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Change Is Imperative

October 25, 2007

If there’s a theme to this morning’s Chain Leader Live, it’s that change is imperative, particularly under current difficult circumstances.

Max & Erma’s Director of Marketing Erin Reckner, for instance, detailed her company’s efforts to revitalize the Columbus, Ohio-based casual-dining chain by redesigning the menu and interiors at eight units so far to appeal to women.

“This is our customer,” she said, in front of large screen bearing the visage of prosperous and healthy looking woman in her 30s.

Co-presenter Lee Peterson of WD partners, a design firm, noting hindsight is always 20-20, asked, “When should innovation have happened?”

That was a tough call, because for years the chain had catered to males with a variety of gourmet burgers. Today, the menu reflects a lighter touch, one that features dishes that pair with wine. In fact, Reckner added, the redesign includes a wine bar.

Attendees also had the chance to hear about new concepts, one of which, Irvine, Calif.-based Native Foods, offers a strictly vegan menu. The four-unit chain also manufactures its own meat-substitutes.

Jim Frye, whose Italian Oven went bust after going public in1996, has resurrected the family-dining concept, though today it’s a fast-casual format (3,000 square feet) featuring a Mediterranean-style menu. Price points are in the $9-$10 range, he said.

Chris Simms, son of Mimis Café founder Tim Simms, talked about his start-up, Laze Dog Café, emphasizing the high quality of the food and service. The full-service restaurants are fashioned after the laid-back style of Jackson Hole, Wyo., where the Simms family has a second home.

Philadelphia is home to the first unit of Cuba Libre, a high-volume concept that serves up authentic Cuban cuisine as well as mojitos and other Caribbean drinks. The second unit opened two years ago in Atlantic City.

Concept founder Barry Gutin explained that the restaurant produces several revenue streams, including a booming late-night business during which professional dancers perform a Cuban-style floor show.

The fires. Mimis Café Vice President of Marketing Lowell Petrie told me the tragic fires this week in southern California have boosted the chain’s business. “Sales are up 7, 14 and 12 percent over the last three days,” he claims, adding that people under duress flock to comfort foods. Tustin, Calif.-based Mimis, a division of Bob Evans Farms, features comfort foods in a section of the menu called Comfort Classics

Posted by David Farkas on October 25, 2007 | Comments (1)