Denver-based chain Smashburger, “The Place For Burger Lovers,” ranked #20. On track to having more than 200 locations by 2012, Smashburger makes cook-to-order burgers with 100% Angus Beef.
With 500+ locations, Qdoba Mexican Grill ranked #26. The report highlights Qdoba’s 2010 evolution strategy which includes health-minded menu innovations and a Craft 2 menu. Our partnership with Qdoba has grown this past year through the production and fulfillment of these new items. Qdoba is featured in our white paper about Intelligent Profiling, as well as a recent FastCasual.com case study.
Based in Austin, Texas, Schlotzsky’s ranked #52, with nods to their co-branding deal with sister brand Cinnabon and plan to expand to over 600 stores by 2015.
Quickly-growing Saladworks from Pennsylvania came in at #98. Featuring seasonal, chopped-on-location salads as well as soups and sandwiches, Saladworks plans to branch into nine new nation-wide markets over the next three years.
In the same report, three additional clients—Jamba Juice, Starbucks and Seattle’s Best— made the top picks list under “Seven Up: The Brands Reinventing Casual Fountains” honoring innovation within the beverage category.
To download the full report, please click here to go to FastCasual.com.
FastCasual.com recently published a case study about the solution we deployed to increase efficiencies in Qdoba’s POP ordering and delivery process. The document walks readers through the challenge Qdoba faced, the solution Synq provided, and the results we achieved:
Qdoba wanted a way to improve the efficiency and accuracy of its POP ordering system. Synq Solutions offered an answer. The company developed a Web-based ordering system that enabled operators to order material without having to go through the corporate office. The easy-to-use system meant operators could choose location-specific material, which would then be distributed from several warehouses. Benefits of the new system include:
• Easier ordering process
• Faster fulfillment
• Less waste
To read the case study in its entirety, please click here to download the document from FastCasual.com.
The 2011 NRA show wrapped up Tuesday and, as always, the food was fantastic and the company even better. Inspired by this year’s theme of innovation, celebrity chefs took to the floor to create some delicious and unique recipes. Most notably, there was an abundance of international fare, as I got to sample various delicacies from China to Spain inside the World Culinary Showcase.
The educational sessions proved to be both informative and inspirational. The session, entitled “What Big Brands Know: Grow Any Business Like a Billion Dollar Brand,” was particularly interesting because it dealt with defining your brand in a way that sets you apart from your competition while maintaining brand relevancy with your customer base. This session’s speaker, marketing guru Gerry O’Brion, emphasized the importance of truly “knowing your customer” and understanding that it’s the sum of all individual interactions that defines your brand – it’s what your customers think, not what you think.
He stressed understanding what your customers need right now, not what they need in the future, nor what you assume those needs might be. O’Brion also spoke about using social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, as fundamental tools for staying connected with customers and, ultimately, learning more about what makes them tick.
Armed with that insight, he elaborated that we should all find ways to inspire customers to buy our products by developing relevant marketing messages that are credible, simple, ownable and different. Brands then must reinforce the value to the consumer with consistent brand messaging in all marketing communications. He concluded his session with the fact that a brand is always defined by how individuals perceive it. And a strong brand is a profitable brand.
The highly globalized tone of this year’s show mirrored how our customers are conducting business today. Now more than ever, through social media and other channels, brands need to embrace their customers and create a community that understands how to effectively engage in an open dialogue.
Are you already employing the strategies O’Brion mentioned to promote your brand? If so, tell us how.
This year’s National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago starts this weekend and lasts through May 24. I’m headed north to attend what looks like another amazing event.
Nation’s Restaurant News conducted a pre-show interview with Mary Pat Heftman, the show’s director since 2001. She highlights several features, including the new Food and Beverage Product Innovation Awards, the Restaurant Executives Breakfast and the NRA Show app. With 70 educational sessions, there will be a great deal of opportunities to learn about the topics touching our clients. I’m especially interested in Starbucks and Georgia Pacific’s discussion about sustainability, as well as sessions addressing menu labeling, dietary guidelines and local marketing.
I’m also looking forward to the Foodie Flash Mob dance. While I won’t be able to participate, I’ll be sure to watch.
I hope to see many of you at the show and I look forward to hearing your responses to the activities and presentations.
Last week marked the beginning of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s inaugural Stars for Troops fundraising campaign. We congratulate them on aiming to raise funds to assist our nation’s military families and veterans. Through a similar method as their highly successful Pink Star Fundraiser to benefit breast cancer screenings and research, funds raised from the sale of $1 commemorative paper “Stars for Troops” will support military charities Homes for Our Troops and USA Cares. Funds will go toward projects such as building homes and providing financial and advocacy services. Synq is proud to contribute to CKE Restaurants’ efforts through the donation of paper stars. For more information and details about participation, please click here. To see a video about the campaign, please click here to visit Hardee’s YouTube channel.
I was impressed by the large representation of executives at this year’s Restaurant Leadership Conference, one of the biggest in recent years, with more than 1,500 professionals in attendance. The conference was a great facilitator of dialogue between restaurateurs, while presenters shared best practices and innovative ideas.
One presentation I particularly enjoyed was Linda Duke’s Restaurant Marketing Leadership panel. Her overarching message was that leading brands are flexible and able to modify their approach to changes in the market environment.
To communicate the importance of a flexible approach, panelists explained that there are more complexities than ever before in marketing to the restaurant consumer. Marketers must consider the political and economic environment, including changing caloric regulations and the growing interest in healthy options. Restaurant demographics are also changing; recent research unveiled an unexpected emerging trend of young adults cutting back on restaurant spending. On a positive note, the percent of food dollars consumers are spending on restaurants has risen considerably since 1955, from 25% to 49% today.
One panelist, Rachel Phillips-Luther, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Innovation for Kona Grill, discussed brand perception in the marketplace. She encourages management executives to become intimate with their brand in order to determine how to best market it. She explained that you need to understand the customer, their perception of your food and what they think of your restaurant. Once you’ve done the research, you’ll be on the path to developing a clear, cohesive message in your brand marketing.
Another theme that emerged throughout the conference was local marketing. Local marketing is critical to any brand. It can supplement a brand’s national campaign while speaking directly to the tastes and preferences of local customers. A wide range of brands are using local marketing to respond to competition, support community sponsorships, as well as generate trial and frequency.
Additionally, several presenters covered the role of social media in restaurant marketing, emphasizing that it should be used as one component of a holistic approach that capitalizes on the strengths of traditional marketing practices.
Overall, the atmosphere at the conference was upbeat, with attendees walking away from presentations feeling motivated and excited about the wide realm of possibilities for improving their businesses.
If you were able to attend this year’s conference, what were your takeaways? Please let us know in the comments section below.
The Restaurant Leadership Conference is right around the corner, and we had the pleasure of speaking with one of the presenters in this year’s great lineup. Tom Feltenstein, Chairman and CEO of The Power Marketing Academy, is known as the champion of Neighborhood Marketing. During our conversation, Tom reiterated that this conference is one of the best of its kind, and this year will mark his 10th year in attendance. I invite you to listen to this audio clip from our conversation, where he explains the importance of focusing inside the four walls of your restaurant to gain customer loyalty. We look forward to hearing Tom speak in person and getting more insight into this philosophy that has helped restaurants’ profitability explode.
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The lineup includes six Keynote speakers as well as innovation forums and breakout presentations. With almost 700 attendees already registered, the conference is sure to foster engaging conversation about a wide variety of industry topics. For more information about this year’s program, click here.
Throughout the month, right here on our blog, we’ll give you a sneak peek into the conference themes, welcoming special contributors and featuring panelist and attendee interviews. After the conference, I encourage you to check back in to see our response to the topics presented. I invite you to engage in the pre- and post-show conversations through the comments section below every blog post.
If you’ll be attending, look for us in Culture Keepers Hall West, Booth 126, on Monday evening at the sponsor fair and throughout the conference. In the next few weeks, keep an eye out for an email and a direct mail piece with details about a special promotion we’ll be giving away during the event.
Last week, QSR magazine featured an article titled The In-Store Strategy. It highlighted the importance of maintaining a restaurant’s point of purchase (POP) marketing regardless of economic challenges.
Many stores make the mistake of considering on-site marketing as a secondary focus, when in reality it should serve as a primary consideration. The author points out that in-store marketing tactics are the “last opportunity to influence a sale,” and that without it, product sales can rapidly decline.
The article also quoted a source and pointed out the importance of specific customization for each individual location—or as we refer to it: Local Marketing. As we’ve mentioned many times in past blog posts and videos, intelligent profiling and local marketing tactics can enable restaurants to speak to the local tastes and preferences of their unique clientele, while insuring that locations get materials they can actually use. Doing this correctly drives revenue, significantly reduces waste, and saves restaurants over 20% in costs.
Strategic placement of POP marketing coupled with thoughtful customization of messaging and materials catering to factors such as demographics, language, and local ordinances delivers a powerful punch—this article certainly validates this statement.
With our current focus on location profiling, this article was very timely. You can read it in its entirety here.
What are your thoughts on in-store POP marketing? Please feel free to share your experiences and feedback here in the comments.
Two years ago, we began an annual tradition of awarding special recognition to members of our sales organization who demonstrated exceptional effort and commitment to Synq Solutions. These individuals go well beyond what is expected of them—key components of the award include effort, creativity, commitment, knowledge and confidence in the pursuit of bringing in new business to Synq Solutions, or securing existing company business. Our success as a business relies on our people and the effort they put forth everyday. This award distinguishes individuals that consistently went above and beyond throughout the calendar year.
The award is titled “The Shovel Award – An Award for Effort”, and includes the following transcription:
- For taking the initiative to create opportunity
- For being persistent in pursuit of opportunity
- For demonstrating knowledge of the solution
- For demonstrating confidence and commitment to that solution
- For determination to make a difficult situation successful
Our sales team members submit nominations for this award. This year, we expanded the award and gave recognition to two individuals – one in the sales organization and one in any other department that supported our company goals this year. The winners of the award receive a plaque and recognition at our annual sales kickoff meeting. The 2nd winner is also invited to attend and participate in our kickoff meeting held each January in Las Vegas.
Four finalists emerged from our nominations this year. Selecting two winners was an extremely difficult decision—each candidate was very deserving in their own right.
The nominees included:
Doug Fergusson
Cristi Mege
Debbie Blake
James Hughes
Without further adieu, the two winners of this year’s Shovel Award for effort go to Doug Fergusson and Debbie Blake. We congratulate them and the other two finalists for their loyalty and contributions to Synq Solutions in 2010. Debbie and Doug both received plaques, and Debbie was invited to attend the kickoff in Las Vegas. We have also awarded $100 gift cards to Cristi and James.
We want to extend thanks and recognition to all of our nominees for their remarkable efforts in 2010!
In this video, our CEO, Mike Snyder touches on the importance of Perfect Packaging, Order Assurance and Synergy of Services. He also discusses how these components are incorporated into Synq Solutions’ overall workflow. As always, we welcome your questions, comments and input.
Last week I discovered an insightful article from QSR Magazine titled “Cheap Marketing Tips that Work.” The author, Robert Lillegard discussed the thin line that marketers must walk in order to achieve success through inexpensive marketing tactics.
He pointed out that some brands make the fatal mistake of cutting marketing budgets in the wrong areas, and hyper focusing on strategies that don’t support or maintain their brand image. Additionally, some make the mistake of only highlighting a single strength, rather than concentrating on multiple brand attributes and therefore appealing to a wider audience. In one particular instance, a company attempted to scale down their budget to include only social media and a new website, and found their same-store sales decreased by 20-30%. (The company has since launched a more multi-faceted, effective approach.)
Lillegard also cited the importance of proper implementation of marketing efforts, including careful budgeting and ample resource allocation. He continued by outlining “cheap strategies that work”, including handing out free food samples, attention-grabbing signage and POP materials, and loyalty programs. Event programs and anniversary celebrations have also proven to be extremely effective for many brands.
Lillegard concluded by pointing out that no marketing strategy will be effective without the support of a solid, quality product and great customer service. I couldn’t agree more. I also feel that brands tend to achieve the best results when they adopt a streamlined marketing strategy that maintains consistent brand messaging across multiple channels. It’s important to maintain the basic elements that promote your product and brand image, such as signage, window clings, and banners, and combine them with mobile marketing and social media strategies.
You can read the article in its entirety here. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. What inexpensive marketing tactics have you employed? And have they proven to be effective?
Last week I was reading the print version of Nation’s Restaurant News, and I came upon an article that I found particularly interesting and relevant to the subject material we generate here on our Executing Innovation Blog.
The author, Graciela Eleta conveyed some remarkable statistics regarding the 25 to 34-year old Hispanic market—over the next 5 years this age range is expected to grow 13.5%. Compare this to the non-Hispanic market, which is expected to increase a mere 0.5%, and you can see the significance of the statistic.
Eleta went on to say that this demographic will contribute to 89% of the total US population growth, and that by 2015, one of every four adults will be Hispanic.
Eleta’s article resonated with me because it ties closely into our strong belief in the importance of local marketing and intelligent profiling. With hard-hitting numbers like these, it simply doesn’t make sense for brands and operators to approach marketing in a generic fashion. To do so would be missing a prime opportunity to reach this demographic.
To read this article in it’s entirety, you must have a subscription to the print version of Nation’s Restaurant News. If you’re interested in subscribing, you can do so here.
What are your thoughts on these statistics? Are you reaching out to the Hispanic demographic with your marketing?
As we wrap up our series on Intelligent Profiling, I invite you to watch as Doug explains the methodology behind our profiling approach. He describes the depth of information we gather, and outlines how we utilize profiling to manage and control work flows. He concludes by emphasizing that the goal of the cataloging process is not to achieve perfection, but to continuously improve.
Learn more about Intelligent Profiling as Mike Snyder explains how Synq Solutions’ approach to profiling differs from competitors’ profiling methods. He delves into the types of data, or as we refer to it, DNA, that Synq Solutions collects to create messaging specific to each location’s audience.
I’m proud to announce that four of Synq’s clients made the “Top 100 Fast Casual Restaurants” list compiled by FastCasual.com.
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