When Nayaab Haandi came to us, their social media looked like every other Pakistani restaurant in Dubai.
Kitchen shots. Location videos. Food content that you swipe past without thinking.
But the real problem wasn’t the content. It was the positioning.
Key Takeaways:
- 8,500 → 20,200 followers in 9 months (11,700 organic growth)
- 150K+ views on first video using new content strategy
- 30k-50k average views per video (was <5K before)
- Best performing videos: 250K+ views, 50+ comments, multiple shares
- Restaurant now at full capacity with weekend waiting lists
- 15 months partnership – client extended beyond initial 3-month contract
The Restaurant Brand Repositioning Problem
Ten years ago, Nayaab Haandi was perceived as an affordable, low-cost Pakistani restaurant.
That positioning worked then.
But the business had evolved. Three Dubai locations. Higher quality ingredients. Premium pricing.
A completely different operation than a decade ago.
The problem: their social media still reflected the old positioning.
When the team at Nayaab Haandi approached Donut Media, their primary goal wasn’t “get more followers” or “go viral.”
It was: make our social media reflect who we are now.
The Complete Content Strategy for Repositioning
Most agencies would’ve heard “we need better content” and started shooting prettier food photos.
We heard “we need to change perception” and built a complete repositioning strategy across every aspect of the social media presence.
Photography: Shooting Pakistani Food Like a Café Shoots Coffee
Most Pakistani restaurants make their food look vibrant and loud. Bright colors, heavy editing, food isolated on a plate.
We took a completely different approach.
We added textures and shadows to every shot. We photographed Pakistani food the way specialty cafés photograph coffee – moody, atmospheric, layered.
More importantly, we shot food as part of the location, not just the product.
The focus wasn’t “here’s a plate of Karahi.” The focus was “here’s the experience of being at Nayaab Haandi.” Food became a component of the ambiance, not the entire story.
This shift communicated something critical: we’re not just selling you dinner. We’re selling you an experience worth the price.
Pricing: Making It a Feature, Not Something to Hide
Here’s where most restaurants get repositioning wrong: they raise prices but hide them. They hope customers won’t notice until they’re already interested.
We did the opposite.
We integrated pricing directly into the images – creatively, prominently, impossible to miss.
This had two effects:
1. It filtered the audience. People looking for cheap eats scrolled past. People willing to pay for quality stopped and engaged.
2. It sparked conversation. Some people argued about the prices in the comments. That debate drove engagement, which drove reach, which drove virality.
Menu Curation: Featuring What Reflects the Brand, Not Just What’s Popular
Biryani is a crowd favorite at Pakistani restaurants. It sells. But it’s also typically lower-priced.
We made a deliberate decision to feature less Biryani, more Handi and Karahi – Nayaab Haandi’s signature dishes. Higher-priced and more representative of what the restaurant actually does best.
The goal was to lead with what justifies the positioning.
Storytelling: The Voice That Brought It Together
During our first meeting with the client, they mentioned a constraint: “We’d prefer no music or faces in the content. It’s part of our values.”
Most agencies would see that as a limitation. No influencers.
No trendy audio. No person talking to camera.
And then we met Mr. Usama, the operations manager.
He’d been with Nayaab Haandi for over 10 years. His voice – calm, poetic, grounded – became the narration for our content.
He spoke about the food, the tradition, the craft. Not in a salesy way. In a storytelling way that reinforced everything else we were doing visually.
The narration added an authenticity layer that complemented the repositioned visuals and pricing strategy.
Operations: Professional Social Media Page Management
Repositioning isn’t just about what you post. It’s about how you show up.
We were consistent and thorough in replying to customer inquiries. We managed the page professionally – no slow responses, no ignored DMs, no sloppy engagement.
Captions? We kept them minimal. Captions don’t drive much engagement on Instagram anymore. But how you interact with your audience in comments and DMs? That matters.
This complete overhaul – photography, pricing, menu curation, storytelling, operations – is what repositioning actually looks like.
Why Organic Content Worked: 11,700 Followers in 9 Months
Here’s what most restaurants get wrong about Instagram growth: they chase vanity metrics.
More followers. More views. More likes.
We optimized for engagement that actually matters: comments and shares.
When someone comments on your post, they’re engaged.
When someone shares your content, they’re telling their network “this is worth watching.”
Views follow when you get comments and shares right.
The proof:
Before working with us, Nayaab Haandi’s videos averaged under 5,000 views. Generic content that looked like every other Pakistani restaurant’s feed.
We launched the new content strategy. The first video hit 150K+ views with over 100 comments.
That wasn’t luck. That was validation that the repositioning strategy worked.
Since then, videos consistently get 30-50k views.
The best-performing ones hit 250K+ views with 50+ comments and multiple shares.
The growth numbers:
- Started: 8,500 followers
- 9 months later: 20,200 followers
- Total organic growth: 11,700 followers
In 9 months, we created approximately 70 videos and 100 images using this repositioning strategy. Consistent, strategic content that reinforced the new perception with every post.
Most restaurants can’t sustain organic growth like this. They hit a plateau, then pour money into ads to keep growing.
Nayaab Haandi grew because the content actually meant something.
It wasn’t just pretty food shots – it was a repositioned brand worth following.
Execution: What We Actually Did
- Café-style photography for Pakistani food (textures, shadows, atmospheric)
- Food shot as part of location/experience, not isolated product shots
- Pricing integrated creatively into images
- Curated menu focus: featured Handi and Karahi (signature dishes) over Biryani
Video Content:
- Store manager narration (10+ years with brand)
- Shot on location: b-roll + action shots
- Approximately 70 videos in 15 months
- Optimized for comments and shares, not just views
- 100% handled by Donut Media
- Professional, consistent DM and comment responses
- Strategic engagement to drive reach
- Instagram only (where target audience engages)
Content Volume:
- ~70 videos per year
- ~100 images per year
- Regular posting maintained for 15 months
This isn’t “post and hope.” This is complete repositioning executed through strategic content.
Results Beyond Social Media
Social media metrics matter, but business impact matters more.
Restaurant Performance:
- Now operating at full capacity
- Weekend waiting lists
- Business performing well (social plays a role, though exact attribution is complex)
Client Relationship:
- Started with 3-month contract
- Client extended partnership
- 15 months in and ongoing
The client is happy. The restaurant is busy. The social media reflects the brand that they’ve become.
3 Lessons for Restaurant Repositioning Through Content
1. Repositioning requires changing everything, not just one thing
Nayaab Haandi didn’t just get “better content.” We changed photography style, pricing presentation, menu curation, storytelling approach, and page management.
Most restaurants try to reposition by tweaking one element. That doesn’t work. Your audience needs to see the new positioning reinforced across every touchpoint.
If you’re repositioning, audit everything: What does your photography communicate? How do you present pricing? Which dishes do you feature? How does your team interact with customers online?
Change all of it or don’t bother.
2. Don’t hide what makes you different – especially pricing
Most restaurants raising prices try to downplay it. They bury pricing in menus, avoid mentioning it in content, and hope customers don’t notice until checkout.
We made pricing prominent. It sparked debate. Some people complained. That debate drove engagement and filtered the audience to people who valued what Nayaab Haandi offered.
If you’re repositioning to a higher price point, own it. Feature it. Let it filter your audience.
3. Organic growth is possible when content matches business reality
11,700 followers in 15 months with zero paid content promotion isn’t magic. It’s what happens when your social media actually reflects your brand positioning.
Most restaurants plateau because their content doesn’t mean anything. It’s generic, interchangeable, forgettable.
Nayaab Haandi grew organically because the content told a story that matched the business reality. People followed because the brand was worth following.
If your restaurant has outgrown its old perception and your social media hasn’t caught up yet, that’s exactly what we fix.
Talk to Donut Media about a repositioning strategy that actually works.
Read more about the Donut Media team, explore our 5-star client reviews, and watch a video on our clients’ experience with Donut Media.
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