As promotional campaigns remained a key tool for creating value and driving sales, marketing developed eight campaigns per year to sustain a promotional message and drive visit frequency from the customer base. The process for developing offers and selecting media was relatively subjective. Evaluating performance metrics after a campaign and continually improving on results challenged the team.

Collaborated with the finance team to polish the campaign evaluation model using analytics to predict the impact and define the incremental traffic necessary to offset each discount. Partnered with IT to introduce a bar code tracking system implemented on specials offers in print and online media. With improved analysis on the frontend and enhanced measurement on the backend, marketing drove improvements in sales and profitability of the promotional campaigns.

The average campaign yielded a 10% sales mix with a 3.1% growth in average customer checks and a 1.7% lift in traffic. By creating four annual print promotions, realized a 200% return on investment.

The new ownership group wanted to expand the restaurant concept nationwide and tasked the management team with aggressive growth targets. Previous expansion efforts failed to reach profitable sales volume. Historically, the concept struggled to enter new markets in competition with established brands. All previous expansion territories closed, leading some company leaders to think expansion impossible.

Partnered with a design firm to develop a new restaurant prototype with stronger competitive differentiation. Worked with the development team to engineer costs from the construction budget, allowing for profitability at a lower sales volume. Conducted culinary research, revised the menu, allied with the training team to refine customer service practices, upgraded the website and created promotional assets including a brand video. Developed an innovative launch strategy that heavily leveraged digital, email, social media, public relations and grass roots marketing.

The company opened 12 new restaurants in less than 18 months across three states while backfilling existing territories in three other states. Projections indicate the Initiative to exceed the internal rate of return target of 20%. The pipeline of future sites and markets grew due to the initial results.

The company struggled with a failed expansion that drained cash in the midst of a depressed economy in which sales in core markets fell sharply. These two issues caused default on a bank covenant, placing the company on the verge of bankruptcy. A stringently managed yet shrinking advertising budget and cash flow kept the company solvent. A large portion of the customer base grappled with reduced discretionary income. Competitors hit the market with aggressive discounts to jumpstart sales growth, threatening to erode company profits and pricing power. Employee morale fell as the company absorbed three rounds of layoffs.

Created an integrated brand strategy designed to launch the company on a new growth trajectory. Using consumer research and other data, refined brand positioning, inspiring new advertising that resonated with customers. Leveraged analytics and financial modeling to devise a promotion plan featuring value bundles, an attractive price point and limited time offers. Shifted advertising dollars into media that delivered the highest ROI. Optimized the menu to identify and eliminate products with a lower contribution margin. Built a local restaurant marketing team that promoted directly to schools, sport leagues and community groups to book special events at the restaurants.

As a result, sales grew 11.1% with a 5.3% surge in customer traffic. The company returned to a new growth pattern, hired new employees and staff morale improved optimistically.

Carryout sales deteriorated for several years despite the profitability and labor efficiency of the program. The company lacked understanding of the cause or ideas to reverse the trend. A formidable competitive landscape with some of the biggest and most heavily advertised restaurant chains in the US hindered improvement.

Guided a cross-functional team of eleven to revitalize the carryout program. Benchmarked the competition, identified best practices and key areas of focus, collaborated with IT to build an online ordering site, partnered with construction and operations to assign designated parking for carryout with a separate entrance and cash register for these customers. Worked with suppliers to create new packaging that enhanced food quality. Adjusted the advertising strategy to target carryout competitors and mitigated competitor value advantage by matching competitor offers.

By transforming the carryout program, grew sales 29% in a four-year period while traffic accelerated 17%. Online ordering grew into a major contributor growing 25% each year, exceeding 16% penetration.

Desired to improve the appeal of the menu while driving incremental sales without increasing costs or complexity. Felt challenged to enhance the menu quality or variety without increasing cost. The customers remained unwilling to pay more and the restaurants could not increase labor.

Led a cross-functional menu committee to focus on salads and wings, two key platforms. Worked with the supply chain and the executive chef to switch from pre-cut to raw produce allowing for improved product quality and a significant savings. Teamed up with the chef, operations and supply chain to change from a baked to a fried wing offering and add a less costly boneless wing option. This generated savings and enabled customers to customize orders with multiple sauces and seasonings.

As a result, the salad platform grew 27% in the first year while cost of goods sold dipped 10%. The fresh cut vegetables allowed for upgrading pizza toppings as well. The wing platform skyrocketed to $4.2 million, a 38% growth in four years, the fastest growing menu area for that timeframe.

Outdated restaurant design and a layout that failed to meet the needs of millennial families led to a disconnection between the marketing message and customer experience. This threatened future growth. Proposed a new idea to create a comprehensive restaurant remodel package that completely overhauled the interior and exterior design as well as refreshed marketing elements such as the logo. The board felt skeptical of the plan as the company continued to drive sales and traffic with an upswing in business. The board also expressed a reluctance to allocate the required capital to fund the project rather than pay down debt. The board insisted on a 20% ROI, which required delivery of 1,000 basis points in incremental sales growth in year one in comparison with non-remodeled units.

Created an analysis that illustrated the critical need for the initiative to sustain a competitive advantage. Vetted several design firms and secured a financially favorable contract. Led the team to conduct nationwide research that informed the design strategy and validated eventual design execution. Piloted the design with two remodels backed by strong promotion that enticed consumers to experience the newly designed restaurants.

The results significantly surpassed the board’s targets as pilot restaurants secured an average sales growth of more than 1,000 basis points with an ROI greater than 24%.