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FC Summit: Brand leaders say emotional connection key
September 13, 2009
The top three ingredients fast casual operators must have in place in order to build a successful concept are food, service and an unusual, creative environment.
Those ideas were discussed in detail during the Fast Casual Summit session Brand Builders featuring Ed Frechette from Au Bon Pain, Alan Hixon of Mooyah Burgers and Fries, Dan Kim of Red Mango and Patrick Benasillo from Visual Graphic Systems.
Hixon told a packed room of approximately 150 restaurant-industry executives that every concept must start with a great product. Brands also must deliver an experience that establishes an emotional connection with guests.
"People don't get to experience creativity or innovation enough. Deliver an experience that motivates. Don't be perceived as a knock off concept," he said.
Concepts also should define a list of differentiators and ensure that they are clear to the customer and can be easily articulated, Hixon said.
Mooyah was the first restaurant in the United States to use Sensory Track, a innovative technology that tracks customers' eye movements as soon as they walk through the door. It helped Mooyah leaders better understand what guests look at during their dining experience.
All of the brand-building elements go back to providing a strong customer experience, agreed to by the panelists as being one of the hardest aspects of the industry to deliver.
Frechette said Au Bon Pain strives to receive two customer compliments for every complaint, which the company has achieved so far this year. They also connect to members of their store-communities through two charitable organizations: Food for Life and Au How We Care.
Frechette said year-to-date, the brand has given away 890,000 pieces of baked goods.
"We really focus on where we serve and we participate with the people where we serve," he said.
Social media
One new tactic operators are using to provide another level of the customer service is social media.
"It's a very powerful tool that I think restaurants are underutilizing today," Red Mango's Kim said.
Red Mango uses Twitter and Facebook to communicate directly with guests.
Kim uses Twitter to view every single tweet that features Red Mango, probiotics or other concept-related buzz words. They also use the micro-blogging site to send coupons.
Restaurants also can use social media to solicit feedback on products, announce new-store openings, run contests and post exclusive photos, he said.
"It's so interesting on how willing people are to give you thoughts and ideas and opinions," he said. "It's not scientific, but these people are passionate about your brand. Don't push information out there, share it."
Brands should avoid using Facebook and Twitter to push content one way. Those pages also should not be cluttered.
"People get overloaded with information and then they will just ignore you," Kim said. "These are very tech savvy customers who are opinionated and want to be heard."
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