Strategies For Success: Casual Dining/QSR

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What It Takes to Succeed

At Astone, we know how people feel about food... think about food... talk about food... and even dream about food. We've gotten billions of taste buds budding for quick service, fast casual and casual dining chains including current clients Wendy's, Mountain Mike's Pizza and Original Roadhouse Grill.

Here's what we believe it takes to build your business and your brand in the horrendously competitive casual dining category today.

Find Your Niche — and Dominate It

Whether it's your menu, ingredients, core customer, geography, pricing, convenience... any and all of the above, stay focused. Throw everything you've got at the right niche. Don't confront the national behemoths. If you do, you'll get flattened.

It's Still All About the Food

No matter what it is, what it costs, where it's consumed, whether it's healthy or not... the food you serve must taste terrific to your core customers. Product development, operations, the guest experience and marketing communications must all be drenched in appetite appeal... or else.

Dining Establishments Are Retail Businesses. Agencies Must
Act Like It

Quick service, fast casual, casual dining... every chain must move like the wind today just to keep up with the Joneses. The smart ones (and their smart agencies) move even faster. From mouthwatering new products to behavior-changing promotions right down to every tray liner and table tent.

Ignore Operational Realities at Your Peril

Great new marketing ideas can often be executed within existing operational realities at the casual dining level — but some cannot. It's not easy, fast or affordable when changes in equipment, staffing or systems are required to make something happen. Smart agencies know this and factor it into their thinking.

Finally, Integrate... Integrate... Integrate... or Die

Even your most devoted guests don't spend 1% of the time you and we do thinking about your brand. They have far, far too many more important things to do. So it's more crucial than ever to integrate everything about your brand into a coherent, likeable and compelling experience... and deliver this over and over again.

So... that's what it takes. Now, let's help you get there.

Casual Dining/QSR Case Study >>

Astone's senior management team also has many years of experience with major chains such as McDonald's, YUM Brands, Jack in the Box, Denny's, El Torito, Chi-Chi's, Carrows and more.

We've helped build guest counts, same-store sales and strong brands for them... and we'd relish the chance to do this for you.