superb social media presence. It goes without saying that online customer interaction should be at the top of every business’ list when it comes to social media management.