Pierre and Fanny Augé: the recipe for success

I do not watch much television and when I was approached by a chef who owned a restaurant in Béziers, I did not recognize the well-known Pierre Augé, the TopChef winner of 2014 and the Choc des Champions winner for three consecutive years. I made up for my lack of knowledge by cheering for him a few months later during the Clash of Champions 2016 while watching at home. Actually, it was his wife Fanny who reached out to me via email to review his online communication.

I then looked into the work done on social media and their website. To be honest, I was amazed by the quality of their efforts. Fanny is self-taught; she realized quite early that the restaurant needed social media and the Internet to boost its presence and maintain the fame gained from the TV show. So she began entirely on her own.

We also needed to change the image that the media and television quickly assigned to the restaurant, which was that of a very pricey spot where you must reserve a table months in advance. In truth, it is the exact opposite of Pierre Augé’s approach. His aim is to please, offering bistronomic, affordable, and generous cuisine. The spontaneity and inventiveness of the Chef, which you saw in the show, is reflected in the dishes.

After spending a few days in my office, I got the chance to visit Maison de Petit Pierre, their restaurant, to work more closely, give my suggestions, and implement them. Pierre and Fanny are both genuine, friendly, and very modest people. It was an intense yet enjoyable two days. and I bet you are curious: yes, I dined at the restaurant and indeed, it was incredibly tasty. Pierre Augé knows how to amaze you with ingredients or recipes that you think you are familiar with!

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Finding Fanny Augé’s story intriguing, I suggested she take part in an interview to share her journey and her view on social media. If you are new to online communication, you might gain insights from their story.

Stéphane Torregrosa: Hi Fanny, we had the chance to collaborate earlier this year on the restaurant’s online strategy and I recall being impressed by the quality of the ongoing work. Can you briefly share your background?

Fanny Augè: I spent 10 years in human resources and in 2010, Pierre and I chose to purchase his parents’ restaurant. We have been enjoying a wonderful and wild adventure for 6 years!

ST: When you made the choice to join social media, did you have any basic skills in community management? Were you familiar with terms like web marketing, content marketing, and other complex concepts?
FA: I learned about social media on my own, and I wasn’t very familiar with these jobs. When we first started our company, a friend of mine, who prints for us, handled our visual communication. He designed our logo, business card, menus, and basically all the printed materials. Collaborating with him really inspired me to keep improving our communication, not just stick with what had already been created. My friend taught me some basic ideas about communication, and I quickly became engaged in this journey that has captivated me for 6 years.

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ST: You immediately understood the advantage of having well-made communication, a recognizable graphic card. You’ve even surrounded yourself with skilled people like graphic designers, bloggers, and a photographer. Was it a priority for you? For what purpose did you want to launch all these projects?

FA: At first I worked with my printer for big events such as parties, Valentine’s Day or the Féria of Béziers. A photographer accompanied us because I immediately understood the importance of photography in catering. There’s nothing like a beautiful photo of a well-presented dish to whet the appetite. Then I took my photos with my cell phone, my colleagues did the same and I had to stand out.

So, 2 years ago, I integrated Pinterest into our communication, combining it with applications to create small montages, add titles, logos, etc. This is also a practice that has become very widespread today, so since September 2015 I have surrounded myself with a graphic designer – photographer to take everyday photos and another photographer who takes videos and photos of Pierre’s dishes. They are young and passionate people about Biterrois who follow me in my ideas and disappointments. I really want to have an identity, an image that resembles us, to convey our values, our ideas and our passion through our communication. I’m always up to date with the latest trends!

We recently added a blog to our site. She is a blogger who deals with it (to each their own job!) with whom we share many things and she trains me on new methods and techniques. I love learning, I’m curious and ultimately communication fascinates me! The world of bloggers was unknown to me but through Instagram I discovered this community and the impact they have. The blog contributes to our image, sharing and exchange with our customers,…

In April 2015 I organized a blogger day, I loved it! We will start again in September with a workshop concept around Pierre’s book.

ST: Your way of approaching community management was ultimately very intuitive, very natural and very successful. Do you think that naturalness and authenticity are important values ​​on social networks?

FA: Yes, you have to be natural, have a line and not go in all directions, have personality, an identity and do it with pleasure. We share our daily life, information, addresses, advice with our community, I really think it should be done from the heart!

ST: How much time per week do you dedicate to community management?

FA: I plan my posts in advance but change often depending on restaurant news, a review or a spontaneous idea. I also spend a lot of time brainstorming ideas and responding to any negative or positive comments, saying thank you on social media, and engaging in dialogue.

ST: Obviously, the TV show TopChef and the subsequent victories of chef Pierre Augé ensured great visibility for the restaurant and this naturally continued on social networks. If television fame tends to be fleeting, what role do social networks play in the restaurant’s visibility?

FA: TopChef is truly ephemeral. Candidates follow one another year after year and we tend to forget them little by little. Nonetheless it has allowed us to attract a large community on social networks, television at the moment gives an incredible boost.

The subsequent editions of the Choc des Champions allowed Pierre to obtain real recognition from the public. But he maintains this notoriety, gives a good image, does not make controversies, has an open dialogue with those who comment negatively on the restaurant. In short, we need intelligent, simple and generous communication.

ST: How do you distribute your efforts today, between blogs and social networks? What benefit do you get from it?

FA: It requires a lot of effort, time and imagination because good ideas always get adopted. We must try to be innovative, constantly!

The benefit of all this work is that I make people want to come to my restaurant, it attracts new customers and they tell me!