Strategic Planning

Case Study: Leading Quick Service Restaurant

Situation
A leading quick service restaurant was experiencing strong growth fueled by rapid restaurant expansion and strong consumer demand for its healthier fast food product versus competition. The company was interested in accelerating growth to become the leading fast food franchise in most U.S. markets. Meanwhile, the company faced aging restaurants, increased competition at both the national and regional levels, and customer service inefficiencies.

Solution
MCAworks facilitated a Steering Committee that consisted of cross-functional representatives from Product Development, Advertising, Operations, Store Development and IT. As input to the plan, MCAworks conducted interviews with company management, territory managers and franchisees, assessed competitor strategies and future growth plans, analyzed changes in consumer eating habits, and reviewed product sales data—in an effort to identify key strengths and key vulnerabilities.

The resulting strategic plan consisted of a vision, mission and goals—supported by a set of strategic imperatives. These imperatives called for driving growth through improved store operations (faster service, cleaner environment), full daypart sales mix, continuous new product roll-out, and marketing efforts targeted to the heavy user customer base.

Results
The strategic plan created company-wide focus on critical actions required to achieve long-term growth goals. Since the plan’s inception, the company has increased unaided awareness, store-level sales and customer satisfaction scores.

Contact John Hawkins and Dana Langham for more information.