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24 Inside Red Robin’s Big Revival
The category icon is winning again with new leadership and a “North Star” plan that puts the customer first, zeroes in on employee training, and focuses on becoming an operations-focused restaurant group.
27 The FSR 30
In partnership with Datassential, The FSR 30 report returns for the second year and highlights the largest full-service restaurant chains in the U.S., ranked by unit count.
CHEFS & INGREDIENTS
11 Championing Authentic Mexican Cuisine
Chef Iliana de la Vega believes the U.S. is ready for the real flavors of Mexico, and she’s leading the charge at her restaurant El Naranjo.
16 A Tex-Mex Menu Makeover
Historically, Chuy’s Tex-Mex has shied away from limited-time offerings. All that changed when the casual-dining chain launched its fresh platform, Chuy’s Knockouts.
LIQUID INTELLIGENCE
19 The Shared Cocktails Craze
The rising trend of Instagrammable, large-format cocktails is transforming group dining experiences and helping to create shared memories, from tiki bars and urban spots to night clubs and beyond.
RED ROBIN’S BURGER CHEFS GOT BACK TO “REAL COOKING” WITH FLAT-TOP GRILLS.
FIRST COURSE
7 Inside Chef Michael Mina’s Culinary Empire
The MINA Group has more restaurants in the pipeline than ever before, including 18 locations in the works over the next two years—but their success didn’t happen overnight.
8 The Buzz on Breakfast
A new Restaurant Trends report from Toast reveals which cities saw an increase in breakfast transactions, and which cities experienced a drop.
BACK OF HOUSE
43 Why You Should Add “Fish Wings” to Your Menu
YOUR TAKE In addition to cost savings and providing more flexibility for those looking for alternative proteins on the menu, fish wings are also better for the planet.
45 Gigglewaters is Reviving Speakeasy Culture
ON THE RISE The 1920sinspired concept is redefining the guest experience with unique offerings, and has plans to grow throughout Florida and eventually across the nation.
48 The Win-Win of Employee Owners
BEHIND THE SCENES Chef Justin Cucci’s six Denver restaurants are known for their creative digs and sustainable approaches, and now, all 325plus Edible Beats employees will share in the long-term worth of the company.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
4 Editor’s Welcome 47 Advertising Index
EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Danny Klein dklein@wtwhmedia.com
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NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Mike Weinreich 561-398-2686 mweinreich@wtwhmedia.com
CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Tracy Doubts 919-945-0704 tdoubts@wtwhmedia.com
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FOUNDER
Webb C. Howell
2013
2013
DESIGN, NEW MAGAZINE
CHICKEN TOSTADAS WITH CACTUS CORN SALAD
‘Innovate or Die’
AS WE’RE SEEING new NextGen Casual brands emerge and change the full-service restaurant game, legacy casual-dining chains are left to either evolve with the times or get left behind—and we’ve seen many in the space take hits and file for bankruptcy in recent months. Red Robin was heading in the direction of the latter before G.J. Hart stepped in as CEO and started to turn things around with a five-point “North Star” plan, which was unveiled in January 2023.
Despite “Gourmet Burgers” being part of Red Robin’s official market standing, the brand was essentially using a fast-food piece of belt-driven equipment to cook its burgers, which would then get finished on a charbroiler. “And if you think about how the burger category has changed and the number of players and the quality levels and all that stuff, I was a little surprised,” Hart admits. “While Red Robin has done an amazing job in terms of being creative and innovative and mixing and taking unique flavor profiles and presenting it uniquely, they hadn’t really changed the cooking process. And that was surprising to me. Really surprising,” he adds. Read more about the brand’s transformation and comeback on PAGE 24
Also be sure to check out The FSR 30—created in partnership with Datassential—on PAGE 27, which lists the largest full-service restaurant chains in the U.S. by unit count (Spoiler: Red Robin is ranked at No. 14).
Elsewhere across our August issue, you’ll find additional stories of restaurant leaders making changes to stay relevant, including the scoop on Chuy’s Tex-Mex new LTO platform on PAGE 16, inside the innovative indies and restaurant groups that are incorporating large-format shared cocktails on menus on PAGE 19, and how a chef-owner implemented a 100 percent employee stock ownership plan for his 325 staff members on PAGE 48. In the case of 1920s-inspired concept, Gigglewaters—a restaurant, bar, and classic movie theater that’s bringing back speakeasy culture—playing into nostalgia with modern updates is the winning ticket (PAGE 45). There’s no shortage of inspiring leaders to learn from in this issue, so let’s dig in.
Callie Evergreen EDITOR
cevergreen@wtwhmedia.com FSRmag @FSRmagazine
On the Cover
This month’s cover of Red Robin’s MadLove burger was shot by Alex Lau / 2D Creative for the brand’s new “Leave Room for Fun” campaign during a recent photoshoot at a Red Robin location in Glendale, Arizona. To learn more, visit www.2dcreative.com/artist/alex-lau, or follow @ihatealexlau on Instagram.
Michael Mina’s Culinary Empire
BY CALLIE EVERGREEN
The MINA Group has more restaurants in the pipeline than ever before—but it didn’t happen overnight.
Chef Michael Mina’s restaurateur era first began with opening fine-dining concept Aqua in San Francisco, where he earned two Michelin stars and the James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef Award in 1997. It was focused on upscale seafood and adamantly against
The MINA Group has over 30 locations spanning upscale steakhouses to Middle Eastern and Mediterraneaninspired concepts.
serving steak—which Mina now laughs at, since his most successful restaurant concepts are now steakhouses.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, and raised in Ellensburg, Washington, Mina parlayed his passion for cooking and vision of partnering with hotels and casinos when
First Course
he created the MINA Group in 2002, which has since grown to over 30 restaurants. The collective’s concepts range from upscale steakhouses like Bourbon Steak and Strip Steak to the recently launched Orla, which marries Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine influences. “Each dish at Orla is a reflection of the Egyptian food I grew up with, transformed by the techniques I’ve honed throughout my career,” Mina notes.
At the end of May, the group debuted Bourbon Steak in Manhattan—Mina’s first venture into New York City, and the concept’s eighth location. The MINA Group was recently featured in FSR ’s web exclusive, 11 Restaurant Groups On the Rise in 2024, where Mina described Bourbon Steak as “our love letter to timeless steakhouse dishes,” which combines new world flavors and creativity in a lineup of traditional steakhouse dishes, seafood selections, and a cutting-edge wine and spirits program. Mina’s flagship namesake restaurant is on the Las Vegas strip at the Bellagio, which is known for its five-star service and selection of expertly curated seafood, which is flown in by private plane daily.
“If there was an invisible thread that connects them all, it would be our hospitality—making the guest
feel like they’re the only diners in the restaurant that night, that they’re welcome and taken care of, and given a dining experience like no other,” he adds.
The restaurants under his portfolio share another common denominator: Each one started out at the Mina Test Kitchen, a small restaurant with 40 seats where Mina and his team fully test out concepts, 12 to 14 dishes at a time. “That’s where a lot of these newer concepts have come from now,” Mina says on a recent episode of FSR ’s podcast, “The Restaurant Innovator.”
The recent growth spurt follows a two-year hiatus of no new openings. The company has 18 new restaurants in the works over the next two years, including seven new concepts this year alone. “We have the largest pipeline of restaurants we’ve ever had right now,” MINA Group CEO Jason Himber reveals in the episode.
Himber's background is in fastcasual and quick-service restaurants at companies such as Yum! Brands. “My whole career has been about failing and learning. I’d like to believe that’s part of what’s helped shape me into the leader that I’ve become today, because I’ve been
fearless about failing,” Himber says.
“One of the harshest but best pieces of advice I received was … ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re the smartest person in the room if nobody’s listening.’” Himber adds. “It really impacted me and made me realize how important it is to not demonstrate how good you are, but to make everybody else great around you, and to kind of meet people where they are.”
Those learnings have translated into the MINA Group’s growth strategy, which focuses on meeting customers where they are with data-driven expansion into markets where they already resonate with consumers, Himber notes, including international growth.
The commitment to continual education is also a key priority for the company, showcased by the creation of Mina University, an internal development program designed to train and retain talent that launched during the pandemic.
“The only way we can grow as a business is through talent and people growing within the business,” Mina says. “If you start as a dishwasher and want to be a chef, we want you to be a chef.”
THE BUZZ ON
According to TOAST’S recent Restaurant Trends report, cities like Minneapolis (+8%), New York City (+6%), and Chicago (+5%) all saw a HEALTHY INCREASE IN BREAKFAST TRANSACTIONS, while Atlanta (-7%), Charlotte (-6%), Philadelphia (-4%), and Denver (-4%) DECREASED IN TRANSACTIONS year-over-year (yoy).
Cities on the West Coast, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, had more early-morning transactions than the rest of the country. Despite these earlymorning transactions, MOST CITIES WERE BUSIEST FOR BREAKFAST BETWEEN 9 a.m. AND 11 a.m., especially for full-service restaurants.
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CULINARY INSPIRATION AND STORIES FROM INDUSTRY TRAILBLAZERS
MENTIONED IN THIS SECTION EL NARANJO • • CHUY’S
EL NARANJO’S MENU REFLECTS THE SAME COLORFUL FLAVORS
CHEF ILIANA DE LA VEGA GREW UP WITH. SHE SOURCES SEASONAL PRODUCE FROM MEXICAN FARMERS AND PAYS TRIBUTE TO MEXICAN TRADITIONS.
Chefs & Ingredients
Authentic Mexican Cuisine Championing
BY SATYNE DONER
Chef Iliana de la Vega believes the U.S. is ready for the real flavors of Mexico.
BEFORE THE JAMES BEARD AWARDS, the inception of El Naranjo, and the international recognition for her work in furthering Mexican cuisine, chef Iliana de la Vega was just a child in Mexico City waiting for a box of food to come in from her family in Oaxaca. She’d open them and find an array of chiles, chocolates, breads, meats, cheeses, and spices, thoughtfully hand-picked by her grandmother and prepared by her mother. Here, de la Vega experienced the flavors
of Mexico: diverse, bold, and mystically rooted in indigenous traditions.
In 1997, she moved to Oaxaca and opened her first restaurant and cooking school, El Naranjo. She specialized in crafting dishes that encapsulated the soul of Mexico and teaching others to do the same. In a way, her dreams had come true.
Political tensions in the early 2000s forced de la Vega and her family out of Mexico and into Austin, Texas. She says her family lost everything they worked so hard to build in Oaxaca, and it was incredibly difficult to start over with two teenage daughters in an unfamiliar country.
“We were very happy and successful in Oaxaca, but things out of our control happened. We had to move on and try to make the best out of our situation,” de la Vega shares. “I think we have. It’s not been easy, but we’re grateful for the chance to have another beginning in the United States.”
While living in Austin, she stayed motivated by the idea of giving life to her family again and showcasing Mexican
CHEF ILIANA DE LA VEGA BELIEVES THE U.S. IS MORE THAN READY FOR A LATIN AMERICAN CULINARY REVOLUTION, AND SHE’S LEADING THE CHARGE. SHE’S BORED OF THE TUNED-DOWN FLAVORS AND SHALLOW MENU OFFERINGS; SHE THINKS BOTH CUSTOMERS AND FELLOW CHEFS ARE READY FOR THE REAL DEAL.
FAVORITE INGREDIENT: Always chiles
THE RESTAURANT SCENE IN TWO WORDS: Challenging and exciting
BEST MUSICAL ARTIST TO COOK TO: David Bowie
FAVORITE FOODIE DESTINATION: Mexico City
FAVORITE COLOR TO INCORPORATE INTO A DISH: Orange
cuisine to a new audience. She asked her self why Latin American food couldn’t be considered fine dining and elegant. She challenged others to understand her native culinary traditions as more than tacos and Tex-Mex.
From 2007 to 2012, she served as the Mexican and Latin Cuisines Special ist for The Culinary Institute of Amer ica, reigniting her passion for teaching. She tried resurrecting El Naranjo as a mobile food trailer concept, but it wasn’t enough; she wanted to continue sharing the food and culture of Mexico with the world, so she reopened the brick-andmortar El Naranjo in 2012.
El Naranjo’s menu touches back on the same colorful flavor profiles de la Vega experienced in her hometown as a child, visiting the market with her mother. She incorporates ingredients and seasonal produce sourced directly from Mexican farmers and pays tribute to Mexican traditions through monthly specials. Her favorite ingredient of all time? The earthy, smoky, and occasion ally spicy chile—a more versatile deli cacy than most people think.
“[Latin American cuisine] has gotten more recognition lately, but we still face the challenge of impoverished farmers. We can help them by using local ingredients like chiles in more than just Mexican food, but it is still an obscure item for most people. Everyone knows what to do with a tomato around the world, right? We can teach others to do the same with chiles,” de la Vega explains. “We can teach others the nuances, how to cook with the ingredients … it’s exciting, and if we can help farmers, that is important to me.”
Through El Naranjo’s menu, de la Vega tells the story of Mexico—its holidays, its traditions, its flavors, and its people. Her eldest daughter has taken more ownership of the restaurant, helping her mother create new recipes and dishes representing different regions in the country. Chef de la Vega says occasionally it takes a few tries to truly understand a new dish, but she provides guests with an in-depth description of every meal to educate them.
Her youngest daughter, an anthropologist and journalist, inspired de la Vega to create Mexican Culinary Traditions, a gastronomic tour company that
brings guests on a physical journey to various regions throughout Mexico visiting museums, farms, tasting local foods, and more.
“When we started [Mexican Culinary Traditions] years ago, people were shocked at how diverse the destinations were. You can find anything from cosmopolitan city flavors to indigenous and colonial vibes in Mexico, and people will come back with a whole new perspective on not just the culture but the food,” de la Vega says.
Throughout her culinary career, de la Vega has been presented with numerous awards. In 2014, the Mexican Government recognized her work to further Mexican gastronomy with the prestigious Ohtli award; she was also named Hispanic Female Entrepreneur of the Year. She was a double James Beard Award semifinalist and winner of the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas in 2022.
Most recently, she was named Chef
of the Year for Bar & Restaurant Expo’s 2024 Industry Excellence Awards, showcasing her inclusive culture and sustainable, ethical practices. Inside her restaurant, she says it’s well known that everyone is welcome, regardless of their status. In terms of ethical sourcing, she does her best to find the finest ingredients and works directly with farmers. She remains committed to sustainability by minimizing waste and getting creative with leftover products.
“I feel so validated … it was a difficult journey to come here from nothing and start all over again from scratch. [These awards] show me I’m doing something right, and people recognize it,” de la Vega expresses, regarding the influx of recognition and awards. “I feel like it’s my purpose to showcase Mexican cuisine as I think it should be done.”
El Naranjo started as a family restaurant, and de la Vega is looking forward to passing on her legacy to her daughters. While she says she’s still heavily involved, she knows sooner or later she will usher in the next generation of Mexican chefs. She continues to act as a consultant and oversee both menus and training for hotels, other restaurants, and universities such as Stanford University and UMASS.
“When my daughter wanted to study cooking, I told her not to do it,” de la Vega jokes. “It’s endless hours, vacation maybe never, but on a serious note, there is something so rewarding about waiters bringing back empty plates to the kitchen or having people tell me it’s the best food they’ve ever had.”
Chef de la Vega believes the U.S. is more than ready for a Latin American culinary revolution, and she’s leading the charge. She’s bored of the tuned-down flavors and shallow menu offerings; she thinks both customers and fellow chefs are ready for the real deal.
“There needs to be more understanding, more knowledge,” de la Vega says. “Why do we think it’s too much for people? Why put chiles where they don’t belong? I think the people are ready to try new things, and Latin American food is very exciting.”
EL NARANJO STARTED AS A FAMILY RESTAURANT, AND CHEF ILIANA DE LA VEGA IS LOOKING FORWARD TO PASSING ON HER LEGACY TO HER DAUGHTERS. WHILE SHE SAYS SHE’S STILL HEAVILY INVOLVED, SHE KNOWS SOONER OR LATER SHE WILL USHER IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF MEXICAN CHEFS.
A Tex-Mex Menu Makeover
BY SAM DANLEY
Here’s how one casual-dining chain is unleashing its creativity with a fresh LTO platform.
HISTORICALLY, CHUY’S HAS SHIED away from limited-time offerings. That started changing around 18 months ago, when the Tex-Mex chain rolled out a Macho Burrito, Pork Boom-Boom Enchiladas, and Fried Chicken Tacos. They were the first offerings under its new Chuy’s Knockouts (cko) platform.
The three items blew past expectations, thanks in part to a marketing push with a heavy emphasis on digital media—everything from TikTok and organic influencer programs on Insta -
gram to Youtube videos and a promotional advertising partnership with DoorDash. They maintained strong sales during the entire six-week run and generated a strong enough tailwind that the company decided to start running similar promotions every quarter.
Before the CKO platform, Chuy’s LTO activity was mostly limited to its annual Green Chile Festival, featuring a special food and drink menu centered around green chiles picked fresh from the field in the midst of harvest. It also
TRADING OUT DAILY SPECIALS FOR CHUY’S KNOCKOUTS WAS THE LATEST STEP IN A BROADER EFFORT TO PAIR DOWN THE BRAND’S OFFERINGS AND STREAMLINE KITCHEN OPERATIONS. THE PLATFORM ALSO SERVES AS A TOOL TO OPTIMIZE ITS REGULAR MENU TO DRIVE MORE RESTAURANT TRAFFIC.
had a Daily Specials Program that chief culinary and procurement officer John Mountford says was challenging to manage across the brand’s footprint, which spans roughly 100 stores across 16 states.
“We had 100 different restaurants with 100 different daily specials,” Mountford says. “It was very problematic to continue that. It was cumbersome and awkward for us to put that together on a weekly to daily basis.”
Trading out its Daily Specials Program for CKOs was the latest step in a broader
effort to pair down the brand’s offerings and streamline kitchen operations.
“We’ve always had good menu disciplines, but it just slowly crept up over the years as we added things here and there,” Mountford says. “We got to the point where we had a menu that was in the high 50s in terms of the number of items. Then COVID came around, and as a necessity, we had to take a harder
“We have a unique opportunity to stay in our lane and make sure that we protect this concept without trying to be everything to everybody.”
small batches,” Mountford says. “Now, we’re doing a little more pre-breading ahead of time, still offering fresh products and making them from scratch everyday, but taking some of that prep to the back of the house as opposed to doing it in the moment on the line.” The platform has continued to perform well, with Chuy’s launching plenty of tacos and burritos as CKO items, along with enchiladas, which he says “tend to be the star of the show.” Some highlights include Veggie Enchiladas and Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, a rework of an old daily special.
“We’ve had some fun with it, too,” Mountford says. “We did something called the Cheesy Pig Burrito with roasted pork, mac and cheese, BBQ sauce, and crispy fried onions. It might not make it to the menu ever, but it was certainly fun to put it out there and garner some folks to give it a try. The CKOs are a way to get something out there that’s new and fresh and exciting, something that grabs somebody off the street that might be a new customer. And if it drives my current customer in one more time a month, then I think it was successful.”
Chuy’s also is using the platform as a tool to optimize its regular menu to further drive traffic to its restaurants. As an example, it added Burrito Bowls to its permanent lineup last fall after a successful CKO run earlier in the year.
“We want to make sure we can branch out, broaden our offerings, and do wider tests for items that
could end up back on the menu one day to replace some of the lower performers,” Mountford says.
To experiment with new items, Chuy’s divides its footprint into four groups, with each group having a store that runs tests in between CKOs. It uses those stores as the proving ground for future LTOs that someday could make their way to its regular menu.
“We’ve got a variety of places where we can spread our wings a little bit and test how far we can get outside of the wheelhouse of the normal menu without dipping our toes into that sea of casual dining,” Mountford says. “R&D is a moving target. It’s a constant effort of trying to find the dart that’s going to hit the bullseye.”
The team has to make a lot of pitches to get something that’s going to make it to the menu, he adds. “We have a unique opportunity to stay in our lane and make sure that we protect this concept without trying to be everything to everybody,” Mountford says. “When you do that, you end up being nothing to nobody. It’s very easy to get swayed into trying to add menu items that you think you might be getting the veto vote on. We have to be very careful to make sure we’re very disciplined in our approach and staying true to who we are.”
look at things quicker than we normally would have. So, we simplified some of the items to come out of this thing with a version of the menu that was much easier to run and much easier to execute.”
The company ended up with around 42 menu items and has hovered around the same range since then. It also worked to whittle its heavy fry station down to a few less items to improve the back-ofhouse flow.
“We had a lot of items that were breaded throughout the day to order in
Chuy’s has also explored a barbell approach, introducing higher-priced CKOs like Braised Short Ribs, which became the platform’s second most successful item to date. That paved the way for other premium offerings, such as Shrimp and Crab Enchiladas with Lobster Bisque Sauce.
Going forward, CKOs will continue to be a culinary testing ground for Chuy’s, but Mountford says the company will remain committed to that streamlined menu it achieved a few years back.
“I think you have to create items that have a hook,” he adds. “You have to create items that people will drive across town for. There’s only so many proteins, and there’s only so many categories out there you can run. You have to have stuff that is signature and different from the masses.”
TRENDS AND CREATIVE APPROACHES TO SPIRITS, WINE, AND BEER.
MENTIONED IN THIS STORY COJE MANAGEMENT GROUP • ADRIFT TIKI BAR • SHORE CLUB
The Shared Cocktails Craze Liquid Intelligence
BY KRISTEN KUCHAR
Large-format cocktails are transforming group dining experiences.
DINING OUT WITH A GROUP of friends and family means enjoying a collective experience. Outside of simply partaking in the meal together, guests often opt to split an appetizer for the table, appreciate communal tapas, and
RESTAURANT OPERATORS CONSIDERING INCORPORATING SHARED COCKTAILS TO THEIR MENU SHOULD NOT FOREGO THE VITAL VISUAL ELEMENT. ALL OF THE SHARED COCKTAILS AT ADRIFT HAVE A FIRE ELEMENT TO THEM, FOR EXAMPLE. THEATRICALITY IS KEY.
order family style. Large-format cocktails designed for multiple guests are a trending way to carry that collaborative element into the beverage part of the meal. The concept isn’t new by any means; enjoying bottles of wines,
LIQUID INTELLIGENCE
pitchers of beer and margaritas, and punch bowls is a staple of many celebrations.
Max Goin, bar manager at Adrift Tiki Bar in Denver, says shared cocktails are all about the whole experience of being there with other people and enjoying the moment together. Partaking in a group cocktail is more of a joint experience than each guest simply ordering their own unique individual cocktail, Goin says, and becomes a mutual story among the guests.
Besides groups of friends enjoying these beverages, Goin says the two-person cocktails are often a popular option for duos on a date together or celebrating
an anniversary. “Couples can enjoy that moment together,” he says. The shared cocktails rotate at Adrift and three varieties are featured at a time: options for a two-person, four-person, and eightperson cocktail.
Adrift’s top seller is a Painkillerinspired cocktail, Ta Kill Ya Pain, which is a blend of tequila, fruitful coconut liqueur, housemade coconut cream, and pineapple, orange, and lime juice. During the presentation—complete with a captivating fire show—the beverage also gets dusted with cinnamon. The feedback from guests on these cocktails, Goin says, is overwhelmingly positive. “It’s almost like they don’t want it to end,” he says. “They want to keep enjoying the moment.”
In a similar fashion to how groups of diners gather to order multiple plates
“Never lessen your establishments’ standards just to serve a big drink. Quality ingredients and balance will always win over a guest. The rest should be for fun.”
and partake in the food together, cocktails can provide the same experience, Goin says. At Shore Club in Chicago, the food menu is specifically designed to be experienced by the entire party, so shared cocktails are an ideal fit.
Shore Club managing partner Robbie Schloss says these larger cocktails are a popular option for those coming in to socialize; it’s a conversation starter.
“There’s something to be said to the comradery and doing something together,” Schloss says, adding that the guests are creating memories with their friends and loved ones they will continue to look back on. Everyone is sharing their cocktail experience, enjoying the same flavors at the same time, and giving feedback on what they are drinking, he says.
JOSH
JAMISON (2)
MINDFUL ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION WITH SHARED COCKTAILS IS A CRUCIAL ELEMENT TO HAVING THEM ON THE MENU. STAFF NEED TO ENSURE IF SOMEONE ORDERS A COCKTAIL MEANT FOR FOUR, THERE AREN’T JUST TWO PEOPLE AT THE TABLE.
LIQUID INTELLIGENCE
Ray Tremblay, beverage director of Boston-based COJE Management Group, says the inspiration to offer communal cocktails comes from wanting to make socializing more fun and memorable. “Shared cocktails get everyone involved, turning drinking into a more interactive and enjoyable experience,” he says. By serving cocktails in this way, the hope is to create a lively and inclusive atmosphere that makes every outing a little more special, he adds. COJE’s concepts
the final product they are receiving still looks great,” he says, advising operators to consider how the cocktail is served, getting split up, and the end result.
It’s evident of the value of the aesthetic component. Schloss says in the event that a restaurant runs out of the unique vessels that the drink is being served in, since they are in limited quantity, guests are willing to wait as opposed to opting for standard glassware. They want the experience of ladling the cock-
“Be approachable so it is shareable across multiple palates and preferences.”
run the gamut from Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar, Peruvian-Asian spot RUKA, and supper club Yvonne’s, to nightlife destinations like Mariel and Underground, which channels the raucous and rebellious spirit of the Cuban Revolution.
With restaurant goers loving to take photos to relive and share their experience, over-the-top cocktails make a fun shareable moment on social media. Since there is a large aesthetic and visual component to these cocktails, Schloss recommends considering the garnishes and to be aware of how the drink is traveling from the shared vessel to each individual glass for every guest. “It’s important to think how do we go that extra mile so
tail along with the opportunity for a fun photo, he adds.
That theatricality is key when it comes to shared drinks, Tremblay says, pointing to incorporating elements such as garnishes, lights, and fire served in punch bowls and crystal decanters. “This should be one of those items that creates a scene as it’s carried through the dining room,” he says.
Goin also agrees that those considering incorporating shared cocktails to their menu should not forego the vital visual element. “We make our punch bowls look like artwork,” Goin says. “We like to push our creative elements.” All of the shared cocktails at Adrift have a
fire element to them.
But in addition to the outside appearance for each cocktail, Goin stresses the importance of also serving a high-quality cocktail.
For Schloss, that great tasting drink means serving a cocktail that is balanced with distinct flavors, but not too much on a specific flavor. He recommends not going too far in any direction—not overly sweet, spicy, or smokey, for example. “Be approachable so it is shareable across multiple palates and preferences,” he says.
Another important element in a group cocktail is the perfect amount of ice. “It’s definitely important to balance the amount of ice to keep it cold without watering it down,” Schloss says.
Shore Club has used a variety of spirits within shared cocktails such as tequila, gin, vodka, prosecco, cham pagne; while tending to avoid higher proof spirits, such as bourbon and Scotch whisky. Mindful alcohol con sumption with these cocktails is a cru cial element to having them on the menu. Schloss says it’s important for res taurants to be aware of alcohol consump tion, being cautious and not overserving. Staff need to ensure if someone orders a cocktail meant for four, there are not just two people at the table, Schloss says. Marketing these shared cocktails via social media could be a way to draw in customers. “We have plenty of guests come in and pull out their phones while pointing to pictures or videos of the large-format cocktails and ask specifi cally for them,” Tremblay says.
Tremblay’s advice to restaurants is to create a drink that can be enjoyable for many different palates with famil iar ingredients and balanced flavors. “Have fun with it and don’t get too eso teric,” he says. One recommendation is to consider batching these cocktails to save time during the busy pushes of the dinner rush, depending on the serves.
“Shared cocktails are a fun and engag ing experience, but never lessen your establishments’ standards just to serve a big drink,” Tremblay adds. “Quality ingredients and balance will always win over a guest. The rest should be for fun.”
BY DANNY KLEIN
Red Robin The Rebirth of
G.J. HART
knew he was in trouble. He had retired from Torchy’s Tacos in early November 2021, and, within a few months, calls began to come in. Would he consider becoming a CEO again? While not unexpected—Hart’s 35-plus-year career included top roles at Texas Roadhouse and California Pizza Kitchen—his answer confirmed what he knew deep down: He had never really hung it up.
“I said, ‘Well, I’ll never say never,’” Hart says with a laugh. “As soon I said that, I realized, OK.” Hart sat on Red Robin’s board of directors since August 2019. The initial reason he joined was a measure of competitive respect. When Texas Roadhouse was a young, challenger brand in 2004, Hart helped guide it through an initial public offering. Red Robin was one of the casualdining sector’s trailblazers on this front when it did so two years earlier.
Yet beyond laying an IPO trail for Texas Roadhouse to follow, there were traits of the 1969-founded burger brand Hart long admired. It wasn’t a restaurant Where’s Waldo. The brand was easy to spot for value, food, and family strength as it rolled to 500 or so units across America. And its local-store marketing was the envy of peers. “I always thought of it as, ‘Gosh, it’s a fun place to go have lunch or dinner,’” Hart recalls during his Texas Roadhouse days, where he served as president, CEO, and board member from 2004 to 2011, watching it scale from 60 units to north of 450. “The brand knew exactly where they were positioned and did it extremely well.”
The category icon is winning again with new leadership and a ‘North Star’ plan that puts the customer first.
RED ROBIN
So when Red Robin began looking for Paul Murphy’s replacement (he was retiring) in the summer of 2022, Hart expressed interest. Board chair David Pace, a former Jamba CEO who also came onboard in 2019, said they “quickly determined” Hart fit.
About eight weeks later, it became clear what Hart had in mind.
Drift and Return
At the 2023 ICR Conference in Orlando, Red Robin reeled a video with the song lyrics, “Are you ready for the comeback?” It was the same event five years earlier
favor of teaching at home restaurants.
And this switched as guest satisfaction scores and revenues had begun to soften going back to 2017. The brand previously exceeded the casual-dining average on the former until about 2015. Sliding food quality and labor reductions began to turn that line, Hart says—consumer facing and internally. That 2017 calendar, with 566 restaurants, Red Robin earned $1.39 billion in sales. It dipped to $1.34 billion in 2018. A year later, it went to $1.32 billion.
Although there were multiple stressors at work, the 2018 busser call, Hart says, is the one that fully triggered the
when the brand informed investors it had a strategy to counter rising wage costs and save millions. Red Robin was going to eliminate the role of busboys and expeditors and cut the kitchen manager position to become more generalists within the restaurant. Servers would now clean tables and take on additional section duties. The expo station became less important as well, and Red Robin removed a certified training center in
drift. It was a vivid departure from Red Robin’s “unbridled” DNA late CEO Michael Snyder fostered, and which still is listed on the chain’s website as “Unbridled Generosity,” or providing “boundless kindness, abundance in service, and a ‘do-whatever-it-takes’ attitude and hospitality.” That summer, the company reported what it termed a “blinking red light.” Dine-in traffic sank, and 75 percent of it—across a single quarter—
‘‘ You have to connect first in somebody’s heart. You have to give them a reason to believe, and then give them a reason to visit. I firmly believe that people don’t go buy brands on discount they don’t like.”
RED ROBIN
dropped from peak hours. Walkaways soared 850 basis points. Ticket times out of the kitchen, as well as wait times, climbed a minute on average. Two factors collided: One, off-premises expansion (an industry-wide revelation those days) drove complexity into Red Robin’s system, and the brand wasn’t staffed to handle it. Hosts raced to serve carryout and third-party delivery orders and left walk-in guests idling in the lobby.
However, the other drag related to the busser decision, which had hoped to cut $8 million and soften labor pressure. What happened instead was guests showed up and joined a testy crowd. It wasn’t always a result of the restaurant simply being crowded; there was a queue of not-yet-cleaned tables stalling turns.
Hart says the approach wasn’t communicated well within Red Robin, either. “It wasn’t really understood,” he says. “And, of course, when you make a decision like that it affects everybody.”
A host of fixes and path swerves, from training to expanded staffing to tech -
nology to a “TGX” (total guest experience) model with an emphasis on runners, worked to address the concerns in the coming years. Hart found, although improving, more than 10 percent of Red Robin’s guests in 2022 reported waiting more than 15 minutes to be seated. CFO Todd Wilson adds the brand would see this metric pop randomly on a Wednesday afternoon, not just surge Friday nights. Why was Red Robin on waits? Was it because the brand was at capacity? Or was it something else?
Red Robin and Hart worked to staff properly again versus merely raising numbers. It put training programs back and materials in place to execute a more traditional setup.
It was a reset in running great restaurants, and it was just beginning.
The North Star
Hart says the 2018 busser call got expounded by some leadership changes and other disruptions. All told, long-ten-
ured employees were affected, and you started to see churn. “There was a lot of turmoil that was created as a result of some of those decisions,” he says.
So where to begin in the aftermath?
Hart went right on tour once he became CEO. He met executives (as wide-ranging as Red Robin’s first president from 44 years ago), visited stores, and dug into the business. One of the realities of Red Robin and its decades-long history is there are employees who have been there a while, whether it’s at the store level or otherwise. And those who stuck it out, he says, had a consensus of belief in Red Robin. They wanted to understand the decisions and for Hart to see how they manifested in the day-to-day.
“I would tell you, in large part,” Hart says, “it was more around how do we get back to giving the experience we used to? How do we go back to quality food?”
“This wasn’t done in some ivory tower,” he adds. “This was done by talking to people." Before getting into some of the sweeping changes, Hart had to begin
‘‘ While Red Robin has done an amazing job in terms of being creative and innovative and mixing and taking unique flavor profiles and presenting it uniquely, they hadn’t really changed the cooking process. And that was surprising to me.”
RED ROBIN
RED ROBIN
with Red Robin’s bones. In a casual-dining business, he says, you must have good coverage and a complement of managers to be able to run a restaurant. And when you go from kitchen and service managers and GMs to, at the time, just the GM and assistant GM and hourlies, it creates a major chasm. How can you operate, teach, hire, train, open, close, and so on?
“So they had to figure it out,” Hart says. These crews got resourceful and managed. But it wasn’t exactly at the benefit of the brand and/or the customer. It was more survival for the sake of drawing another breath than creating an operating environment other restaurants would study, like Hart did at Texas Roadhouse all those years prior.
And there was clear visibility, if done right, Red Robin could still work. Hart says he had never seen such a dramatic flip from top- to bottom-quartile performance. The upper tier had 38 percent higher same-store sales, 32 percent better traffic, and was winning on guest satisfaction levels by 7 percent. One staple: longer-tenured managers. That offered hope you could take the pulse of.
Management turnover improved 5 percent in 2023 compared to the prior year. Hart believes that’s a sign store-level employees are buying into Red Robin’s newfound direction.
Red Robin also of late revamped its market-partner compensation program for multi-unit operators. It’s a structure not unlike what’s practiced at brands like Texas Roadhouse or Outback Steakhouse in its early days, where people who lead restaurants also view themselves as owners. Red Robin rewards partners based on profits.
Returning to the wider picture, though, Hart does a tour every year to visit managers, or what the company labels “Rallies.” These are listening exchanges, but they’re also opportunities to be transparent on what’s happening at Red Robin and what needs to change. The first one, he recalls, earned Hart some respect because he was able to go through, from 2018 to present, the challenges of being a restaurant GM. He’d see heads nod and people say, “somebody understands what the hell we’ve been going through,” Hart remembers. “And so that, I think, helped us to start to formulate the plan and get these folks behind it.”
A full-fledged, five-point “North Star” plan was unveiled in January 2023 (also at the ICR Conference). The first tenet, as noted, was to become an operations-focused restaurant group. Nothing else would work if the foundation didn’t support the ambition.
That 10 percent alarm from before? By May 2023, it was down to 2 percent. Guest times and “false waits” declined substantiality, Hart says, and customer satisfaction scores were up 5 percentage points over 2022. Red Robin broke 700 sales records in Q1 2023, and that’s not a typo.
Part two of the North Star blueprint was to elevate guest experiences, from employee investment to food quality to restaurant facilities, a new cooking platform, and a menu refresh. Additionally, a modified service model where servers can focus intently on fewer tables.
IF YOU OR YOUR COMPANY PURCHASED FOODSERVICE-SIZE PACKAGED TUNA PRODUCTS (40-OZ OR LARGER) FROM DOT FOODS, SYSCO, US FOODS, SAM’S CLUB, WAL-MART, OR COSTCO BETWEEN JUNE 1, 2011 AND DECEMBER 31, 2016, YOU MAY BE AFFECTED BY A CLASS ACTION
What Is This About?
The lawsuit, known as In re: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 15-MD-2670-DMS (MSB), was filed in the United States District Court, Southern District of California. The person who sued are the “Plaintiffs” or “class representatives” and the company they sued, StarKist Co. and its parent company Dongwon Industries Co. Ltd (collectively “StarKist”), and Bumble Bee Foods, LLC (“Bumble Bee”) and Lion Capital (Americas), Inc. (“Lion America”) (collectively the “Non-Settling Defendants”). The CFP lawsuit alleges that the StarKist and Lion Defendants, along with previously settled COSI Defendants, conspired to fix, raise, and maintain the prices of Packaged Tuna Products and that this resulted in purchasers paying more for these products than they otherwise would have. StarKist and Lion Defendants deny any liability but have agreed to two Settlements to avoid the time and expense of litigation.
Who Is A Class Member?
You are a Class Member if you: (1) Indirectly purchased foodservice-size packaged tuna products, 40 ounces or greater, manufactured by the Defendants and purchased directly from DOT Foods, Sysco, US Foods, Sam’s Club, WalMart, or Costco between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2016, and (2) Resided in the District of Columbia and the states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
What Does The Settlement provide?
StarKist Defendants have agreed to pay $3,600,000 and Lion Defendants have agreed to pay $275,000 into a Settlement Fund to pay valid Class Member claims, and it will be used to pay for notice and Settlement Administration costs and expenses, Settlement Class Counsel fees and expenses, and Settlement Class Representative Service Award.
What Are My Rights?
• Do Nothing: (1) If you received a postcard showing your qualifying purchase value : You do not need to resubmit a claim form, you will receive a payment based on your purchases. (2) If you received a postcard, but it does not show a qualifying purchase value : You must submit a claim form to receive money from the settlements. If you do not file a claim, you will not get payment and will have no right to sue later for the claims released by the Settlements.
• File a Claim or Dispute: (1) You must file a claim by August 30, 2024, with proof of purchases, to receive any money from the Settlement. (2) You do not need to file a claim if you received a postcard that shows your purchase values from DOT or US Foods. (3) If you received a postcard showing your qualifying purchase value but disagree with the listed value, you may file a dispute and provide documentation of additional claims by August 30, 2024. (4) If you received a postcard showing that you do not have any qualifying purchase value and you wish to participate, then you must file a Claim online or by mail postmarked by August 30, 2024
• Object: You may write to the Court about any aspect of either Settlement. You must submit a written objection postmarked by August 30, 2024. You remain in the Settlements and can submit a claim for money.
The Court will hold a hearing on November 15, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, before the Honorable Dana Sabraw, in the James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep United States Courthouse, 333 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101 in Courtroom 13A at 1:30 pm. The Court will hear any objections, determine if the Settlements are fair, and consider Plaintiffs’ request for fees and expenses. Plaintiffs intend to ask for up to one-third of the Settlement Fund to cover attorneys’ fees and expenses only related to these Settlements, up to $700,000 for reimbursement of notice and settlement administration expenses, and up to $5,000 to each Class Representative. You or your own lawyer, if you have one, may ask to appear and speak at the hearing at your own cost, but you do not have to. Motions for attorneys fees and costs will be posted on the website after they are filed. This hearing date may change without written notice. Visit www.PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPClass.com or the Court docket on Public Access to Court Electronic Records PACER (http://www.pacer.gov) for the most current information.
This is only a summary. Visit www.PackagedSeafoodAntitrustCFPClass.com, call 1-833-927-0821 or write: Packaged Seafood Products Antitrust Litigation – CFP Class, c/o Settlement Administration, P.O. Box 5324, New York, NY 10150-5324 for additional information and details about the Settlements.
Let’s pause here. Red Robin’s market standing is right in its name: “Gourmet Burgers.” And yet, the brand was essentially using a fast-food piece of belt-driven equipment. You’d put a patty down, it would go through the machine, come out the other side, and get finished on a charbroiler. “Then, out they’d go,” Hart says. He adds, from what he could gather at least, it was done to ensure consistency and speed way back. “And if you think about how the burger category has changed and the number of players and the quality levels and all that stuff, I was a little surprised,” Hart says. “While Red Robin has done an amazing job in terms of being creative and innovative and mixing and taking unique flavor profiles and presenting it uniquely, they hadn’t really changed the cooking process. And that was surprising to me. Really surprising.”
When Hart thinks of “gourmet burgers,” he imagines a flat top. That’s how
you lock in flavor profiles, he says. Also, the yield is better versus the conveyor belt, so the presentation on the plate follows suit.
Red Robin said the switch delivered guests a 20 percent larger and juicier burger. The flat tops were tested in Q1 2023. A full, systemwide rollout began that April and fully covered midway through the year. It happened in a 90-day window. It was hardly a singular decision. The flat-tops cascaded change through restaurants. They reduced repair, maintenance, and clean costs (the company estimated this at $2 million). But more holistically, it was a culture beacon.
Last February, Hart brought over Brian Sullivan as VP of culinary and beverage innovation. Sullivan had spent 34 years at California Pizza Kitchen. Hart was there from 2011 to 2018, responsible for the “Next Chapter” of growth agenda that introduced a fresh, contemporary look, new menu, and service
model centered on per-store average sales and profitability.
Sullivan, who’s authored three cookbooks on California cuisine and pizzas, recalls walking into the Red Robin test kitchen at its Denver HQ. It needed to be painted, cleaned, and rearranged. But he agrees it had to begin with the flat tops. “The amount of pride that came into restaurants just exploded,” he says of the move. “We brought pride back in.”
What followed was an ingredientby-ingredient dissection of what had gone astray. The chain switched from using a frozen pre-vetted chicken breast to freshly hand-battering inrestaurant—a change that created nearly $5 million in annual savings. The bacon previously was thin and cooked in a microwave. Strips are now thicker to preserve flavor. It took Sullivan a bit to put his finger on what was off, but the mayonnaise (a base for so many Red Robin sauces) needed to be replaced with a higherquality offering. That change can’t be understated, he says. Pineapples were
BRIAN SULLIVAN, WHO PREVIOUSLY SPENT 34 YEARS AT CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN, JOINED RED ROBIN LAST FEBRUARY AS VP OF CULINARY AND BEVERAGE INNOVATION. SINCE THEN, HE HAS SPEARHEADED MAJOR UPGRADES ACROSS THE CHAIN'S FOOD AND BEVERAGE OFFERINGS.
coming out of a can. Tomatoes. Pickles. Ketchup. Mustard. Sullivan says it was both overwhelming and alluring how much of the playbook was in tatters.
Red Robin brought in fresh, handprepped ingredients like smashed avocado seasoned with chili flakes and a squeeze of fresh lime on a new Smashed Avocado N’ Bacon Burger, fresh grilled pineapple on its Banzai, vine-ripened tomatoes, and a new brioche bun.
In plain terms, Red Robin’s burger chefs got back to “real cooking.” The chain also moved away from wrapping burgers in wax paper and started to place them in a basket to highlight new plateware.
In-store preparation anchored down, too, as Red Robin vacated virtual brands in early 2023 and abandoned deep-discounting marketing.
The big reveal came in October with a new lineup of 20-plus improved burgers. Also, the burger relaunch ran alongside Red Robin’s introduction of updated
entrees (like Whiskey River BBQ Ribs), appetizers, beverages, and seasonal additions Hart says provided optionality within menu categories capable of driving check.
Overall, Red Robin enhanced about 85 percent of its menu. The bar was upgraded, too, layering in higher-quality, recognizable brands while also improving margarita mix with fresh lime juice and agave.
Hart shares the brand surveyed loyalty users afterward and 52 percent indicated burgers were better. Fifty-four percent agreed food quality had improved, up from 46 percent, quarter-over-quarter, and nearly 60 percent felt service and hospitality were better—a noticeable climb from 48 percent. And Wilson adds there had been a substantial jump in the number of new guests coming to Red Robin’s website. A reflection of fresh customers, and perhaps lapsed ones, were returning to see what’s changed.
The Breadth of Evolution
When Hart joined the board at Red Robin, he says the menu was “humongous.” It then shrank through COVID, as was the case for most chains. But there were three levels of burgers defined by quality. “Finest” was the premium tier. Hart says guests didn’t quite understand the difference. As things recalibrated and Sullivan fine-tuned the revamp, it was more about totality and creating a lineup that promoted quality throughout.
Hart was a big proponent of implementing a stronger barbell menu approach at Red Robin that would serve as a value entry point for some, yet also showcase options to encourage exploration.
“A big component is about going back to how do we differentiate within casual dining and that space that I talked about that I admired,” he says, “where Red Robin knew exactly who they were— family friendly, a lot of fun, great hospitality, great food, reasonable price. No one’s really filled that gap in casual dining, if you think about it. They really
haven’t. So why not go back and try to do that, but do it relevant for today? That is where we’ve been headed—to provide an experience that is differentiated.”
The heyday of Red Robin was, naturally, burger centric. Yet it was also about extending a “total barbell” strategy that encompasses other categories (“Tavern” is the value side for the brand). Hart noticed every appetizer on the menu was fried. Part of October’s effort included options like Crispy Parmesan Brussels Sprouts and Panko-breaded Tsunami Shrimp (tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce). Red Robin worked on salads as well. “I think [the barbell] has really helped us in today’s world of choice,” Hart says. “That’s one thing. But the other is just from a value perception perspective. Menu engineering is important. And if you just lead with your chin, burgers are what you do and that’s all that’s on your menu, it’s a little bit harder to disguise what’s going on with menu pricing. So we’ve done all that. We’re still trying to figure out what’s the optimum approach, but we’ve made great progress.”
An example, going back to the decision to slice discounting, is there was a 2022 second-half combo meal deal that hit national media with a burger, bottomless side, and non-alcoholic beverage for $10—a 30-40 percent discount to retail prices. That spiked traffic and sales but created economics that were “quite penalizing,” to profitability. Red Robin’s present approach courts more sustainable and healthier gains through targeted offers and a barbell that inspires trial and then offers a chance to ladder up or return for more.
Interestingly, however, on this journey, something Hart came to understand was customers didn’t necessarily know Red Robin for burgers. Or at the least, it’s not always the first thing they say.
What surfaces is fun, family, and, importantly, “bottomless.”
Hart says research revealed serious runway with the latter. Customers generally associated Red Robin’s never-ending platform with fries, and fries alone. At this point, though, there are 30 items on
RED ROBIN
the menu a guest can order over and over, if they wanted to. If you went around and asked people if they realized that, Hart says, you’d likely get a few blank stares. “In the sea of what’s going on today, that’s the huge value proposition that we never really have done a great job with explaining it to the consumer,” Hart says. Erasing the veto vote is crucial to Red Robin’s soul as a brand. Hart says it got lost a bit on its way to trying to become a “polished casual” concept—campaigns around date night, and things of that ilk. That brand transformation just wasn’t who Red Robin needed to be. “The family component is very important to us,” Hart says.
The remaining three portions of the North Star plan aim for eliminating costs and complexity (optimizing supply chain and evaluating vendors); improving customer engagement (engage with communities, enhance off-premises, and build rewards program); and fueling revenue and profitability. It’s a multi-year lens that’s still early innings, all things considered. One thing is about to change, however: “Now, we have to scream from a mountaintop,” Hart says.
A Bottomless Well of Opportunity
CMO Kevin Mayer has a unique calling card at Red Robin: He’s one of the few new executive hires who didn’t work with Hart at a prior shop.
Mayer, the former marketing chief at BJ’s Restaurants, who previously spent his career mostly on the automotive side (he ran Subaru advertising at one point), came across the opportunity through a recruiter and met with Hart. Within 15 minutes, he says, they decided to get together in Vegas, where Hart was traveling. Mayer flew out and they connected on the future. Hart was
looking for a business-minded marketer who was numbers oriented, but with a brand and transformation background. Mayer was on the ground level of BJ’s evolution from a regional category player to a nationally recognized one, efforts that included one of the best retention programs in the industry and record levels of familiarity and brand love that contributed to nine straight quarters of same-store traffic growth over the category.
When Mayer got to Red Robin last May, the brand was well into its ingredient transformation. He says it was probably a nine-month-or-so process trying to understand where the opportunity was, and then working to accelerate and take the lid off. That’s where Red Robin is today. “We went into a thing I call, ‘Brand Essence,’” Mayer says. “Me as a marketer, I really need to understand what is the magic sauce a brand has? Even a brand like Red Robin that maybe lost its way for a number of years, there are still people who go to Red Robin today 90 times a year. So who are they? Why do they love this brand so much and what do they have in common?”
Mayer calls these commonalities “the chromosome.” What it paints is a consumer profile that spans the demographic map. They may not even know about Red Robin or have considered trying the restaurant. Mayer identified this core target as the “spirited individualist.” They’re somebody involved in the community, with friends, who eat out often for occasions, and are into the idea of living life in a fun way. Restaurants can play a vital part.
“The indulgent side of our restaurants is something they really love,” he says. And so going back to Hart’s point around bottomless, Mayer wanted to do something he didn’t think many, if any, casual brands were attempting in
today’s landscape—to connect with people on human terms.
“What we found is there were people looking for more fun in the experience,” he says. “So as you think about Red Robin over the decades and the fun and the decorations on the walls, the brand position, it was a position that hadn’t really been filled when we walked away from it a decade ago. So it’s just crystalizing it now.”
This is going to unfold in stages, but the tagline will, as Hart says, be shouted through a megaphone: “Leave Room for Fun.” The campaign includes videos, digital and social assets, and a fresh design system. A recent spot, “Red Robin Fun Guy” features an adult hanging out with a child-like version of himself—at the park, basketball court, karate, riding a shopping cart—until they’re eventually dining together at Red Robin and tossing food across the table. The restaurant itself doesn’t show up until the 23rd second of a 30-second spot.
It's a lesson, Mayer says, brought over from the car world where you “have to connect first in somebody’s heart.”
“You have to give them a reason to believe, and then give them a reason to visit,” he says. “I firmly believe that people don’t go buy brands on discount they don’t like.”
It started with better burgers and ingredients. And then, it moved to bottomless. Red Robin hosted a campaign at the beginning of the year called “Bottomlessly Yours” that was a love letter of sorts for guests. And now, “Leave Room for Fun” will take it a step further and be all encompassing. Bottomless, better ingredients, Mayer says, all fit into this message, which he believes will direct the company for years to come.
“We’re very optimistic with how this is going to happen for our guests,” he says.
METHODOLOGY: The FSR Top 30 Report was created in partnership with Datassential and its annual Datassential Top 500, which ranks the largest restaurant chains in the U.S. Chain operators were invited to share unit and systemwide sales figures, and Datassential supplemented those numbers with data from its analytics platforms, including and especially the Datassential Operators platform, as well as Concept Testing and Brand Performance. Publicly available brand data from securities filings, investor research, and franchise disclosures also informed Datassential estimates. Where specific chain information was not available, estimates were made based on growth rates seen in the industry overall and among similar chains.
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Restaurants : Setting America’s Table
AUGUST 2024 // Sandwiches and Deli Meat
Trending on the Menu
Create menu items that are affordable for operators and customers.
BY YA’EL MCLOUD
STORY // 34 New Preferences DATA // 38 By the Numbers
Slice of
Remaining Competitive on Everything from Flavor to Price
Operators have a million choices; here’s an easy one to simplify operations.
Quality is at the forefront of everything for restaurant operators and chefs, but with labor constraints and inflation, it is increasingly difficult to maintain. Today’s consumers demand quality food at affordable prices, creating a competitive environment forcing operators to carefully consider every dollar spent.
Sandwiches, a menu staple, exemplify this balance perfectly. They can
be a high-quality food item that meets consumer expectations without being expensive to serve, making them an ideal choice for operators and diners.
“Prices are high for traditional entrées. If customers want to buy a steak or a grilled chicken breast as part of an entrée, it’s no less than $30 anymore,” says Chef Barry Greenberg, corporate chef at Hormel Foodservice. “A sandwich is always an easy way out money-wise.”
The simple versatility and customization of sandwiches make it an easy and affordable choice for operators and consumers. To keep sandwiches innovative, operators need to explore the different types of protein. When deciding between raw or pre-cooked, flavor, cuts, and preparation time are all important factors.
“It takes much more time and skill to prepare deli meats from raw in-house and achieve the desired results. From
GET MORE DELI VARIETY
WHETHER BASED ON PRICE, FUNCTION OR EVEN YOUR PERSONAL VALUES, THERE’S A SANDWICH MEAT FOR YOUR MENU.
FIND THE RIGHT MEATS FOR YOU
purchasing and receiving the right sandwich product to handling it properly, and getting the production schedule right, there’s a lot involved.” Greenberg says. “Many operators simply don’t have this extra time back of house and use bulk or sliced deli meats from foodservice manufacturers. This allows operators to focus their team’s time on other revenue-generating activities like signature condiments, sandwich toppings and sides.”
Hormel Foodservice includes a fleet of deli meats ensuring every sandwich has the perfect flavor and texture. Operators can rely on Hormel Foodservice for consistency and quality. Chef Barry points out that when using deli meat from Hormel Foodservice, ideal inventory and storage will be easier to maintain. Protein is key, but operators and chefs should focus on other parts of a sandwich that require less labor.
Operators can trust Hormel Foodservice’s quality because customers already do. With brands ranging from the COLUMBUS® Craft Meats to
APPLEGATE NATURALS® Deli Meats, NATURAL CHOICE®* Deli Meats, CURE 81® Ham and more, there’s a trusted brand option for any operator’s need.
The flavor possibilities of sandwiches are something operators should get excited about. Ingredients must stand out to impress customers. Examples of this can be seen through the virality of sandwiches like the Panuozzo, a pizza sandwich.
“Sandwiches are an easy way for a chef or a restaurant to put their stamp on a creative idea,” Greenberg says. “It’s super flexible and every component of a sandwich is customizable. Whether it’s the bread spread, or a funky cheese to go along with the protein.”
From the viral Panuozzo to the Rachel sandwich, which is a twist on the Reuben, it is obvious consumers crave the price point and experimentation sandwiches offer. This is balanced against the decision every operator must make to bring in protein raw, which is
high risk, or partner with companies like Hormel Foodservice which have the time and expertise to support operators and chefs through the ultra-competitive landscape. “Operators should take a hard look at their labor situation and storage when deciding between buying deli meat or roasting their own,” Greenberg says.
Kitchen efficiency is crucial for a successful restaurant. Hormel Foodservice strives to provide products that are easy to handle, store and prepare. From bulk to sliced, ready-to-use deli meats save valuable prep time, allowing kitchen staff to focus on essential tasks. Operational efficiency translates to faster service and happier customers.
“The pack sizes of our sliced products are easy to manipulate,” Greenberg says. “For example, some of our HORMEL® Deli Sliced products come in one-and-ahalf to two-pound packages. Even if you open the package and only use a portion, it minimizes the risk of losing product.”
Hormel Foodservice brings quality products to the table and offers valuable market insights to help restaurants stay ahead of trends. With a deep understanding of consumer preferences, the Hormel Foodservice direct sales team partners with operators to develop menus that resonate with their target audience. This approach ensures that restaurants are not only meeting current demands but also anticipating future trends.
Finding a partner to help with difficult decisions on labor, food waste management, and flavor innovation ensures restaurants remain competitive and continue to capture consumers’ spending dollars. Offering a clear variety of price options with classics like deli sandwiches allows restaurants to stay lucrative through challenging times.
“Any flavor profile operators can think of, we’re either doing it, have done it or can do it for you,” Greenberg says. “We consider size and shape in all our products. Flavor is what people actually buy, but we also account for other factors. We can find something that will work for any menu ideation.”
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Sandwich and Deli Meat Trends
A FEW KEY INSIGHTS FROM DATASSENTIAL ON SANDWICHES AND DELI MEATS
• Consumers are increasingly seeking complex flavor profiles highlighting unexpected pairings with highquality ingredients for a reasonable price.
• There is a growing consumer demand for diverse and authentic culinary experiences.
• 77 percent of consumers like or love cold-cut sandwiches showing a continued interest in classic cold sandwiches that are affordable and easy accessible.
• Chicken’s menu penetration for sandwiches continues to dominate at 84%.
• Brisket as a sandwich topping has increased by +8.5%, indicating a trend toward price-conscious options that are rich and flavorful.
SANDWICH AND DELI MEAT TRENDS TO WATCH // COURTESY OF DATASSENTIAL
TURKEY A sweet and savory maple-flavored deli-style turkey.
CONSUMERS:
MENU EXAMPLE:
Mortadella and Maple Turkey: Mortadella and maple turkey with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on white bread.
Champignon Madison // NYC, NY
ITALIAN A warm sandwich featuring multiple deli meats like smoked turkey, salami, and pepperoni.
CONSUMERS:
MENU EXAMPLE:
Hot Italian Sandwich: a mouthwatering combination of ham, pepperoni, salami, sliced tomatoes, provolone cheese, tangy cherry pepper relish, and creamy mayo. Zoup! Fresh Soup Company // MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
MAPLE
HOT
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CONSUMERS:
RACHEL SANDWICH a lighter variation of the classic Reuben that features turkey and coleslaw, rather than the traditional corned beef and sauerkraut.
CONSUMERS:
MENU EXAMPLE:
Cold Cuts Banh Mi: teamed pork roll, jambon ham, pork head cheese, pork pate, mayo, cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrots and daikon, salt and pepper, jalapenos, and Maggi sauce.
Oh Mai // MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, UT
MENU EXAMPLE:
Rachel Sandwich: roasted turkey, sauerkraut, swiss, and thousand island dressing on marbled rye. includes a side and pickle spear.
Mcalister’s Deli // MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
MENU ADOPTION CYCLE: SANDWICHES AND DELI MEATS
INCEPTION Trends start here. Found in mostly fine-dining and ethnic independents, inception-stage trends exemplify originality in flavor, preparation, and presentation.
1. Burrata 2. Porchetta
ADOPTION Found at fast-casual and casual independent restaurants, adoption-stage trends grow their base via lower price points and simpler prep methods. Still differentiated, these trends often feature premium and generally authentic ingredients.
PROLIFERATION Proliferation-stage trends show up at casual and quick-service restaurants. They are adjusted for mainstream appeal. Often combined with popular applications (burgers, pastas, etc.), these trends have become familiar to many.
trends are found everywhere—these trends have reached maturity and can be found across all sectors of the food industry. Though often diluted by this point, their inception-stage roots are still recognizable.
1. Pork Belly 2. Smoked Salmon
4. UBIQUITY Ubiquity-stage
1. Ham 2. Roast Beef
3. Duck 4. Chimichurri 5. Seitan
1. Buttermilk Chicken 2. Pulled Chicken
3. Fresh Mozzarella 4. Brisket
3. Chorizo 4. Prosciutto
3. Turkey 4. Pastrami
5. Salami 6. Pulled Pork
FRIED BUTTERMILK CHICKEN SANDWICH
SMOKED SALMON
JAMPON A flaky pastry filled with cheese and diced ham.
Why You Should Add ‘Fish Wings’ to Your Menu
In addition to cost savings and providing more flexibility for those looking for alternative proteins on the menu, fish wings are also better for the planet.
I’LL ADMIT IT: as much as my beloved wife tries to stop me, I’m a sucker for fried food. Who isn’t? In the fried food canon, especially as the summer season takes hold, perhaps no item is more beloved in our culture than the chicken wing. Whether coated in hot sauce or sweetened with a bright chili glaze, the chicken wing has become one of our most “social” foods, eaten with a crowd during celebrations big and small.
The name, of course, can be a bit of a misnomer. Many different types of “chicken wings” on the menu aren’t even from a chicken’s wing, such as boneless wings, but the consumer doesn’t mind. It’s the experience of eating delicious, juicy meat cooked on the bone and sauced or spiced to perfection that captures the attention of consumers across the country.
So, the consumer is predisposed to know what a “wing” is offering. But what if we took that concept and expanded it to other protein sources? The love for “wings” in general presents an opportunity for full-service restaurants to incorporate a product in their menus they really haven’t previously explored at scale. It’s a product that looks like a chicken wing, smells like a chicken wing, feels like a chicken wing, but presents something entirely new.
“Fish wings can be a great solution for restaurants during Lent and much more. When the weather gets colder, people are more inclined to turn to spicy foods—a perfect opportunity for hot fish wings to satisfy their cravings.”
Enter the “Fish Wing”
Wings made of fish instead of chicken present an untapped opportunity for full-service restaurants to utilize a highly cost-effective protein on their menus. That is, if they use the right type of fish—pollock. This new wave of wing is delicious for customers, helps operators support their sustainability efforts, and provides added menu flexibility during seasonal trends such as Lent. I first came across the idea when I traveled to the southern part of the United States, which some consider the
fried food capital of the world. I was at a full-service restaurant in New Orleans, and I asked our server what he recommended as I typically do. He responded “Don’t balk at this, but we offer a Fish Fins product, which is to die for.” Trust him I did, and it turns out—he was right. It was the first time I had ever had a “fish wing” equivalent at a full-service restaurant, and it was delicious. I asked a few questions, and it turns out that in order to produce these fish fins they actually used fish collars, a part of the fish that is typically discarded and treated as waste.
POLLOCK IS EXTREMELY COST-EFFECTIVE, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO HIGHER-END SPECIES LIKE SALMON AND TUNA. FOR PERSPECTIVE, A POUND OF SALMON AT RETAIL COSTS MORE THAN $8 PER POUND COMPARED TO AS LOW AS $2 FOR WILD ALASKA POLLOCK.
The opportunity became instantly clear to me. If there was a fish wing product that was cost effective, sustainable, and delicious, would full-service restaurants bite at scale? By working in the wild Alaska pollock industry for more than two decades, I knew one that fits the bill—an affordable, sustainable, and delicious product, if prepared the right way of course.
RASMUS SOERENSEN
When the weather gets colder, people are more inclined to turn to spicy foods—a perfect opportunity for hot fish wings to satisfy their cravings.
It’s Time for All Full-Service Restaurants to Start Implementing Fish Wings
In addition to cost savings and providing more flexibility for those looking for alternative proteins on the menu, fish wings are also better for the planet. For perspective, a beef burger produces more than 200 CO2 -e per pound, and a plantbased burger produces 7.5 pounds CO2 -e per pound. Compare this output to what I expect would be a mere two pounds for a serving of a pollock fish wing. For that reason alone, everyone should have this item on the menu.
Wild Alaska pollock, which is used as the main ingredient inside fish sandwiches across quick-service restaurants all over the nation, contribute to a significant portion of sales in the quick-service space. As of 2023, it’s estimated that McDonald’s alone sells about 300 million Filet-o-Fish annually, according to USA Today. That’s just one concept, as many other chains and mom and pop offer pollock sandwiches from Arby’s to your local drive through down the street. Notably, pollock is extremely cost-effective, especially compared to higher-end species like salmon and tuna. For perspective, a pound of salmon at retail costs more than $8 per pound compared to as low as $2 for wild Alaska pollock.
I think the big inhibitor for restau -
rants in the full-service space having pollock on their menus is the perception of taste. Fish wings puts that misconception to bed. Pollock is light, tasty, and admirably takes on whatever seasoning and sauces that are added to it. Much like chicken, pollock is a superb delivery mechanism for flavoring and protein. There are already delectable fish wing products available, such as High Liner Food’s Wild Alaska Pollock Wings for example, that can supply restaurants. I think this menu offering has the opportunity to increase exponentially in the full-service restaurant space.
Increasing Pescatarian and Seasonal Options
As I highlighted in my piece in QSR earlier this year, Lent is just one example when the restaurant industry finds themselves scrambling for seafood menu options. Fish wings can be a great solution for restaurants during Lent and much more.
For years, the pollock industry has been tapping into the sushi market with our surimi products, a coveted full-service segment that is representative of the high end market. Now is the time to expand beyond sushi, and for full-serves to use pollock fish wings to do something the segment has never done before—put sustainable fish on the menu at scale. Alaskan pollock is delicious, cost effective, good for our planet, and will be the centerpiece to the next generation of food celebrations to come.
Rasmus Soerensen is the Chief Commercial Officer of American Seafoods, a global leader in sustainable protein and one of the world’s largest at-sea processors of wild Alaska pollock and wild Pacific hake, where he oversees production planning, worldwide sales and all marketing activities. For more than 20 years, Rasmus has helped support and guide American Seafoods’ business development initiatives as the company yields more than 1 billion servings of sustainable seafood annually. In addition to American Seafoods, he also serves as Chairman of the Board of SeaShare, a leading non-profit organization helping the seafood industry donate to hunger-relief efforts in the United States.
Gigglewaters is Reviving Speakeasy Culture
The 1920s-inspired concept is redefining the guest experience with unique offerings, and has plans to grow throughout Florida and eventually across the nation.
DURING PROHIBITION, customers looking for a drink would go to hidden speakeasies and order “giggle water,” or what we now know as a cocktail. In the late 1920s, there were 32,000 speakeasies in New York alone. Modern iterations of these unorthodox social clubs still exist, and one in particular has found success in the quiet community of Safety Harbor, Florida.
ESTABLISHED: 2018
COFOUNDERS: Rachel Fine Wilson and Richie Wilson HQ: Safety Harbor, FL
CUISINE TYPE: American Comfort Food
When Rachel Fine Wilson and her husband moved to Florida from New York, they sought a quaint, walkable city in Tampa Bay to integrate themselves into the heart of the community. Her husband made it his mission to know the names of everyone’s dogs.
UNIT COUNT: One
throughout Tampa Bay surround us, so we pull from all over, but we lean into local marketing and initiatives whenever possible. Being an active participant in your community is hypercritical,” Wilson explains. “We found our niche here.”
the quintessential New York City haunt, its menu is designed to be approachable for guests with American comfort food. It features pure wagyu beef burgers, ricotta cheesecake, rich mac & cheese, and housemade Butcher Block Bacon soaked in bourbon and brown sugar.
They knew it would be the perfect place to introduce their concept Gigglewaters, a restaurant, bar, and classic movie theater that leans into the swanky aesthetic of the 1920s: tin ceilings, Edison lighting, and a custom bar built with wood from the historic 1890’s Belleview Biltmore building.
“A huge part of our growth has been the town itself. Three million people
Since its inception in 2018, Gigglewaters has won numerous awards, including Best Signature Burger (2018), Best Brunch for Boozing (2019), Best Neighborhood Bar in Pinellas County (2020), and Best Cocktail Bar in Tampa Bay (2021). In 2022, it was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food,” and overall, Gigglewaters has won the prestigious Best of the Bay award six times in a row.
While Gigglewater’s interior rivals
The cocktail list includes The 1919, a pre-Prohibition classic; The Bee’s Knees gin; and the Harlem Sunset margarita. Of course, customers can order Gigglejuice, which is a blend of whiskey and fresh lemonade. Additionally, brunch is served daily until 2 p.m
Leaving the dining room and bar, guests enter into an intimate movie theater, playing classics and offering a full-service dining experience with a twist. At just $5 a ticket, Wilson says the 32-seat theater often sells out in advance.
“My competition isn’t next door. It’s the grocery store, it’s getting people to
GIGGLEWATERS SOCIAL CLUB + SCREENING ROOM IS A RESTAURANT, BAR, AND CLASSIC MOVIE THEATER THAT LEANS INTO THE SWANKY AESTHETIC OF THE 1920S: TIN CEILINGS, EDISON LIGHTING, AND A CUSTOM BAR BUILT WITH WOOD FROM THE HISTORIC 1890’S.
go out and spend money on an experience and it has to go beyond the plate. Gigglewaters focuses on providing something immersive, whether it’s at the restaurant, bar, or movie theater,” Wilson says. “We’re trying to lean into something delicious, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Gigglewaters has hosted marriage proposals, baby showers, full weddings, and family reunions. Wilson rings in every New Year’s Eve with a “Rocky Horror Picture Show” four-course dinner event. She’s always looking for new ways to innovate and engage her guests.
As a small and growing full-service brand, the pandemic thrust Gigglewaters into the unknown. “I felt the winds shifting, and I had to trust my gut. Two months before the shutdown, we needed
FOUNDER RACHEL FINE WILSON (MIDDLE) OPENED GIGGLEWATERS WITH THE IDEA OF TURNING IT INTO A HOUSEHOLD NAME, BUT SHE IS HYPERAWARE OF THE DANGERS OF ACCELERATING GROWTH TOO QUICKLY.
to shift to third-party services, and we had to do it fast. My staff was laughing at me; I was running like a chicken with my head cut off, but as a woman, we have the gift of intuition, and I wasn’t going to get talked out of my instincts,” Wilson recalls.
The brand shifted gears to meet growing technological pressures to survive. Wilson also knew she couldn’t help her community medically or economically, but she pulled the social responsibility lever and began handing out meals to local hospitals, fire stations, COVID testing sites, and essential workers’ breakrooms. Dressed in PPE, she knew she had to give back to her supporters.
“I didn’t look for anyone else’s validation … I was going to go forward in some way. I made that call, and I stood behind it,” Wilson says. “The work we did dur -
ing the pandemic made a lasting impression on us and wrote the slate for who we would become as a company.”
In 2020, Gigglewaters utilized its “Giggles for Good” program to raise awareness for international disasters, donate money to local charities, and provide free movie and beer tickets to anyone who was furloughed during the shutdown. This initiative has grown to support causes on a local, national, and international level.
Wilson says she opened Gigglewaters with the idea of turning it into a household name, but she is hyperaware of the dangers of accelerating growth too quickly. Drawing on her experience in franchising before opening her restaurant, she is focusing on securing hyperlocal, trailblazer franchisees before expanding Gigglewaters’ footprint throughout Florida upwards into the Southeast and eventually across the nation.
“I think there’s a huge race for franchisors to get 100 units out there immediately, and I don’t have that sense at all. I want one or two units a year, so I can be a tremendous support for my team,” Wilson explains. “I know what it’s like to see a franchisee struggle with undercapitalization or mismatched corporate culture. I don’t want to create that, I want to keep my finger on the pulse of strategic growth.”
Gigglewaters is also testing a kiosk and a food truck model, which will bring its menu to the masses in a 300to 600-square-foot conceptual vision. By introducing award-winning dishes to airports and food truck contests, Wilson hopes to draw guests into her reinvented cinema experience and brick-and-mortar restaurant. She calls it the “culinary adventure.”
“By living and breathing our core values, we’re creating something special in the restaurant industry. We’re pushing the envelope of immersive dining experiences, and we’re breaking new ground with how we utilize the movie theater,” Wilson says. “I think we’re bringing people together in a unique way, and I’m excited to be at the forefront of this growth.”
VP, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT edrezner@wtwhmedia.com | (919) 945-0705
Amber Dobsovic
NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR adobsovic@wtwhmedia.com | (757) 637-8673
Edward Richards
NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR erichards@wtwhmedia.com | (216) 956-6636
Mike Weinreich
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER mweinreich@wtwhmedia.com | (561) 398-2686
JUSTIN CUCCI
ROLE:
Chef/Owner
BRAND:
Edible Beats
FOUNDED: 2008
UNIT COUNT: 6
It takes a creative visionary to turn a former mortuary, a gas station, and a brothel into restaurants, and Manhattan native Justin Cucci did just that. He now owns six restaurants—Linger, El Five, Vital Root, Ophelia’s, Root Down, and Root Down DIA—all under his Edible Beats Restaurants umbrella. Recently, Cucci implemented a pioneering, self-funded, 100 percent employee stock ownership plan (esop), where all 325plus Edible Beats employees share in the long-term growth and financial worth of the company, which Cucci calls “the quintessential win-win.” FSR sat down with Cucci to get the scoop on the initiative and the impact he hopes it will have.
BY CALLIE EVERGREEN
The Win-Win of Employee Owners
Can you walk us through the decision-making process that led to this initiative?
I always felt that Edible Beats has been about creating worth before wealth—prioritizing significant value, merit, and excellence over pure financial gain. I believe that the employees and leaders that have been on this journey are clearly responsible for that success. I saw the ESOP as an innovative way to reward their hard work and foster a sense of ownership and pride in our collective success. This decision involved careful consideration of long-term financial stability, potential impacts on employee morale and retention, and alignment with our mission to create a more equitable and inclusive workplace.
How has the ESOP impacted your employees and benefited the overall culture within your restaurants?
The ESOP has ignited a powerful sense of ownership, commitment, and pride among our team members, directly tying their success to that of the company. This newfound ownership has led to heightened engage -
ment, motivation, and dedication to delivering exceptional service and quality to our guests. This initiative offers our employees a valuable financial opportunity, enabling them to build wealth and secure their futures through company ownership. Overall, the ESOP has been a transformative force, not only enhancing the financial well-being of our employees but also enriching the overall culture and success of our restaurants. It underscores our unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where every individual has the chance to flourish and prosper.
What advice would you give to other restaurateurs considering this model?
Carefully assess [your] company culture, financial stability, and long-term goals before embarking on the ESOP journey. Seek guidance from experts who understand the intricacies of ESOP implementation and ensure clear communication with employees throughout the process. Remember, it’s not just about transferring ownership—it’s about fostering a culture of shared responsibility, empowerment, and mutual success.
SERVING UP RESOURCES TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS THRIVE
When you welcome American Express® Cards, you have access to benefits, services and programs to help your business, including:
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•Solutions & tips to help attract new customers.
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2.9X HIGHER SPEND 99% CARD ACCEPTANCE
In 2023, annual spend of American Express Card Members was, on average, 2.9x that of nonCard Members. 2 American Express can be accepted at 99% of places in the US that accept credit cards. 1
1. Based on the Feb 2023 Nilson Report.
60% HIGHER TRANSACTION SIZE
In 2023, the average transaction size of American Express Card Members was 60% higher than that of non-Card Members. 3
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2. Nilson Report #1,257, February 2024. Spend per card derived from U.S. year-end purchase volume divided by year-end cards in force (CIF), not from individual consumer-level data. CIF represents the number of cards issued and outstanding with cardholders. Average Non-American Express spend per card includes Visa, MasterCard and Discover credit and charge card volume and CIF and excludes debit and prepaid volume and CIF.
3. Nilson Report #1,257, February 2024. Transaction Size derived from U.S. year-end purchase volume divided by year-end purchase transactions, not from individual consumer-level data. Average Non-American Express transaction size includes Visa, MasterCard and Discover credit and charge cards and excludes debit and prepaid volume and transactions.
