14 Steps to Branding a Restaurant Franchise

Are You Thinking About Franchising?(or just need to compete with those who are)

14 Steps to Polish and Perfect Your Brand and Business

R E S TA U R A N T B R A N D I N G

Specializing in Brand Strategy & Development for theRESTAURANT, EVENT & LIFESTYLE INDUSTRIES

ph: 949.433.0728InspiroBrands.com

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Is it Time toFRANCH ISE

or Just Take Your Concept to the NEXT LEVEL?

Are you thinking about Franchising your restaurant or just trying to compete

with those who are? It is important to Polish & Perfect Your Entire Concept

including Branding, Operations, Space & Team. And more importantly have

a Plan to Manage these items for the future.

We work with Start Ups as well as Restaurants wanting to Franchise or

Expand. In both situations these recommendations can help serve as a

checklist to make sure you are looking at the big picture on a regular basis.

Your business should always be an ongoing process of growth and

improvement. Do you have all of the proper pieces in place to take it to the

next level?

W H AT I S A B R A N D ?

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Inspiring People to Love Your Brand

Your BRANDis What YourCUSTOMERSSay It Is...

NOT What YouSay It Is!

INTERIORDecor/Cleanliness

Receptionist/HostessStaff Presence

Voice Mail/Hold MusicInterior Music

Restrooms

MARKETINGBusiness Cards

Menus/Take OutIn-house CollateralEmail NewslettersWebsite/Mobile

BrochuresAdvertising YOUR

BRAND

EXTERIORDrive by Impression

SignageEntry Way

NETWORKINGOnline/Social Presence

Community Involvement

PRODUCTQuality of OfferingVisual Presentation

LOGOQuality & Relevance

Tagline/Modifier

Y O U R C O N C E P T

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In the past most companies wouldn’t even consider a franchise model until they had a few restaurants. Today if even one location is doing well, Franchise companies are quick to expand before their competition does.

It is important to treat your restaurant as if it were a larger entity whether it is or not. You must manage all aspects such as food, staff, service, decor and marketing as a part of your overall brand.

There are 3 main reasons to treat your restaurant as a franchise model.

1. PROFESSIONALISM - Allows you to WOW your guests as well as compete against other larger players.

2. CONSISTENCY - Helps set up systems and standards to create a great customer experience every time.

3. GROWTH - Provides an expansion plan for the future. It is always easier to update on an ongoing basis than to fix things later.

1What Are You Known For?

Who Are Your Ideal Guests?

How Do You WOW Them?

B R A N D P E R S O N A L I T Y

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2AccessibleAccommodatingAccomplishedActiveAdaptableAdmirableAdorableAffectionateAgreeableAliveAlluringAmbitiousAmorousAppreciativeApproachableAppropriateArtisticAssuredAstuteAthleticAttentiveAttractiveAuthenticAuthoritativeBalancedBeautifulBelievableBig-heartedBlessedBlissfulBoldBrainyBraveBrightBrilliantCalmCaptivatingCaringCasualCerebralCharmingCheerfulChicClearheadedColorfulComedic

ComfortableCompassionateCompatibleCompetentComplexConciseConfidentConsiderateConsistentConstantContentConvincingCordialCourageousCourteousCreativeCredibleCuteDaringDecentDecisiveDedicatedDeepDefinedDelectableDeliberateDelightfulDemocraticDependableDesirableDeterminedDevotedDignifiedDiligentDiplomaticDirectDiscerningDiscreteDistinctiveDramaticEasy-goingEconomicalEcstaticEfficientElatedElegant

EloquentEnchantedEncouragingEnergeticEngagingEnlightenedEnterprisingEntertainingEnthusiasticEstablishedEthicalExactExcellentExtraordinaryFabulousFaithfulFantasticFascinatingFashionableFlexibleFocusedForgivingFreshFreeFunFunnyGenerousGentleGenuineGoodGood lookingGood-heartedGood-naturedGorgeousGraciousGratefulGreatGregariousGroundedHandyHappyHarmoniousHealthyHelpfulHilariousHopeful

HospitableHumorousImaginativeImmaculateImpartialImportantImpressiveIndependentInfluentialIngeniousInnovativeInspiredIntelligentIntuitiveInventiveJollyJoyfulJubilantKnowledgeableLiberalLightLikableLivelyLogicalLovelyLoyalLucidLuckyLuminousMagneticMatureMildMiraculousModerateModestMoralNaturalNiceNobleNourishingOpen-mindedOriginalPassionatePeacefulPersonablePersuasive

PhilosophicalPlayfulPleasantPoeticPolishedPositivePowerfulPracticalPreciousProactiveProductiveProfessionalProfoundProgressiveProlificPromptProperPrudentPurposefulRadiantRealReasonableRefinedReflectiveRelaxedReliableRemarkableRespectfulResponsiveReverentRichRighteousRobustRomanticSatisfiedScholarlySensibleSensualSentimentalSereneSexySharpSincereSimpleSociableSolid

SophisticatedSoulfulSparklingSpiritedSpiritualSplendidSpontaneousStableSteadyStrongStudiousStylishSuaveSubtleSuccessfulSunnySuperbSweetSympatheticSystematicTenderTerrificThankfulThoroughThoughtfulTolerantToughTranquilTruthfulUnderstandingUniqueUprightValiantVersatileVigorousVirtuousVisionaryVivaciousWarmWell-roundedWhimsicalWiseWittyWonderfulWorldlyZealous

B R A N D W O R D S T A R T E R K I T

Scan quickly without thinking too much and circle any and all words that may apply:

List any others that come to mind: _________________________________________________________________________

DEFINING YOURBRAND PERSONALITY

Step 1Building your brand words

Select your 3 brand words that describe how you would like to be perceived:

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Your Power Brand Word

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Support Brand Word

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Support Brand Word

Step 2Managing your brand words

Step 3Create & manage your brand touchpoints

Who Are You?

How Do PeopleDescribe Your

Company?

DownloadYour BrandPersonalityStarter Kit

B R A N D P O S I T I O N I N G

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DO WHAT YOU DO BEST AND LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT IT!

You need to have great food, great service

and a good atmosphere but that is a

given in todays market.

What you really need to do is have

something that makes you UNIQUE

and a perfect fit for YOUR GUESTS.

If they love you - they will help spread

the word.

3What Makes You SPECIAL & UNIQUE?

How Can You COMPETE

Against Your COMPETITION?

TA R G E T A U D I E N C E

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Once you think about expanding, it is important to know that what works

one place may not work for all. It is mandatory that you understand your

target market and find that audience. Or perhaps you may need to adjust

for those who are in the new location you select.

Anyone up for a Chicken Akatougarashi from McDonald’s in Japan?

Our Concept Requires This Target Audience:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

The New Location we are Considering has:

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

4% Male/Female

AgeMarried/Single

KidsIncomeLifestyle

EducationLunch/Dinner

What do your guests want

most from you?

L O G O

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5IMAGE IS

EVERYTHING...

WHAT DOES

YOUR LOGO &

BRANDING SAY

ABOUT YOU?

BRAND EVALUATION

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6How Does Your

Current Concepts BRANDING &

ENVIRONMENT Match Your VISION

for the FUTURE?

DownloadOur BrandTouchpointEvaluation

INSPIRO BRAND TOUCHPOINT EVALUATIONRESTAURANT EDITION

Ratings: 5=highest 1=lowest; 5 excellent • 4 good • 3 just okay • 2 needs improvement • 1 probably hurting business

* These are the most important so if time is limited - do a mini evaluation using these.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quality Consistency Last Action Needed Updated

BRAND IDENTITYLogo * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Tagline * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________

BRANDED MATERIALSMenus * (main/kids/takeout etc...) _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Internal Marketing Items _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________Gift Cards/Holders _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ To-Go Packaging _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________Staff Uniforms _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Wall Art/Story Graphics _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________

INTERNAL IMPRESSIONSOverall Interior Space * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________Tabletops/Seating _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Hostess Stand - First Impression _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Restrooms * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Lighting/Sound _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________

EXTERNAL IMPRESSIONSSignage * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Exterior Look * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Overall Drive By Appearance * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Vehicles/Catering _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Phone Message * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Website * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________Social Media - Facebook/Twitter * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Mobile _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________Email Newsletters _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Advertising * - mailers/promos/ads _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________Business Cards * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________

FOOD & SERVICEFood Quality *Food Appearance * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Service * _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Operational Organization _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________

Other________________________ _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________ Other________________________ _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________Other________________________ _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________

OVERALL SCORE _______ _______ _______ ___________________________ ________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

©Inspiro Brands 2014 - Reproduction permitted for individual personal use only.www.InspiroBrands.com • 949.433.0728 • [email protected]

Now that you have

established your

BRAND PERSONALITY,

POSITIONING and

TARGET AUDIENCE,

it is time to take a

indepth look at the your

COMPLETE BRAND

as it currently stands

by doing a BRAND

TOUCHPOINT

EVALUATION

T R A D E M A R K

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PROTECT YOURSELF...You don’t want to be on the road to expansion with everything in motion and

realize that you are not able to grow into other territories. Or even worse

have someone stop you from using your name.

As a start go to

uspto.gov and

do a preliminary

trademark search.

You may also file there

but we recommend

getting an attorney.

7Before Franchising

Make sure to Trademark your NAME and LOGO

W E B S I T E & U R L

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ARE YOU STAYING RELEVENT?Many people find restaurants via web and mobile devices.

To compete you must make sure you website works on all

platforms and people can find you EVERYWHERE

• Home - About You

• Location w/ map

• Menus

• Social Media Links

• Events

• Newletter Sign Up

• Franchise Information Create links for submission or downloadable pdf

8Make sure your

Website it updated to be used on

ALL PLATFORMS

Also Purchase ALL AppropriateWeb Addresses

MARKETING

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DON’T TRY TO DO EVERYTHINGTry a few and track your results. Then Choose your Favorites that work for

you and CREATE A PLAN and IMPLEMENT ON A REGULAR BASIS.

Like it or not, you MUST have a Social Media

presence as part of your Marketing Plan.

To compete with other companies

we suggest that you hire someone

to be your Marketing/Social media

person to handle these tasks for you

if you do not have the time or

enjoy them.

9Pick The Marketing Methods that Work

BEST for You

• Social Media• Email Blasts• Print Advertising• In Store Promotions• Direct Mail• Radio/TV• Local & Charity Events

B R A N D S TA N D A R D S

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CREATE A STYLE GUIDE WITH USAGE AND GRAPHIC ELEMENTS FOR BETTER CONSISTENCY OF YOUR BRAND.

10Brand Style Guides• Logos• Fonts• Colors• Textures• Graphic Elements • Marketing Templates• Signage• Wall Graphics• Web Elements• Etc...

Neutra TextTo be used Upper/Lower case for all sentances and body copy.

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz0123456789!@#$&*()

Accent FontAccent Font Accent FontBody Copy

NEUTRA TEXT BOLDNEUTRA TEXT DEMI BOLDBold or Demi in Green or Black to be used for headers only.Used in All Caps. Can be green, black or reversed in white on black.

HEADERS HEADERS

Subheads SubheadsSUBHEADS SUBHEADS

Joe Hand 2To be used to highlight. To be used as Header 4 words or less.Can be used in orange or green

Neutra Text BoldPrimary Sans-Serif typeface used for emphesis bodies of copy. Can be set-in Bold and/or Caps.Can be green, black or reversed in white on black.

S IGNAGE

ALL NATU RAL

AMERICAN K OBE BEEF

WALL ARTWEARABLES

KRAVEKOBE BURGER GRILL

TH

E

An Average Style Guidewill contain 10-20 pages

FONT USAGE

M AT E R I A L S S TA N D A R D S

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11Materials

Style Guide• Floor Plan• Elevation• Seating flow• Paint Colors• Flooring• Counters • Booth Material• Tables/Chairs• Lighting

BIRCH WOODS TABLE TOP

STAINED CONCRETE FLOORING B&W MATERIAL BOOTH

BLACK FORMICA COUNTER SUBWAY TILE IN BATHROOM

BRUSHED ALUMINUM COUNTER FRONT

INTERIOR MATERIALS

CHARCOAL CEILING LIME RICKY SOFIT PEACE YELLOW WALLS

PAINT

SAMPLE FLOOR PLAN

B R A N D PA C K A G E

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KEEP YOUR FILES ON THE CLOUDOnce Your Brand Package is Complete,

MAKE SURE YOU OWN IT and

Keep it where you can easily get to it.

12Now you can

Store your Brand Collateral

and Easily Access it When you find

that Perfect Next Location

LOGOS FONTS/COLORS SIGNAGE PACKAGING MENUS

We do not personally do these except offer the branding for those who do.

But... Before you register your franchise you will need to have these.

Even if you never go

to a franchise model

you should have clear

PRACTICES AND

PROCEEDURES

in place.

O P E R AT I O N M A N U A L S

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13Operations & Training

• Food Prep• Service • Purchasing • Receiving • Storage • Preparation • Cleaning• Shift Change• Opening/Closing

YOUR TEAM

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WHO WILL HELP TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

Your Company - Having a defined team is key. Your internal team should

all know their roles and reponsibilities without any grey areas.

Contractors - If you are thinking of expanding it is crutial to have all of your

vendors in place and ready to jump into action once you find a new location.

Franchise Company - There are many

franchise companies out there ready to

promise to take you to the next level.

Sometimes these can be quite costly

so make sure you do your homework

and choose an expansion plan that

WORKS BEST FOR YOU!

14Key Players

• Financial/CFO• Operations• Training• Real Estate• Branding/Design• Production Vendors• Marketing• Equipment• Construction• Franchise Company

RESTAURANT CHECKLIST

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Concept - Do You Need Improvement on Food, Space, Operations, Etc?

Brand Personality - What do you stand for? What do people say about you?

Brand Positioning - How are you Unique from your Competition?

Brand Collateral Evaluation - Does Your Brand & Graphics Package Need Updating?

Target Audience Defined - Who will you serve, what do they need?

Logo - Is it updated to where you want it?

Trademark - Have you Trademarked your Name and Logo?

URL & Website - Have you purchased all similar urls and updated your website?

Marketing Plan - Have you created a marketing plan w/ branded social media accounts? Do have someone in place to manage your marketing efforts?

Brand Standards Manuals - Create a Usage Guides for others to Follow.

Materials Standards - Materials documented and ready for future locations.

Brand Package - All items packaged and available and ready to go the second you find a new location.

Operations & Training Manuals - Document all Recipes, Processes & Procedures.

Team in Place - Who will help take you to the Next Level?

What are the NEXT STEPS for the FUTURE?


Specializing in Brand Strategy & Development for theRESTAURANT, EVENT & LIFESTYLE INDUSTRIES

ph: 949.433.0728InspiroBrands.com

TM

OwnerStrategy + Design

Inspiro’s President/Founder, Gina Mims, has developed the brand identity for over 100 dining destinations. She is the V.P. of Branding/Marketing and Co-Creator of the OC Restaurant Association where she leads the design of all marketing materials for countywide “foodie” events, including Orange County Restaurant Week and The Golden Foodie Awards.

Gina has Taught Graphic Design at Chapman University. She has been the Communications Chair for both Les Dames d’Escoffier LA/OC and Share Our Strength’s - Taste of the Nation, Laguna Beach.

She speaks publicly about “Branding The Guest Experience” and how to “Define then Design” to restaurant, marketing and design groups focusing on those who want to create a ‘WOW’ for their customers.

14 Steps to Branding a Restaurant Franchise

Design

Transcript of 14 Steps to Branding a Restaurant Franchise