Cheeks Tiki Bar & Grille
Social Media Management • Content Creation • Rebranding
Cheeks Tiki Bar & Grille is a waterfront restaurant located in Sunset Harbor Village in North Fort Myers, Florida. During my time with the business, I managed social media, created photo and video content, promoted events and entertainment, and helped support the restaurant’s rebranding efforts while also serving as a member of the management team.
Industry: Hospitality & Tourism
Role: Social Media Manager, Content Creator & FOH Manager
Timeline: January 2026 - June 2026
The Challenge
When new ownership took over Cheeks, the restaurant was looking to move away from a long-standing reputation as a biker bar and reposition itself as a welcoming waterfront destination within Sunset Harbor Village.
The challenge wasn’t simply promoting a restaurant – it was helping reshape how the community perceived it. At the same time, the marina was already home to several bars competing for attention through large live music events and entertainment.
Rather than competing for the same audience, I saw an opportunity to lean into what made Cheeks unique: its laid-back waterfront atmosphere. Through social media, content creation, and brand storytelling, the focus shifted toward showcasing the everyday experience of the restaurant – lunch by the water, sunset cocktails, live music, and a welcoming place for both locals and visitors to gather.
The goal was to help establish Cheeks Tiki Bar & Grille as more than just another bar in the marina, but as a destination with its own distinct personality and sense of community.
My Role
Social Media Management
• Managed Facebook and Instagram content for a waterfront restaurant and bar.
• Planned and promoted recurring events, live entertainment, specials, and seasonal campaigns.
• Created timely content that reflected daily operations, guest experiences, and business priorities
• Adapted content strategies in real time to support changing business needs and opportunities.
Content Creation
• Produced photography, video, reels, and promotional graphics.
• Wrote social media copy tailored to the restaurant’s evolving brand voice.
• Captured food, beverage, entertainment, and waterfront lifestyle content.
Brand Development
• Supported the transition from a long-standing bar identity to a more welcoming waterfront restaurant experience.
• Helped establish a distinct voice and online presence within a competitive marina environment.
• Focused content around community, atmosphere, and the overall guest experience.
Hospitality Operations
• Balanced social media management with front-of-houser leadership responsibilities in a fast-paced waterfront restaurant.
• Assisted with ordering, vendor coordination, and daily operational needs.
• Coordinated entertainment bookings and promoted weekly and monthly events through digital channels.
• Maintained strong relationships with guests, entertainers, vendors, and community members.
• Helped ensure operational priorities and social media efforts worked together to support overall business goals.
Photography
Photography played a key role in showcasing the waterfront atmosphere, food, beverages, live entertainment, and guest experience.
Reels & Video
Short-form video content was used to highlight the overall guest experience of visiting Cheeks, from waterfront dining and sunsets to cocktails, food, and entertainment.
Sunday Reset
Highlighting the relaxed waterfront atmosphere, brunch cocktails, and the experience of spending a Sunday morning by the water.
Lifestyle-focused content designed to showcase the food, drinks, entertainment, and atmosphere that define the guest experience.
POV: You Needed This
Weekend Mode ON
An early example of the lifestyle-focused content strategy used to showcase the food, drinks, and atmosphere that set Cheeks apart.
Event & Promotional
Graphics
Beyond photography and video, promotional graphics were created to support weekly specials, entertainment, seasonal campaigns, and community events. While maintaining a consistent visual identity, each graphic was adapted to fit the specific promotion, audience, and occasion.
Impact
One of the most rewarding aspects of this project was helping tell the story of a business that meant so much to its guests and community. Through social media management, photography, video content, promotional graphics, and event marketing, I helped create a consistent brand presence that reflected the laid-back waterfront experience the restaurant was working to establish.
By focusing on atmosphere, community, entertainment, and hospitality, the content gave guests a reason to stay connected and helped reinforce what made Cheeks a destination within Sunset Harbor Village.
This project reinforced the value of combining hospitality experience with content creation—using storytelling, community, and brand consistency to create content that feels authentic to both the business and its guests.