Nation's Restaurant News on the Go #83
Nation's Restaurant News
The #1 source of news and business intelligence for restaurant and foodservice industry professionals
How restaurant brands are introducing customers in new markets
Hey NRN, Ron Ruggless here, this year has been a wonderful lesson in watching how restaurants are introducing their brands to new markets.
Activations seem to be the new mode of introduction, from Dallas-based Wingstop Inc.’s recent pop-up at the Olympics in Paris, which was scheduled through Aug. 10, to the earlier-in-the-year North Italia event at the Formula One race in Miami.
Both brands are making headway into new markets. Wingstop is just about to open its first store in France, part of its international expansion. North Italia, the Fox Restaurant Concept owned by Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based The Cheesecake Factory, is expanding into the South Florida market.
The activations were ways to introduce potential customers to the menu, which might not be readily familiar.
I’m amazed at how the restaurant brands were able to adjust their offerings to the local market and work around the events. I look forward to seeing more of these activations.
Meanwhile, in other related news this week:
Taco Bell’s ‘retirement community’ memberships sold out in less than 3 minutes
Taco Bell’s early retirement community, called The Cantinas, opens Aug. 17-18 in San Diego. The community was announced in early July, with exclusive access reserved for rewards members who are 21 and older. The access includes weekend memberships with overnight accommodation for $150, as well as day passes for $50. According to the company, all memberships sold out in less than 3 minutes.
To prepare for its opening, the chain has added a The Cantinas board of directors. It includes the members of Retirement House, also known as “your internet grandparents.” The group of six actors, ages 70 to 85, has amassed nearly 6 million followers on TikTok and 2 million followers on Instagram by parodying content houses filled with young creators. Also on the board is Joey Zauzig, director of Retiree Vibes, who has nearly 750,000 TikTok Followers, and Terri Joe, an influencer and comedian who is also known as Psyiconic and who has 3.1 million TikTok followers.
Dutch Bros’ stock plummets despite strong Q2 performance
For a while, it seemed like burgeoning coffee chain Dutch Bros could do no wrong, as the brand outperformed its much larger competitor, Starbucks. But in an indication that investors might be placing too much pressure on the Dutch Bros hype train, the company’s stock value plummeted by nearly $10 this week after slightly missing investor expectations during an otherwise strong quarter for the Grants Pass, Ore.-based brand.
Dutch Bros’ revenues rose by 30% for the second quarter ended June 30, while same-store sales were up 4.1%. While this could be seen as a moderate boost for the company, which saw double-digit same-store sales growth last quarter, Dutch Bros is still outperforming other larger foodservice industry stalwarts, many of which are struggling with price-conscious consumers.
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Jack in the Box plans new app as it works to drive digital sales
Jack in the Box Inc. will release a redesigned version of its smartphone app in September as it works to drive digital growth from 14% to 20% of sales, executives said Tuesday.
The San Diego, Calif.-based quick-service company, parent to the Del Taco brand as well, released earnings for the third quarter ended July 7, and executives spoke with analysts.
“At the start of next month, we will be releasing a redesigned version of our Jack app, which will provide an enhanced experience for our guests, setting the foundation for personalization and targeted loyalty offerings,” said Darin Harris, Jack in the Box CEO.
The company is working to move customers to its first-party loyalty app, he said.
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