Restaurant Trade Area Research

Here’s a detailed article about WHY Red Lobsters demographics may be indexed strongly with Black customers - hint: think `menu census’ (a great form of research too) - http://atlantapost.com/2011/04/05/understanding-red-lobsters-popularity-amongst-african-american-diners/

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One way that FF restaurants are defining their `upscaleness’ over the last few years has been `Milkshakes’ (with a capital M) - such as this new premium offering from Chick-Fil-A - Chick-fil-A Whips Up New Banana Pudding Milkshake - http://www.restaurantnews.com/chick-fil-a-whips-up-new-banana-pudding-milkshake/

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Taco Bell has responded to the `fake meat’ rumors that some charge or accept with an open ear - such as here - http://www.thatsfit.com/2011/03/18/do-you-believe-taco-bell-is-real-meat/ - with an advertising response http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DeJGN_QfTQ - speaking up for content (sourcing) is VERY important. Good Move.

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Speaking of content - Dunkin’ Donuts Serves Up New Big ‘N Toasty Breakfast Sandwich - http://www.restaurantnews.com/dunkin-donuts-serves-up-new-big-n-toasty-breakfast-sandwich/ - DD continues to make inroads into the ONLY growing daypart segment (really) breakfast. That said, I’ve seen the ads and can’t help but think that drive-thru users (and possibly road eaters) couldn’t help but get YOKEY when biting into the sandwich. (However, they do make the fried egg yoke looked pretty cooked.)

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Thanks for your visit today.

Putting promotion and advertising dollars behind various price points is nothing new in the restaurant category - but - in 2010 - it would seem to be of huge importance based on the current crop of ad positionings positioning prices. For example - check out this list of price points promoted in the past year in the Atlanta ADI at least:

79 cents - Taco Bell (occasionally).

99cents - Wendy’s Value Menu - Capt. D’s sides

1.00 - McDonald’s Dollar Menu; Burger King, Arby’s, Checkers

1.50 (2/3.00) - Checkers, Dairy Queen (occasionally)

1.99 - Snack meals - Mrs. Winners, Church’s, KFC (occasionally), Dunkin Donuts, 

2.00 Denny’s

2.50 Subway Breakfast Combo

Meals For One

2.99 Combo’s - McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Krystal, Boston Market

3.99 Long John Silvers, KFC, (4.00)Firehouse Subs >4Pm (4.00) Steak & Shake, (4.00) Quizno’s, 3.99 Hardee’s, (4.00) Denny’s

5.00 - Subway Footlong, Boston Market 5.oo + sides, (5.01) Arby’s, (4.99) Waffle House, (4.99) CiCi’s Pizza, (5.00) Little Ceasar Pizza, (4.99) Denny’s, 5.00 - Capt. D’s lunch, (4.99) - Zaxby’s,

5.99 Domino’s Pizza, 6.00-Denny’s

8.00 Denny’s

6.99-9.99 - Friday’s, Ruby Tuesday’s, Ryan’s, Golden Corral, (10.00) Pizza Hut, Folks Restaurant, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Applebees,

And now, with smaller portions becoming more accepted at a reduced price (often with more profit however) - the under 10.00 to eat AT a restaurant perception continues to grow.

My research at fast food restaurants has shown that it takes a `certain’ level - generally - for customers to say `I use this restaurant/brand the MOST’. And, even in the new normal of the Great Recession, that level is around once a week usage. Only about 1 in 5 customers don’t offer a FF restaurant they use most often when asked. A loyalty - often felt with justification and pride almost. “they are the friendliest here” “they know me here” “this is super convenient for me”.

Sometimes, operators need to literally `look’ for ways to develop that special relationship with their customer base. And, once again, ways exist around the margin to create that `special user’ - to develop a loyalty. And, here’s just one example (I have more) - let’s say your restaurant is one of those that likes to advertise or position later summer hours - how about a special `bounceback loyalty card’ that is ONLY given to customers AFTER 10 and for use ONLY after 10? The night-owl club. 20% all summer for those `special folks’ who visit after ten.

Occupying that special place for customers - generating loyalty - almost a must in today’s competitive environment.

Restaurant Links for today:

Wingstop Reaches 25 Consecutive Quarters of Positive Comp Sales - http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS111102+12-Oct-2009+BW20091012

Darden net income up, sales down in 1Q -http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2009/09/28/daily24.html Including Red Lobster off by nearly 8%.

Food Fight: Franchisees Caught in the Middle - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125492481356270841.html Important read of three minutes.

UPDATE 1-Ruby Tuesday posts higher profit - http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN0739123320091007 However, sales were off 3%.

Sales meetings at YOUR store? It’s working for Panera Bread
http://www.nrn.com/landingPage.aspxmenu_id=1416&coll_id=554&id=374238#ixzz0Tp32Jvc2

This weekend I was watching some sports on TV when the `new’ Burger King ad with the King came on the screen. Anything with the KING gets my attention. This one  began with a `consumer’ holding a BK sandwich, who evidently `finds’ money in his pocket (that shouldn’t be there) and he is complaining about this to a policeman. The policeman says `reverse pickpocket’ and asks for a description - which, while being given by the `consumer’ results in the classic `THERE HE IS’ - cops and `robbers’ chase.

Off to the races goes The King crossing over a busy street while evading the law. Only to be SMASHED by a yellow cab. (With an impact that could easily kill a real person and you the observer literally feel it.) Yes, the first viewing had my full attention and brought amusement in addition to the message of BK itself — you can save money by eating with us. Expect to see more of the reverse pickpocket.

The BK ad ran within minutes of another FF comparison ad - this one for Capt D’s (seafood). In this one, in a parking lot aside of a Red Lobster, — customers of the RL are approached and asked how much money their meal cost. I saw two different ads on this and one said 80 dollars and the other 100 dollars - at which moment the Capt D’s renegade interviewer brings the RL party over to a makeshift area with a long folding table where Capt D’s employees crank out one meal after another and tell the RL group they could have had `all this’ and spent 40.00 less. The mantra, again; you can save money eating with us.

Which brings me to the two `fake restaurant’ ads currently in the Atlanta market being run by FF brands. The first is the *obnoxious Pizza Hut ads where it is `their pasta’ which is being served in the restaurant that evening. So, after `candid’ praise for the pasta - the `upscale’ diners `laugh’ about how they were fooled by the quality. Indeed, why would you be a fool and go to a sit down restaurant, pay thru the roof, — when you can get `restaurant quality’ delivered to your door. The mantra, you can save money here, by eating at home.

(* what is actually obnoxious is the version of the ad where the PH girl rips her `apron’ off to reveal her PH identification - she does it in a manner that somehow shouts — ~you idiots-jokes on YOU~).

OR, you can also find the other fake restaurant ad for Hardees and their Big Burger products. The idea; don’t pay 8.00 for a 4.00 burger. The mantra; you can save money by eating with us.

Finally, in Atlanta, Arby’s stores seem onto the price position with the 99 cent ArbyQ plastered (tastefully) over the store outside banners — while the Checkers down the road makes sure its customerbase knows it has 69 cent Sundays and Wednesdays.

Because of the economic uncertainty, the market for the upper middle and lower upper classes for FF restaurants is increasing. Promoting the `savings’ with quality  via trading down is one approach - expect to see this even more.

Today’s Restaurant Links

How KFC Captured The China Market

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2008-09/16/content_7030941.htm  Very interesting history of the marketing.

Blackouts in Power are Packing Restaurants That Are Open

http://www.wcpo.com/content/specials/2008/blackout_2008/story.aspx?content_id=98bd59f7-59dc-46ac-9e38-b3fcfe7b1b01   Being ready in an emergency with power and personnel.

Banning Drive-Thru’s In Madison

http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/20431  The desire by some to control others is unlimited; this is a building issue in FF.

The Proposal For a Fast Food TAX

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/09/05/187813.aspx

Who knows what is coming.

The 174 Dollar FF Meal

http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2008/aug/31/pulled-over/

Thanks for visiting today — much more below — if you want to know more about my services visit the blogroll on this page.

Nearly all of the clients I have are owners of franchised restaurants - and = one thing they nearly always have in common is that they have limited `marketing dollars’ above and beyond the % they already pay to corporate to market the brand-name. That said, they do have SOME dollars and the decisions as to whether to sponsor a youth team, local charity golf tournament, do limited in-store marketing via bouncebacks, or buy billboards - are important image and marketing decisions.

When choosing to spend those limited dollars, it’s probably best to `do both’ - local image building and REAL marketing such as billboards. One of the `advantages’ that comes from using my services - doing what I call the MarketView — is that the owner knows the CUSTOMER BASE SIZE and type of user - of every individual unit in a market. And, based on that information - the owner knows which units are best and worst in converting their total customer base into `heavy’ users (some chains define this as the once a week customer, others, the once a month customer). Accordingly, the owner then has some direction from the research on how to spend those precious and limited local marketing dollars.

Much more on Customer Base Estimates in future posts - or - find out more at my squidoo website www.squidoo.com/tradeareasurveys.

TODAY’S RESTAURANT LINKS

Are Fast Food Building Restrictions Constitutional?

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=71377  Michael Ackley does a satire piece about how `gray’ the law becomes when thinking of `fast food restaurants’. A quick two minute read you don’t want to miss.

The Rise of the Breakfast Segment

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jGpPSjXCwpcs-JKUmPG3Gy5sht8QD92BG2380  Excellent article on how chains are increasingly looking at breakfast items as the way to more sales. Denny’s new containers and IHOP’s increase in take out over the past year is examined; as well as the reasons the FF chains have been successful in stealing the business from the sit-down breakfast eateries. Notes that some chains are thinking of offering breakfast items all day long. Finally gets into new offerings from FF restaurants including Carl’s Jr new product: “that features two eggs, bacon, sausage and cheese between grilled sourdough bread.”

Forget The Free Food and Drink Refills

http://www.startribune.com/business/26188614.html?location_refer=Most%20Emailed:Homepage:12 This story covers the many ways that restaurant owners are mitigating the increase in prices for foods and the increasing reluctance of patrons to eat out often. Here’s a quote from the 3 minute article:

The real problem, they argue, is that many large chains overbuilt at a time when Americans were starting to pull back on restaurant spending….Now, unable to raise prices to match rising wholesale food costs, so-called “menu makeovers” have become increasingly common

America’s WORST Restaurants For Kids Revealed

http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=120323  WOW - amazing article that GRADES each chain for offerings and other attributes related to healthy eating.  Getting A’s were Chick-Fil-A, Subway and Wendy’s - Getting F’s were Applebees, IHOP, Olive Garden, Outback, Red Lobster and T.G. I. Friday’s. A 3 minute, must read article.