“For someone like me, whose background is in cooking, Chowly Digital Marketing is a game changer. It’s been transformative for our business, helping us stay top of mind and maintain consistent traffic—especially for restaurants where keeping relevant is key.”
Thomas Zippelli
Executive Chef/Owner at Green Ridge Hospitality
Numbers
The impact of adopting Chowly’s Off Premise Platform is evident in the following performance metrics:
100,000 additional visitors
driven to Green Ridge websites via Google Ads.
1.5 million unique impressions
for Salt & Vine’s brand Meta Ads awareness campaign, reaching over 250,000 unique new users.
< $2 per 1,000 people
reached in Salt & Vine's Meta ads, outperforming industry benchmarks of >$10 per 1,000 people.
27% increase
in weekday reservations at Salt & Vine
Introduction
Green Ridge Hospitality, a family-run business led by Thomas Zippelli, has been a Maryland dining staple for over seven years, known for exceptional food and engaging service. The group operates three beloved restaurants: The Turn House in Columbia, Salt & Vine in Olney and Maggie’s in Carroll County.
Located at Hobbits Glen Golf Course, The Turn House offers a refined American dining experience with locally sourced ingredients, featuring indoor and scenic outdoor seating, Happy Hour, Sunday Brunch, and live music.
Salt & Vine specializes in Italian cuisine with hand-crafted dishes, year-round heated patios, and intimate wine rooms, offering brunch, dinner, and private event spaces.
A Westminster favorite for 44 years, Maggie’s blends a cozy pub vibe with a redesigned deck and patio, featuring Happy Hour, live music, Saturday and Sunday Brunch, and a newly renovated event space for private gatherings.
“With Chowly Digital Marketing, Salt & Vine hit 250+ weekend reservations, while Maggie’s strategic ad spend kept it competitive at 5-7% of revenue. For The Turn House, targeted ads filled six private events in one day. Smart, data-driven campaigns have kept us on budget and thriving across all locations.”
Thomas Zippelli
Executive Chef/Owner at Green Ridge Hospitality
Challenges Faced
Green Ridge Hospitality, operating three distinct dining concepts, faced numerous challenges in managing marketing strategies across its diverse brands.
Each restaurant had unique customer bases, varying levels of brand recognition, and different market dynamics, requiring individualized marketing approaches. Resource constraints were another hurdle, as Thomas Zippelli, the owner, had deep culinary expertise but lacked the bandwidth and knowledge to handle complex digital marketing campaigns across multiple platforms. The group also needed a cohesive, scalable, and data-driven marketing strategy to align operations, ensure profitability, and optimize advertising spending.
From the outset, Zippelli bootstrapped his way through running the business, navigating limited resources and tight cash flow, relying on vendor terms and managing weekly payroll cycles with little money in the bank. Expansion added further complications, especially with Salt & Vine, where extensive renovations during the COVID-19 pandemic involved rebuilding the historic property, contending with rising material costs, and delays due to permit issues.
“I’m a very visual person, so in our weekly digital marketing calls, Chowly and I review the dashboard data. It makes the process super efficient—we can quickly assess everything, from campaign performance to email stats. Everyone sees the same data, which speeds up decision-making and keeps things running smoothly.”
Thomas Zippelli
Executive Chef/Owner at Green Ridge Hospitality
Solution
Green Ridge Hospitality partnered with Chowly Digital Marketing to streamline marketing and boost profitability across its three restaurant concepts: The Turn House, Salt & Vine, and Maggie’s. Leveraging Chowly’s real-time data tracking and tailored strategies, Green Ridge improved customer engagement and optimized advertising spend.
Salt & Vine, located in a high-income area, used a 2-3% advertising budget to maintain visibility among affluent clientele and drive reservations.
The Turn House, focused on private events, directed marketing efforts toward promoting event spaces, using seasonal strategies to ensure consistent bookings year-round.
Maggie’s, in a more modest-income area, allocated 5-7% of revenue to promotions and special events, attracting customers with price-conscious offers and frequent gatherings.
With Chowly’s off-premise help, Green Ridge Hospitality has aligned marketing with operational goals, turning each restaurant into a profitable, well-recognized brand in its respective market.
