An oh-so-sweet reinvention
Like the rest of Spain, the small village of Garayoa, in the Pyrenees of Navarre, has been affected by the pandemic. However, despite the hardships, this town had an extremely sweet quarantine thanks to one resident, Maite, owner of Bar Ibarraetxea.
Like many other restaurants and bars, Maite’s bar had to close at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. Instead of waiting for the chance to reopen, Maite decided to get to work and transform this crisis into an opportunity for renewal by setting up a home delivery service for cakes. To let people know of her new offering, she started to publicise it on social media and, to increase its visibility, made a post on her Google Business Profile, via which she managed to bring sweet dreams to over 80 homes in the region.
Maite acknowledges that it was not easy to adapt to the new situation, but that thanks to digital technology and the support of her neighbours and suppliers, she has moved ahead: “It is really tough, but this land captures you and its people rally to help each other out: suppliers who make an extra effort to bring us ingredients, neighbours who bring us fresh eggs from their hens, grandmothers who give us boxes of pastries, cheeses and chorizos… during these difficult times when everything has changed, technology has given us the ability to work and bring a smile to people’s faces with our cakes.”
It’s not the first time that Maite has been assisted by technology. In 2012 when she made the decision to return to her hometown to buy the bar, she realised she needed a push to get the word out about her business: “We needed to improve our presence on the internet. Social media brought us to friends and neighbours and acquaintances, but it just wasn’t enough.”
And that is when she started to update her business information on Google Business Profile, adding new images of her bar and asking her customers to post their reviews. In a short period of time and with this bit of extra effort, she managed to double her turnover.
Now that her restaurant is open to the public again, she has added a few innovations, like a takeaway menu and new dishes. Keeping her Google Business Profile up-to-date represents a quick and easy way to communicate with her customers.
Maite’s story is definitely synonymous with reinvention. During these times of change, she is sure about one thing: technology is the best ally. Google Business Profile is a free of charge tool that lets businesses improve their company’s digital presence, promote interactions with customers and increase users’ trust.