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How the digital head at the burger restaurant is making sure customers are engaged with the brand and glad about it
Kitchen United, the ghost kitchen operator, started with the objective of meeting the changing needs of restaurants and their diners. Of course, they could not have predicted how fast these needs would change. The coronavirus pandemic has sped up consumers’ move to off-premise, but the company, and it’s CEO Jim Collins, are determined to help restaurants meet these needs, now and in the future. “One of the things we knew about consumer behavior coming into this was that consumers who tried getting food delivered at home, liked it and tended to adopt it and reuse it,” he said on NRN’s podcast Extra Serving. Now, many consumers must order delivery or takeaway as restaurants across the country have shut down dine-in operations due to social distancing guidelines. He predicts the adoption rate of online ordering and delivery will increase, and it’ll become normal behavior. But what about right now when restaurants are facing hardships and wondering if they’ll survive? It might not be the right time to overhaul your restaurant concept or join a ghost kitchen facility, but a few small changes can keep a business relevant, said Collins. He breaks them down like this: 1. Refine your menus: Right now, your customers are likely reading your menu on their phone, and your staff might be limited. Cut menu items accordingly. 2. Consider family meals: Kitchen United has seen an uptick in sales of larger portions. A hot and ready to serve meal plus a meal kit option for another day is an excellent way to go, said Collins. 3. Open your sales channels: This isn’t the time for exclusive partnerships with third-party marketplaces, like Grubhub or DoorDash. Make your restaurant findable. ...
Focus Brands is trying to bring more collaboration to their seven brands as part of a consumer engagement strategy. On September 3, the company announced the unification of their seven brands into two groups: specialty brands (including the “mall” brands like Auntie Anne’s, Jamba, Cinnabon and Carvel) and restaurant brands (including the company’s sandwich and fast-casual brands, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Schlotzsky’s), along with new presidents for both groups. But that isn’t the only strategy Focus is implementing to organize and cross-promote their brands. Chief commercial officer Dan Gertsacov sees plenty of opportunity to have these seven brands collaborate and play off of each other, like the newly announced “Mix it Up” Focus Brands gift cards which can be cashed in at any of the seven brands. There are plenty of other ways that the focus Brands have been working together more often recently. “We have some Cinnabons operating within a Scholotzsy’s and we have also worked with some of our storefronts like Jamba would be partnering with Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon,” Gertsacov said. “We find that these cross-brand or tri-brand concepts are great not only for college campuses but also for off-premise when people want to have multiple things they can order from.” From a franchisee perspective, having multiple brands in one storefront is beneficial too. Learn more about Focus Brands collaboration in the podcast below. ...
Bloomin’ Brand Inc. during the height of coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions made the decision to maintain its payrolls and not furlough or lay off workers amid the numerous lockdowns. David Deno, CEO of Tampa, Fla.-based Bloomin’ Brands, said the decision paid off in helping sales normalize when restaurant dining rooms were allowed to open some of their dining rooms. “When this first happened in mid-March, we wanted to do two things. One, we wanted to take care of our employees. And two, we wanted to serve great food in a safe environment — either in the restaurant or in peoples’ homes.” Because of state and local coronavirus restrictions, that soon became exclusively off-premise Bloomin’s brands, which include Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar and the newer stand-alone, drive-thru Aussie Grill by Outback. “We knew that if we could retain our people and pay them, even if they weren’t working, and not let them go, it would improve employee engagement [and] that would enable us to bring people back right away when the restaurants reopened,” Deno said. “We wouldn’t have to recruit people. And we wouldn’t have to train people. That is exactly what happened.” ...
