So the other day I was over at the Chase Bank Tower for lunch. The building hides a nice little cafeteria-style eatery on the second floor packed with the business crowd. Why? Well, 90% of the traffic bee-lines it for the make-your-own-salad section.

Behind those little sneeze-guards rest over 40 fresh toppings and about 500 tiny bowls you can fill with your own personalized mix. Hand it to the chefs, and they make your salad right before your eyes. It's glorious. But back to the point. I had just wandered in the front door when it caught my eye.

The sign read: Email Your Salad. 

Now maybe this just makes me a dork (does anyone still say that?), but a sign like that catches the eye of an email marketer like me.

Email Your Salad. I read it again, peering closer I read the fine print while I stood in line for my hard-boiled eggs, grapes, and breadsticks. And don't make fun of my lunch. I was in a hurry, ok?

Anyway, the sign promoted a new program that allowed people to email their customized salad ahead of time and have it ready and waiting for pick-up. Talk about convenience. And chances are, the reply emails contained an opt-in for regular communications. Talk about list growth.

I haven't taken advantage of the program yet, but it's a clever idea. A nice mix of advertising and efficiency. Done well, just imagine the opportunities behind such a program. Not only would the restaurant staff know which people love salad. They'd know exactly what toppings they like on their salad. Marketers start drooling over rich data like that. 

Or maybe it's just me?

Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate