How does a fast food restaurant revive its sales and rejuvenate itself smack dab in the middle of a major recession? It upgrades its image, works hard to get people talking about its brand again, and turns to a CEO with years of experience.
Boston Market
Boston Market started out as Boston Chicken. The name was changed to let consumers know that the restaurant offered more than chicken for dinner. The fast food chain or fast casual restaurant chain as it is described on the Boston Market web site, spent years in Chapter 11 and was at one time owned by McDonald’s.
Currently, the chain is owned and operated by Sun Capital Partners who also owns several other well known restaurants including Fazoli’s, Friendly’s, and Smokey Bones plus several food stores such as Hickory Farms and Timothy’s.
The chain has 530 restaurants in 28 states. It serves whole meals that one would normally pickup in a casual dining restaurant. Turkey, brisket, meatloaf, chicken, salads, sandwiches, and soups round out the menu.
Plus, the chain partners with major grocery store chains to offer ready-to-heat meals in the freezer sections.
Boston Market’s Challenges
The new CEO of Boston Market restaurants, Lane Cardwell, told USA Today’s marketing reporter Bruce Horovitz for the September 29 edition, the biggest hurdle in remaking the brand and the image is that many people have forgotten about the chain since it had to close many stores and exit entire markets.
The chain was once a well known and well liked rotisserie chicken chain and according to the Boston Market web site, was “the industry’s preeminent expert on home meal replacement.”
Boston Market’s Marketing Plan
To refresh the brand while at the same time provide value to the consumer, the chain is offering several new menu strategies. The first is a “Two Kids Eat Free” program. Single parents with two children can buy a meal for six dollars and get two kids’ meals for free. This program differs from many others that give one kids meal for every adult meal purchased.
Another promotional idea is a five dollar menu. Consumers can get whole sandwiches or sandwich combos for five dollars. They also, as reported in the USA Today piece, are testing a hot food model similar to the one used at Panera Bread and Chipotle.
Another vital component for remarketing Boston Market is the addition of the new CEO who has over thirty years of experience in the restaurant industry.
Boston Markets’ Brand
The chain’s public relations team must be working to have gotten a feature in a national newspaper which is one of the best ways to reach the masses quickly and help to restart the brand.
It is a tall order to re-energize a restaurant chain and brand that many consumers believe is gone and out of business while at the same time build an image of quality, hot food at affordable prices and convenient pickup on the way home from work locations.
The chain may have to adjust its image and brand once again when the economy picks up, but for now the message and the promotions are certainly appropriate for today’s consumer.
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