What is a Brand’s Culinary Core and how is it important?

Seems like a simple question is this day and age, especially now in a climate of industry shifting and change. Some restaurant chains are starting to figure it out, most recently Chili’s. They clearly returned to their Culinary Core to revamp their business. So far no one else has said it so bluntly as they did when they said “We can’t be everything to everybody” instead they will focus on improving quality and size of the menu items that are the foundation of the brand. In essence they are returning to their Culinary Core of burgers, fajitas and ribs. Is it a big gamble? I don’t think so, having been in to recently check out the changes. Chili’s is back in a game changing way that will over the long term drive new traffic. Why because now they can deliver a better experience on the “fantastic few” menu items instead of the “mediocre many”.

In this competitive landscape getting back to a Culinary Core is key to turning the business around and growing again. The Culinary Core of any brand is there within its DNA it just needs to be uncovered after years of layer upon layer of LTO, menu additions, cost enhancements all done in the name of staying relevant with the changing consumer landscape. Invite us into the conversation and help provide you with the support to re-find your brand’s Culinary Core.  We have helped many of our clients unlock their menus to drive simplification, improve satisfaction and build sales and profits. Let us be your Strategic Culinary Consultant reach us at www.jwd-consultancy.com

A case for scratch cooking in chain restaurants?

I have been fortunate over the last year to have had a successful group of clients in the restaurant industry. One constant I continue to notice when working on brands with great longevity is that they have been and are still all about the food they produce. One client has three locations that have been in their family for 70 years, and they still scratch cook everyday. Could they take short cuts, sure but their multiple generations of guests would notice.  At three locations it is much easier to scratch cook than at three hundred but it can be done. What is the key to executing consistently? One thing is straight forward recipes that are easy to make and deliver amazing quality and taste. The other secret ingredient is the long tenure of the employees. When you have kitchen managers that have been there 22 years it makes a huge difference in the ability to deliver great food. People and the culture of hospitality and “real” cooking continue to be the most important difference I see between brands that are winning right now and those that are struggling to survive. I have another client with over 100 locations and their brand again is over 50 years old. They scratch cook both in restaurant as well as at their own central kitchen. They have the ability to deliver consistent quality food from both points but the people are still the key. In the central kitchen they have employees that have been there for over 20 years making the soups and dressings day-in and day-out. These folks take great pride in knowing they are delivering amazing food to the restaurants and ultimately the guests. The in restaurant team continues to cook, really cook at least 80% of the menu from scratch. These same people also are long tenured in the brand’s back of the house. I think one formula for success in this current economic environment is the following

Culture + skills + desire = A quality experience that creates an emotional connect with the consumer

Anyone that is able to consistently execute against this formula will win in the long run. There has to be some magic in this formula based on what I continue to see and experience in our industry. It is less about scratch cooking and more about creating a caring culture that embraces teaching a group of employees that will continue to attract the right talent in a tightening labor market. When people are cared for and provided the chance to grow and gain skills we all benefit.  People are the magic and I think this is how we shift and evolve the restaurant industry for the future.

www.jwd-consultancy.com

A Final lesson from J Mays - deliver “up market” value, play to the edges to break through.

Lessons from a car designer – deliver “up market” value, play to the edges to break through.

The last two things I learned from J Mays that can be translated into food and menu development are similar yet different ends of the spectrum of thinking. Sometimes it takes looking to the edges of the brand to find a way to deliver “up market “value. “Looking to the edges” means really exploring those outlying ideas or thoughts as you brainstorm. These ideas on the edge can sometimes be the first ideas we discard for being too outlandish. Look for simple, “ah ha” moments and then explore them further to see where they will take you. Always using the brand to lead and guide your thinking. Edge items may provide a path to brand evolution or a break out action you have been looking for as a competitive edge. There is gold in the fringe of thought about a design, brand, menu, concept or food idea give it the attention it so richly deserves. So this edge thinking can lead to unlocking unexpected value. The example J Mays gave during his chat was about designing a car for the growing market in China targeted at Millennials. The assignment was to deliver a very competitive car at a value price that would attract these young buyers. The solution they found was to deliver something completely unexpected in a car priced at this lower end of the market.  This was one of the first cars to be able to completely integrate with your smartphone. In China, handheld devices out number desk top computers significantly, have the car be able to become an extension of your phone was a huge break through. This was something expected in a far more sophisticated and expense automobile, it was unexpected in this budget friendly car. Unlocking this unexpected value gave the new car a sold footing in the market place and drove significant sales. All because the design team found away to “up market” a budget friendly car, at the time this gave Ford a competitive advantage in the growing Chinese market. How can we translate this thinking and design technique into food or food service? By finding ways to unlock “up market value” in our brands. I have two examples to share with you from my time in my recent position.  First example is the creation of Steak Night for Brick House Tavern + Tap. I needed to find a way to grow the dinner business during the week and shift the consumers mind that BHTT was only about bar food. So in J Mays example I found a solution that used “up market” value to energize the guest. Keeping in line with the brand I found that if we delivered a steakhouse experience that usually cost the consumer $40 for about half that amount it would be a win. So I set out to create a steak night special that did just that, it delivered unexpected quality and portion size at a $20-25 price point. It hit on all cylinders that I was looking for in a new product – increased steak night sales, maintained or increased margin,  and drove new traffic to dinner day part. By meeting an need of the current guest I was able to find a way to unlock a new visit and to move the sales needle on the business side. My second example was the re-introduction of baby back ribs to BHTT after having taken them off the menu a cycle earlier. My goal was to deliver a wow rib experience that created demand for the product and use this to drive traffic to another day of the week. So striping the rib plate down to the basics: meat itself, cooking method, sauce and the sides I rebuilt the product while keeping a gold standard in mind at a polished casual competitor priced 25% less for the same or better experience. Again being able to deliver “up market” value at a surprising price created new unexpected value in the minds consumer without having to discount or devalue the brand.  So you see embracing the lessons from a car designer when we develop food , beverages or even restaurant concepts we can truly deliver something unique and innovative to the consumer.

Thank you J Mays for being an inspiring and thought provoking influence on design and design thinking. I am truly grateful to be able to translate your insights in cars into the world of food and beverage development. Finding parallels and mentors outside of our industry is critical to innovative thinking and success in building businesses.

Sincerely

Jim Doak