Invite-Only Influencer Luncheon
Influencer Marketing · Event Production · Email Marketing
CLIENT El Gallo Giro
ROLE Concept, Creator Outreach, Email Marketing & Event Production
LOCATION Huntington Park
DATE February 2025
An invite-only luncheon I pitched to get El Gallo Giro’s limited-edition Cuaresma menu in front of Los Angeles food creators without a paid campaign. No one was asked to post, but they filled the dining room, and their content reached 80K+ organic views.
100+
guests at an invite-only menu launch
40
Los Angeles food creators I personally invited
80K+
organic views from guest content
The Opportunity
Buzz Without a Budget
Competitors were showing up in local food creators’ feeds, and we weren’t. With little budget for paid influencer campaigns, we needed another way in.
The launch of our limited-edition Cuaresma menu was the moment. Instead of paying for posts, I pitched an invite-only luncheon to bring Los Angeles food creators and our most loyal customers to the table, show the menu to new audiences, and let the food earn the buzz.
What I Did
Building the Guest List
I built the room from two sides. For reach, I researched food creators and influencers across Los Angeles, from smaller local accounts to larger ones, and reached out to each one personally. For loyalty, I used Mailchimp segments to find our most engaged subscribers and sent them an exclusive email invite. I worked with our graphic designer and leadership on the invitation, built the Eventbrite page, and managed the guest list and RSVPs. I also partnered with two paid creators, writing their brief and handling their invoicing.
On the day, I coordinated with leadership and the Huntington Park store manager to keep everything running smoothly, checked guests in, and handed out VIP wristbands. Every guest got a free agua fresca and one dish of their choice from the Cuaresma menu, plus branded pins and pan dulce to take home.
The Results
Buzz We Didn’t Have to Buy
We filled the dining room that afternoon with a mix of creators and our most loyal customers. About 40 guests were creators, and only two were paid. The rest weren’t asked to post, but once one started filming, the others followed, and the room turned into creators mingling, tasting, and recording.
Guests shared 30+ Stories and 10+ Reels, reaching 80K+ organic views and putting the Cuaresma menu in front of their followers, not just ours.
@liftingiscake · 146K followers
@bestoflafood · 141K followers
@cafecitoconestrellita · 53K followers