Foodservice Triple Play: Burgers, Beers and Bin Laden
- Published on Thursday, May 12, 2011
It's baseball season, so here are three quick foodservice strikes that caught my eye.
If you are a member of the supply chain or a franchisee wondering why restaurant chains feel consistent execution is so critical, take a look at this blog post about the opening of an In and Out Burger in Texas. Naturally, the top reason the chain has fanatics instead of customers is due to the food quality. But the other two key attributes cited here are equally important: consistency and service level.
In and Out Burger has a following that most companies, be they restaurant operator or supplier, would love to have. During the FEDA Convention in March, it was entertaining to watch many attendees from the Midwest and East Coast making their way to the In and Out Burger in the mall across from the hotel. We all exchanged the same knowing grin passing one another in along the way.
Tweet if You Want a Beer
Most everyone in the foodservice industry has heard about companies, like Oregon-based Burgerville, that use Twitter to let loyal customers know where their mobile food truck will be next. Well, now a couple of beer vendors, one in Philadelphia and another in Seattle, are using Twitter to field orders from fans at Phillies' and Mariners' games. I thought this an interesting application of Twitter and an interesting application of social media to drive consumer demand for foodservice. Perhaps there are ways other foodservice operators can use this to drive demand. Of course, when traveling this route it is equally important to understand how it can potentially impact other aspects of the operation, including food prep and the overall ability to consistently meet customer needs. As pointed out above, service levels and consistency are almost as important as food quality.
A Toast for the Ages
The death of Osama Bin Laden was cause for celebration for many throughout the U.S. And, as you might expect, a few restaurant and bar operators saw opportunity in the occasion to offer a few drink specials, as noted in this article.
