We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeremy Krauze. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeremy below.

Jeremy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I’ve always been a highly visual and creative person. From audio engineering and music production to photography and graphic design. As a kid, I made flyers for bands and photographed them live or in studios. Those always were just hand in hand for me. All these live shows had me in restaurants and bars at a young age because those were the only places that really held shows in my town growing up. When I got older I went to school for audio engineering and music production, I worked in studios with record producers and worked in restaurants and bars for extra cash. Aside from studio jobs, serving and bartending, I also have done marketing, photography and brand buildouts for other businesses. I’ve always been obsessed with aesthetics and the feelings and vibes they incite. I remember holding my favorite records as a kid growing up and how the album art and layout would make me feel. I just love the feeling of building out a brand, concept or “era” of something. Smells, sights and sounds are the narration and soundtrack of our lives. All of our memories are made to songs, the visuals around us, and the nostalgic smells of our favorite foods. It just felt right when the opportunity finally presented itself for me to open my own restaurant and bar. To full buildout a brand that is my own. 15 years of working in the service industry, photography and branding all led to this. I shopped buildings for about 4 years until landing on what is now Society. Being a veteran in the industry, the actual workings of pulling Society together was pretty easy for me. That and of course being surrounded by an incredibly talented crew. Together greater than the sum of our parts.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Jeremy Krauze. I am a photographer and owner of Society Sandwich Bar & Social Club.

We are a two floor, full service, chef driven restaurant and bar specializing in creative gourmet sandwiches, unique ramen bowls, and refreshing cocktails. We are a hometown, home grown Greenville business. We’re proud to be a local restaurant waving a flag of how wonderful our city is and the culinary growth Greenville is experiencing. We are heavily involved in our community and love that our business gives us the ability to pour back into our city.

How did you build your audience on social media?

As a photographer, and years of experience in previously marketing for other companies, social media comes fairly easy for me. It’s a muscle I’ve exercised and continue to exercise daily. That would be my main advice. Be active and practice the act of posting on your feed, your stories etc daily. Consistency is key. I’m always a firm believer in engaging with your audience. You can’t expect them to engage with you if you’re not engaging with them. It’s a two way street. Take an hour a day to scroll through, like posts, comments and open conversations and new friendships. I’ve always joked Society is “the most social social media account” haha. We reshare guests posts when they tag us and actively make an effort to be connected to the community.

If you’re not a photographer and that kind of thing intimidates you, I’d recommend hiring someone to capture photos and videos for you. Your branding is just as important as the service you’re providing. It’s the first look potential customers get see and the first impression made on your quality.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Heavy emphasis on our branding. Before I opened the doors to Society I had a ton of people already wearing Society hats and shirts. We had merch in the public eye before we ever sold our first sandwich. Good branding shows a sense of quality in your product or service before they even come to you. I think it’s so important to pour effort and love into your brand. Not enough people put that effort in, so when you do, you’ll stand out immediately.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.societygvl.com
• Instagram: @societygvl
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/societygvl

Image Credits
Jeremy Krauze