From Hidden Gem to Local Hotspot, Storytime Helped Foreigner Quadruple Local Reach

About Foreigner

Born from the idea that everyone’s a foreigner in New York, Foreigner started as a creative agency before evolving into one of Flatiron’s most beloved coffee shops. The founders wanted to build more than just a café; they wanted to create a space that feels like home to anyone chasing their dreams in the city.
With its minimalist design, warm energy, and perfectly balanced coffee menu, Foreigner quickly carved its niche in Manhattan’s competitive coffee scene using Storytime as its first outsourced influencer marketing tool.

In a City Full of Coffee Shops, How Do You Get Noticed?

Opening a coffee shop in New York is no easy feat, especially when every corner already has a café trying to do the same thing. For Foreigner, the biggest challenge wasn’t the product, but standing out and finding authentic voices to tell their story.
Before Storytime, the team handled influencer marketing in-house. Results were inconsistent, and it was difficult to find influencers who truly resonated with the brand’s identity and community spirit. Most of the outreach focused on food influencers, which limited their reach.

“I used to spend so much time searching for influencers and trying to plan good collaborations. After all that effort, maybe 20 came by since we opened, mostly food influencers, and very inconsistently. I had no real way to vet them or measure the impact they brought us.” Sophia said.

With Storytime, everything changed. The platform brought in a diverse mix of creators, not just food content creators, doubling the number of influencers visiting Foreigner and helping the café attract a wider, more authentic audience across New York.

From 20 influencers in 4 years to 40 per month

“Storytime didn’t just bring influencers, it brought real people turned into loyal customers.” The platform helped Foreigner attract a broader, more diverse audience beyond the usual coffee crowd, turning first-time visitors into regulars. As creators shared their experiences online, Foreigner’s visibility grew both on social media and in real life. The consistent flow of authentic content also gave the team a steady stream of high-quality photos and videos to repurpose across their own channels, which helped them strengthen their online presence and brand identity.

“We had 20 food influencers come in to create content since we first opened in 2021, and never saw them again.”

Foreigner now has a steady flow of 30-40 Storytime influencers visit them in-store every month for 6 months and post great, reusable content. Their social media engagement grew by 88% since they launched their Storytime campaign.