Donna Josephson

CMOs have long served as chief dot connectors, and they can use the strength of their cross-functional and often cross-geographic relationships to help drive effective change. CMOs have always had accountability for the brand promise, and the challenge has been to deliver that brand promise across a customer journey owned by many other functions — from supply chain to customer care. The reality causes marketers to adapt as leaders and become strong integrators of experience across the organization. The nature of a CMO’s job requires strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration, preparing them uniquely as leaders for broader transformation efforts. #chiefdotconnector #transformation #leadership

22

2 Comments

You may order sauce on the side but it's still the main attraction. 🎡 Don't take it from me! Peep this Nation's Restaurant News article highlighting the QSR sauce BOOM 💥 → According to Innova Market Insights, 39% of consumers are most likely to try new flavors through sauces, seasonings + toppings. → Technomic, Inc. reports that 34% of consumers consider what sauces are available before deciding on a place to eat. → And Datassential shows that more than half of consumers have purchased a new sauce or condiment from a restaurant in the past 3 months. In a foodservice climate starving for new traffic, sauce-centric LTOs featuring new + exciting flavors on familiar menu items (e.g. 🍗 + 🍟 + 🍔 + 🌮) can be your most operationally friendly + craveworthy solution. Something I know for sure: There is one midwesterner who will *always* drive through for a new ranch flavor extension. 🙋‍♀️ -- What's your go-to, gotta-have-it, will-go-out-of-your-way-for-it sauce? 👀👇

47

9 Comments

Dear Struggling Enterprise Brands, At the NRA Show, we engaged with medium and large-size brands facing challenges in reclaiming their former glory. Many share a common struggle, witnessing a cycle of price increases, temporary sales spikes, and subsequent declines, wash, rinse, repeat, leading to uncertainty about the future with a byproduct of dwindling morale. It's disheartening to witness repetitive attempts at solutions like new leadership, menu changes, and location alterations without leveraging the valuable data at their disposal. Data they have been sitting on for years. The pressure to maintain profits amid rising costs can make every decision feel like a make-or-break situation... because in many cases it is. Fortunately, there's a solution. Machine Learning and Actionable Intelligence offer unparalleled speed and accuracy in decision-making, leveraging existing data to pave the way for smarter, data-driven strategies. By harnessing technology to analyze honest guest feedback found within transaction details, businesses can tailor location-specific solutions for sustainable growth. That's where the battles are won or lost. District Managers and Franchise Business Consultants hold the key to driving individual location performance. RedOnion.ai stands as the "Wizard Behind The Drapes" empowering them with insights to anticipate challenges and opportunities proactively. All before ever stepping a foot inside a location. Don't rely on guesswork with a diminishing profit pool for marketing efforts. Embrace data-driven strategies to address your brand's challenges effectively and join our esteemed client list to navigate the complexities of the industry with confidence. Here's a peak behind our drapes of how we do, what we do at Red Onion. WardO@RedOnion.ai Leader in Guest Behavior Analytics since 2014

23

9 Comments

Pizza Hut U.S. President David Graves has resigned, leaving the company after just 4 years of service to the company. Graves was praised for his leadership in helping to modernize the brand, spearheading initiatives like extending store hours, introducing the Melts food category, holiday promotions, and forging partnerships with third-party delivery services. Yet, despite all of these efforts, Pizza Hut's sales growth in 2023 trailed behind all other brands within the Yum umbrella, with same-store sales falling 4% in Q4 and growing only 1% over the year. Against the backdrop of Taco Bell and KFC experiencing stronger sales growth in the U.S., and Domino's same store-sales outnumbering that of Pizza Hut by 1.6%, it was too much to allow to continue. The resignation suggests a loss in faith in Graves ability to turn it around, and more so should send a message to investors across the industry that brands who previously thought themselves immune to inflation…need to think again.. https://lnkd.in/eJceRAjp #restaurantnews #tagex #liquidations #furnitureauctions #furnitureliquidations #equipmentliquidations #equipmentauctions #foodindustrynews #foodserviceindustry #kitchenquipment #restaurantequipment #commercialkitchenequipment #restaurantauctions #restaurantclosures #restuaranttrends #restaurantnews #cfo #coo #foodindustry #foodindustryequipment #liquidaterestaurant #openrestaurant #expandrestaurant #foodoperations #restaurantclosure #restaurantremodel #restaurantliquidation

6

1 Comment

With increasingly stressful situations affecting consumers and influencing their views, this new effort from Sonic is a clear attempt to steer the attention of customers to better times. Bringing back their "dynamic duo" strategy can work as a trigger to help folks go back to simpler times when all that mattered were, in this case, Sonic's food offerings and deals. #Marketing #RestaurantMarketing #FoodTrends

12

1 Comment

What's one panel you will not miss at the QSR Summit? The Future of Digital Transformation in the Fast Casual & QSR Industry - Navigating the current landscape: Examining the challenges posed by escalating expenses when making investments in restaurant technologies - Rethinking the omnichannel strategy: reprioritizing the areas of focus in creating an efficient and effective omnichannel approach that boosts revenue generation and customer experience - Reclaiming guest relationships: Building an integrated ecosystem across all channels to deliver a personalized guest experience that offers consistency across all touchpoints - Leveraging partnerships: collaborating with your vendors to best utilize your tech stacks and leverage data to develop actionable insights ➡️ Solomon Choi, Jabba Brands ➡️ Julie Wade, CFE, Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe ➡️ Dave “Rev” Ciancio, Handcraft Burgers and Brew ➡️ Samuel Stanovich 🐔, Big Chicken TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 9:05 a.m. Discover more: https://bit.ly/QSRSummit Use code REVITUP for a discounted ticket! #qsrsummit #fastcasual #conference #restaurantbusiness #restauranttech #restaurantowners #restaurantmarketing #restaurantindustry #restaurantowner

34

6 Comments

Said Blaze Pizza, LLC Pizza CEO Beto Guajardo: “This program isn’t just going to change your company; this is something that is going to change the entire industry.” Guajardo shared that insight and more at the recent QSR magazine-Auxis webinar, "Traditional Store Audits are Outdated: A New Approach to Protecting Your Brand and Boosting Franchisee Success.” More than 160 restaurant brand leaders tuned in to hear panelists Guajardo, Point B Senior Principal Julie Smith (fmrly Richman) and Auxis Restaurant Leader Keith Sayewitz discuss brand compliance challenges and a new tech-enabled approach to ensuring a consistent brand experience that drives loyalty and franchisee success. Key takeaways: * 90% of restaurant brand leaders said their frontline associates and store managers don't define brand excellence the same way as their brand – a major contributing factor to inconsistent and even poor store-level experiences. * No restaurant operators surveyed believe their brand compliance efforts drive operational excellence. * Nearly 60% of restaurant leaders said shifting to a tech-enabled brand protection model could provide value to their brand. Read Auxis VP of Marketing Fabiana Corredor's webinar recap blog to learn how to solve these critical challenges: https://lnkd.in/exf-3Fw2 You can also view the full webinar here! https://lnkd.in/ekxneZhb #restaurants #brandcompliance #customerloyalty #franchisee #operationalexcellence Sruthi Ramakrishnan Rosemarie Torres Marshall Tatiana Jiménez Gabrielle Vega Lauren Randles

16

Craveworthy Brands is leading the Chicken and Mediterranean segments. We are excited to announce the acquisition of Untamed Brands, which includes two incredible concepts - taim mediterranean kitchen & Hot Chicken Takeover. If you are interested in owning your own restaurant through franchising, take a look a Craveworthy Brands. We have established concepts in many of the hottest growth segments. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for all the latest restaurant franchise news and insights. #wings #southernchicken #bowls #cookies #mediterranean #indian

61

This was such a fun and informative Distill Ventures seminar I got to participate in moderated by Derek Brown. This is part of a series with topics Derek and DV have designed around all aspects of navigating the non-alcoholic category. 🍸🍹 People tend to lump what we are seeing with NA options into “the latest trend,” but really, this is unlike anything any of us have seen before, (mostly because we weren’t alive!) This isn’t like the tequila craze, or the bourbon boom; those were/are trends resulting from the masses RE-discovering, ( with a little help from celebrities and marketing 💰) a spirit, and then the world deep diving into them. Those options were always around, people just started paying more attention. With non-alcoholic spirits, what we are witnessing is the result of pure innovation! This is a BRAND NEW category (that didn’t even exist prior to 2015 ) JUST getting going. It’s like seeing the invention of gin in the 1500’s or vodka in the 1100’s! 🤯This is an entirely new spirit category and an option that I would guess ( based on everyday conversation) 1/3 people still don’t realize exists for them. If you haven’t checked these seminars out, definitely do! They have already covered some great topics, and will continue to do so. And a big thank you to Derek and Distill Ventures for creating this platform for education so that we can navigate this new category together, and watch as NA spirits make their mark on history! #nonalcoholic #spiritindustry #cocktails #menu #innovation

10

2 Comments

What's Shake Shack's (not so) secret strategy for growing amidst the rising costs of doing business? It's built around 4 key elements... Positioning: ↪ Maintaining a premium brand positioning focused on high-quality ingredients, hospitality, and experience. ↪ Avoid undercutting their brand with dollar menu promos and instead offer "added value" through promos and LTOs Marketing: ↪ Amplify the brand story with new packaging, store designs, and timely offers to educate customers on what sets them apart Technology: ↪ Kiosks are their largest and most profitable channel ↪ Smart upselling capabilities on app/web orders boost check sizes Labor: ↪ Testing a new model that lets stores optimize for format, menu, and channel mix based on their customers, giving them more autonomy and ownership over outcomes The results? 💰13 straight quarters of same-store sales growth For fast-casual brands, there's a lot to unpack here, but there are some great insights other brands can apply to their strategy going forward. #restaurants #restauranttech

3

Why does our company's direction change every 10 minutes, I wish my boss would make up their mind! Transformational change is incredibly difficult and leadership is faced with a constantly changing, and often conflicting landscape of priorities. Recognizing the headwinds of a retailer who primarily sold office products, the Executive Vice President over the business - to - business unit provided a master's class during my time with Staples. Joe Doody was responsible for over 20,000 associates in multiple business units including distribution, e commerce, office products, print solutions, furniture solutions, technology solutions and a fledgling but growing facilities solutions team. For well over a year, Joe made the priorities for his organization clear. The top three were going to be Facilities, Facilities and Facilities. He repeated this mantra at every opportunity and wasn't shy about communicating the mission to all of the other business units. This focus didn't mean that other things weren't going to get done, just that nothing would have a higher priority than the Facility Solutions initiative and that he would allow nothing to interfere or impede the growth of that business unit. Joe Doody didn't change his rallying cry in the face of a never ending stream of "flavors of the month" and his messaging broke down the barriers needed to unify the entire team. Ultimately the Facilities Solutions business unit became the growth engine for the company and changed an industry. His approach is a lesson I hope I've learned as I progressed through my leadership journey. Keep the team focused, provide the proper tools and most importantly, don't continually shift priorities and success can be achieved.

71

19 Comments

Nation's Restaurant News recently covered an insightful Technomic, Inc. study that dives deep into consumer behavior and the critical role of value in today's economic climate. But what is the X-factor for delivering value? What can restaurant leaders do to avoid Shrinkflation and discounting as the paths to maintaining customer interest and preference? As we all know, economic pressures are building up with credit cards maxed out and folks realizing fiscal exhaustion. It's pushing consumers back to 2020-era sensitivities towards pricing and shopping habits. Despite messaging of "cooled" inflation, it isn't as comforting as it may seem. We've enduring insanely high compounding inflation year over year since 2020. Despite this recent reduction, consumers still feel the pinch, and it's crucial for us to understand this dynamic. Convenience, accuracy, and quality are now more critical than ever in driving perceived value. Restaurant brand cannot afford anything less than perfection. This starts by adopting the right technology backbone to ensure orders are received accurately, and speed of service can be realized. Finally, the X-Factor in delivering value resides in delivering Omni-Channel Convenience. Give them the power to order what they want, when they want, where they want it. The only way to do that is by controlling the digital experience completely. Out of the box solutions may seem great, but they keep you playing in the same box as everyone else. It is absolutely essential to provide seamless and convenient interactions. Own the experience fully. Make it easy and fun to use. Own the data, learn, iterate and improve. This is the key to delivering value. If you're as passionate about the restaurant industry and UX as I am, let's connect and discuss these trends further! #RestaurantIndustry #ConsumerBehavior #ValueProposition #TechnomicStudy #Leadership #InflationImpact #Convenience #DigitalStrategy #CustomerExperience #RestaurantMarketing

15

3 Comments

Over 10,000 jobs lost in the QSR/fast food space in California alone according to the California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA) Operators needed to raise prices and lay off workers to avoid shutting down Some still shut down These 10,000+ workers need to be repositioned in the workforce because QSR/fast food operators will turn to automation to stay afloat Food/beverage operators can't fight economics and math with heads in the sand Any job or repetitive task that can be automated will be so let's focus on how we can leverage workers in other roles that can't be automated #automated #repetitivetasks #workforce #operations

7

To be clear branding and marketing is oxygen to the fire of all brands (that or the sales team or both) - it’s critical; but I think the word “marketing” in isolation implies media buying / creative / LTOs - a kind of higher level transactional function to the business. Obviously though the next phase (and perhaps what it always should have been but without the data access it we best effort)… the next phase is really data / quant / predictive behavior driving role much deeper than media / creative etc. Also to be fair most all the CMOs I know already do this in spades title aside. To that end though, along with evolving the approach to driving top line revenue / its logical then that titles like “Chief Brand / Innovation / Strategy / Revenue” type officer will be more logical with the nature of the future than simply “marketing”.

1

What's one panel you will not miss at the QSR Summit next week? The Future of Digital Transformation in the Fast Casual & QSR Industry - Navigating the current landscape: Examining the challenges posed by escalating expenses when making investments in restaurant technologies - Rethinking the omnichannel strategy: reprioritizing the areas of focus in creating an efficient and effective omnichannel approach that boosts revenue generation and customer experience - Reclaiming guest relationships: Building an integrated ecosystem across all channels to deliver a personalized guest experience that offers consistency across all touchpoints - Leveraging partnerships: collaborating with your vendors to best utilize your tech stacks and leverage data to develop actionable insights ➡️ Solomon Choi, Jabba Brands ➡️ Julie Wade, CFE, Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe ➡️ Dave “Rev” Ciancio, Handcraft Burgers and Brew ➡️ Samuel Stanovich 🐔, Big Chicken TUESDAY | JUNE 11, 2024 9:05 a.m. Discover more: https://bit.ly/QSRSummit Use code REVITUP for a discounted ticket! #qsrsummit #fastcasual #conference #restaurantbusiness #restauranttech #restaurantowners #restaurantmarketing #restaurantindustry #restaurantowner

29

1 Comment

Pricing and value can make or break a customer's loyalty to a brand. My recent experience with McDonald's breakfast sandwich pricing illuminated some interesting thoughts on the topic. It all started with a great deal I found on their app - $1.50 for any breakfast sandwich. I mentioned this is a post about 30 days ago and how I felt that pricing was being used to drive frequency in some areas, where profit may be the focus of others, creating an acceptable financial balance. I'm no grand influencer, however, within 24 hours of sharing the deal on LinkedIn, it evaporated and was replaced with "buy one at full price and get the second for a dollar". I decided to wait it out and see who would blink first. After 30 days, the original deal was back... and so was I. This experience made me question the true meaning of loyalty programs. Was I loyal to the brand or the offer? And can a brand manipulate customer purchasing decisions through offers? The answer is yes, but brands should be careful not to complicate pricing and offers in the long term. Loyalty programs can be a powerful tool for branding and messaging, especially when used to push out new items and short-term guest deals. But brands must be careful not to project prices that could negatively impact their customer base. The same lower price over time becomes (in their minds) the new regular price, as it did with me. At RedOnion.ai, we understand the importance of pricing and offer machine learning analytics. Our Guest Behavior Software includes features like "Price Elasticity" to make pricing easy for businesses. It is literally a 3-click analytic doing all the heavy lifting of data crunching down to each guest to push out current price, and what price should be for each item in every location, all based on the buying sensitivities of each purchaser. It is ridiculous cool. Remember, when it comes to loyalty programs, tread carefully. Your message should always be brand first, followed by menu education, and then price if needed. You never want to be only as good as your last offer. See you at the NRA Show in Chicago Booth 5657 in Tech Pavilion North Bldg. Please drop by and say hello. WardO@RedOnion.ai

20

2 Comments

Despite the prevailing gloom and doom in the trade press, there's a silver lining for many adult beverage brands. They're not just surviving; they're thriving with double-digit growth and more! This article examines adult beverage brands' strategies to thrive in the current market. https://lnkd.in/gFS2xgi9

5

1 Comment

🎙Heard at #RLC2024 from Pete Cancro from Jersey Mike's Subs -- they have a $200M annual marketing budget. With 2720 stores that means the budget breaks down like this: - Per store per year: $73529.41 - Per store per month: $6127.45 - Per store per day: $201.45 Want to be a brand that's getting an offer for $8 billion to sale? You now know what you need to spend PER DAY on marketing ... #RLC #restaurantleadershipconference #restaurantbusiness #restauranttech #restaurantowners #restaurantmarketing #restaurantindustry #restaurantowner

23

2 Comments