How do restaurants successfully drive multi-day parts?
Expanding into a new daypart can be a great way to leverage your fixed assets further. Despite that, restaurants often fail when entering a new daypart because they over-encumber the operation and fail to add the brand to the consumer’s consideration set.
But multi-daypart operators can and do succeed by employing many of these techniques:
Product identity
- Leverage market perceptions about the occasion (needs, party composition, etc.) and ensure product design can signal these while also fitting within your brand and menu strategy
Fit within your current system
- Develop products that fit and work within your current roles, processes, training, etc.
Simplify sourcing
- Use cross-daypart platforms that contain a mix of breakfast/lunch/dinner products (like chicken and waffles) to signal multi-daypart availability
Cross-promote in store
- Ensure you are taking advantage of in-store traffic by using your merchandising to cross-promote
Target offers
- Consider targeted offers to drive trial, ideally that don’t create a long-term expectation for a price reduction (like BOGOs)
Leverage your brand
- Enter this new daypart on strategy with your brand promise and principles–it will make your marketing more effective and efficient
Plan for the long-game
- Allocate sufficient time and money to ensure you can be an established part of the consideration set
Maintain investment in current dayparts
- Reallocating spending out of current dayparts below minimum thresholds will often result in decreases in sales (which then often forces the dollars out of your new daypart)
Leverage others equity
- Explore partnerships that can provide you with equity in your targeted daypart and needs
Reward the trial
- Add a little bonus to the experience that will create surprise and delight for trying something new
Hopefully, these ideas help as you build your plan for a new entry or make your current offering more effective. With a lot of intentional development and commitment, adding a daypart can be a great way to boost unit-level returns.