How this fine dining restaurant became one of Zurich’s top spots in just 6 months

Tucked in the basement of a former brewery silo, modern fine dining restaurant Elmira offers more than just a dinner. It’s an unforgettable multi-course dining experience.

“With our restaurant, we pursue a completely unique and innovative approach: Our guests pay the full menu price when making a reservation. In return, they leave the restaurant as if they just had a nice evening with friends — without paying, but with a warm farewell,” says co-founder Loïc Mesqui.

Guests have the choice between a plant-based or animal-based menu, and throughout the evening they receive five to seven courses plus an amuse-bouche, a bread course, and other surprises guided by their preferences.

Creating a high-quality dining experience like this one isn’t easy. The team knew that opening a restaurant like this one was a huge risk. Almost one-fifth of all restaurants and bars in Switzerland closed permanently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to hospitality organization Gastrosuisse. “Zurich has over 1,600 restaurant listings on Tripadvisor. The density of restaurants is gigantic and innovative concepts are not rare. In other words, nobody was waiting for us,” says Mesqui. “As a founding team, we quickly agreed that we had to massively increase our visibility on various channels.”

That’s why they partnered with Tripadvisor.

Getting discovered by travelers and locals with Tripadvisor Ads

The entire team at Elmira had their work cut out for them after they opened. It’s hard enough for any restaurant to stand out, but their innovative concept meant they had to convince customers to pay up front, too.

“After a grand opening, you are nothing,” says Mesqui. “Visibility must be there, quality must be consistently high, and perseverance must be present. It also takes a bit of luck.”

Think of Tripadvisor as their “little bit of luck.” They purchased Tripadvisor Ads right away in order to boost visibility for travelers and locals in Switzerland. In just six months, they’ve received:

This, alongside a robust PR and influencer campaign, helped draw diners into the restaurant. “We soon realized that, unlike social media, Tripadvisor is publicly accessible and can reach many people, both tourists and locals,” says Mesqui. “We opted for Tripadvisor Ads, which allowed us to appear on the first page within a day. We felt this effect immediately.”

Standing out from a crowded fine dining market with Tripadvisor Premium

Once diners are interested in Elmira, they can get a sneak peek of the experience through their Tripadvisor profile. With Premium features like multimedia Storyboard, pinned Favorite Review, and Top 3 Reasons to Eat Here, the Elmira team can show off exactly what makes dining there so special.

Since activating Premium just six months ago, they’ve seen:

“As a restaurant owner, there are many features available,” says Mesqui. “Tripadvisor specializes in restaurant businesses. We decided to use the Premium subscription to enable additional differentiation from our competitors.”

Rising to the top dining spot in Zurich in just six months

The Elmira team knew they were creating something special with their restaurant. Once they got diners through the door, they consistently raved about their experience. “Thanks to the excellent work of our restaurant team and the satisfied and benevolent guests, the number of outstanding reviews with photo uploads and detailed feedback increased,” says Mesqui. “Months passed, and our ranking steadily improved until we finally reached the top spot in Zurich.”

Online word-of-mouth moves quickly. They saw results immediately after opening in October 2022, jumping quickly to almost 2,500 monthly page views by combining Tripadvisor Ads and Premium. Now, this top spot boasts a five-bubble rating and almost 100 reviews in just six months. As of this publication, Elmira is the #1 place to eat in Zurich, an impressive accomplishment.

Property page visits over the last 12 months

So far, they’ve received:

“Today, we have a regular customer base thanks to our placement and visibility on Tripadvisor,” says Mesqui. “We are proud to hold the top spot in Zurich. We regularly check our reviews, respond to feedback, and hope to remain at the top for a long time.”