BRAND FINGERPRINTS DATASSENTIAL UNCOVERS THE DNA BEHIND AMERICA S TOP RESTAURANT CHAINS A TOPICAL TREND REPORT FROM
: SEPTEMBER 2015 EVERY BRAND HAS A UNIQUE FINGERPRINT... a set of factors that determine who its customers are and why they visit. Like the wealth of information found within the intricacies of a fingerprint, Datassential s BrandFingerprints provides you with an in-depth consumer analysis of top chains. BrandFingerprints covers 131 top restaurant chains, ranging from national chains like McDonald s to regional chains like Zaxby s (98% of its units are located in the Southern United States).We dive deep into the DNA of each chain, analyzing hundreds of performance metrics, from menu category appeal to visitation frequency to occasion appeal and beyond, to uncover a chain s true strengths and weaknesses. Are a chain s customers likely to recommend the brand to a friend or family member? Do most consumers visit for breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Do they consider the brand to be modern or old-fashioned? In this month's we give you a peek at five chains covered by BrandFingerprints quick-service burger restaurant, McDonald s; fast-casual Chipotle; family-dining restaurant, Denny s; casual operator, Chili s; and upper-casual chain, The Cheesecake Factory. This is just a tiny sample of the data we have on each chain, and it s only a glimpse of how you can leverage the insights provided in each BrandFingerprints report. In fact, BrandFingerprints lets you easily compare chains against competitors, benchmark a chain against both the segment and overall demographics (including Millennials), and even download presentation-ready decks on the brands that matter to you. Take a look at all that BrandFingerprints has to offer, and for more information, contact Dave Jenkins at 847-903-5744 or dave@datassential.com. 2
VISITATION FREQUENCY 2-3 MOST MCDONALD S VISITORS FREQUENT THE CHAIN ONCE EVERY 2-3 MONTHS VISIT MOTIVATION 61% OF MCDONALD S VISITS WERE DUE TO THE CHAIN HAVING A CONVENIENT LOCATION FOOD MINDSHARE 71% OF CONSUMERS MENTION MCDONALD S WHEN THINKING ABOUT BREAKFAST AT A LIMITED SERVICE RESTAURANT. NEXT MONTH THE BRAND WILL BEGIN OFFERING ALL-DAY BREAKFAST. VALUE PROPOSITION 53% OF MCDONALD S CONSUMERS RATE THE CHAIN S DOLLAR/VALUE MENU HIGHLY MCDONALD S SEGMENT: QSR UNITS: 14,157 HEADQUARTERS: OAKBROOK, IL 3
TYPE OF VISIT 95% OF CHIPOTLE CONSUMERS VISITED FOR A FULL MEAL (VS. A SNACK OR BEVERAGE ONLY) DAYPART DISTRIBUTION 53% OF CHIPOTLE VISITORS GO TO THE CHAIN FOR DINNER BRAND PERSONALITY 89% OF CHIPOTLE CONSUMERS CONSIDER THE CHAIN TO BE MODERN & CONTEMPORARY THE HIGHEST RANKED CHAIN IN BRANDFINGERPRINTS VISIT MOTIVATIONS 51% OF CHIPOTLE VISITORS GO TO CHIPOTLE DUE TO A CRAVING FOR A SPECIFIC FOOD CHIPOTLE SEGMENT: FAST CASUAL UNITS: 1,615 HEADQUARTERS: DENVER, CO 4
DAYPART DISTRIBUTION 34% OF DENNY S VISITS OCCUR DURING THE MORNING, WHILE 33% OF VISITS ARE FOR DINNER BRAND PERSONALITY 60% OF DENNY S CONSUMERS CONSIDER THE CHAIN CLASSIC & TIMELESS MENU CATEGORIES 48% DENNY S CONSUMERS RANK THE CHAIN S BURGERS AND DESSERTS HIGHEST NEARLY HALF SAID THEY WERE EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD MENU APPEAL 58% OF DENNY S CONSUMERS SAY THE MENU IS WELL- ORGANIZED DENNY S SEGMENT: MIDSCALE UNITS: 1,595 HEADQUARTERS: SPARTANBURG, SC 5
SEGMENT PERCEPTION 70% OF CHILI S CONSUMERS PERCEIVE THE BRAND AS CASUAL AND FUN REASONS FOR VISITING 41% OF CHILI S VISITS WERE PLANNED IN ADVANCE FOOD MINDSHARE 31% OF CONSUMERS MENTION CHILI S WHEN THINKING ABOUT A FULL SERVICE RESTAURANT WITH GREAT APPETIZERS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 60% OF CHILI S CONSUMERS SAY THE STAFF IS HELPFUL AND FRIENDLY CHILI S SEGMENT: CASUAL UNITS: 1,255 HEADQUARTERS: DALLAS, TX 6
VISITATION FREQUENCY 28% OF RECENT CHEESECAKE FACTORY VISITORS VISITED THE CHAIN ONCE EVERY SIX MONTHS MENU CATEGORIES 87% OF CHEESECAKE FACTORY CONSUMERS RANK THE CHAIN S DESSERTS HIGHLY SATISFACTION ATTRIBUTES 73% 67% 72% THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY SCORED THE HIGHEST ON ALL THREE SATISFACTION MEGA ATTRIBUTES AMONG THOSE WHO VISITED IN THE PAST YEAR FOOD QUALITY (73%), SERVICE (67%), AND AMBIANCE (72%) PROMOTER 57% OF CHEESECAKE FACTORY CONSUMERS ARE LIKELY TO RECOMMEND THE CHAIN TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY SEGMENT: UPPER CASUAL UNITS: 175 HEADQUARTERS: CALABASAS HILLS, CA 7
A SMALL TASTE This is a small taste of the data available in BrandFingerprints. In fact, you ll find over 100 performance metrics for over 100 top chains. Which occasions are consumers likely to visit a chain for? Are a chain s consumers more likely to be foodies or basic eaters? What are the opportunities a chain should target? And, of course, we break down a chain s demographics to truly understand who is visiting the brand. We even uncover competitive crossovers the other brands that a chain s customers are also likely to eat at. To dive into BrandFingerprints, contact Dave Jenkins at 847-903-5744 or dave@datassential.com. A&W Applebee s Arby s Au Bon Pain Auntie Anne s Baja Fresh Baskin-Robbins Beef O Bradys BJ s Blimpie Bob Evans Bojangles Bonefish Grill Boston Market Bruegger s Buffalo Wild Wings Burger King California Pizza Kitchen Captain D s Caribou Coffee Carl s Jr. Carrabba s Charley s Checks Cheddar s Cheesecake Factory Chick-Fil-A Chili s Chipotle Chuck E Cheese Church s Cici s Pizza Cinnabon Cold Stone Creamery Corner Bakery Cracker Barrel Culver s Dairy Queen Del Taco Denny s Dickey s Domino s Dunkin Donuts Einstein Brothers El Pollo Loco Famous Dave s Fazoli s Firehouse Subs Five Guys Friendly s Godfather s Pizza Golden Corral Hardee s Hometown Buffet Hooters Huddle House Hungry Howie s IHOP In-N-Out Burger Jack in the Box Jamba Juice Jason s Deli Jersey Mike s Jimmy John s Joe s Crab Shack Johnny Rockets KFC Krispy Kreme Krystal Little Caesar s Logan s Long John Silver s Longhorn Steakhouse McAlister s McDonald s Moe s Macaroni Grill Noah s Noodles & Co. O Charley s Old Country Olive Garden On the Border Outback P.F. Chang s Panda Express Panera Bread Papa John s Papa Murphy s Pei Wei Perkins Pizza Hut Popeye s Port of Subs Potbelly Qdoba Quizno s Raising Cane s Rally s Red Lobster Red Robin Rita s Ice Round Table Rubio s Ruby Tuesday Ryan s Buffet Sbarro Schlotzsky s Shoney s Sizzler Smashburger Sonic Starbucks Steak n Shake Subway Taco Bell Taco John s TCBY Texas Roadhouse TGI Friday s Tim Hortons Togo s Tropical Smoothie Waffle House Wendy s Whataburger Which Which White Castle Wienerschnitzel Wingstop Zaxby s 8
TOPICS COVERED IN LAST MONTH S TRENDSPOTTING REPORTS SEPTEMBER 2015 DINE AROUND In the August issue of Dine Around we took you on an immersion tour of Philadelphia, PA, one of the country s hottest new dining destinations. We explored a vibrant food scene complete with several award-winning Italian restaurants (Philly is home to the country s second-largest population of Italian-Americans), a vegan restaurant serving up some of the country s best dishes, and a Mediterranean restaurant serving a full menu of hummus. UPCOMING: We travel to Napa Valley, the region in California known for wine production. ON THE MENU In the August issue of On the Menu, we got a taste of Italy with affogato and Calabrian peppers; discovered the sunchoke, a root vegetable that can be used in place of potatoes; and we also looked at how operators are using pastrami, bourbon, and feta cheese. In our coverage of top chains and LTOs, we showcased some of the summer s hottest new menu offerings. UPCOMING: We cover absinthe, miso, fennel, savory oatmeal, pomegranate, and more. CREATIVE CONCEPTS In Creative Concepts, we looked at some of the country s most innovative college foodservice programs that are pioneering the industry s latest trends. College food is no longer what it used to be dining halls across the country are serving freshly-made, fullycustomizable foods that cater to every students diet or appetite. This issue also contains tons of consumer data tested only with younger Millennials (ages 18-24). UPCOMING: We check out the next-generation of fried chicken restaurants. WORLD BITES Last month, World Bites traveled to Cuba, a country that recently restored diplomatic relations with the U.S. With travel restrictions lifted, all eyes are suddenly on Cuba and its variety of cuisines. We looked at dishes that have found a foothold in the U.S., such as the Cuban sandwich or mojito, and also explored lesser-known dishes that can find a natural fit on U.S. menus, like cafecito coffee and mojo sauce. UPCOMING: Next month we dig into Ethiopian cuisine. INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS August s issue of International Concepts took you to the United Arab Emirates, a small country in the middle of the Middle Eastern desert. The area has been one of the fastestgrowing regions in recent years Euromonitor International expects the number of food and beverage outlets here to eclipse 19,000 by 2019 (there were just over 6,000 at the end of last year). We checked out operators serving everything from camel milk to falafels. UPCOMING: We discover the dining scene in Russia. NEVER MISS OUT ON A TREND! Contact Maeve Webster at 312-655-0596 or maeve.webster@datassential.com to subscribe. 10
STAY IN-THE-KNOW ON THE LATEST TRENDS WITH REPORTS FROM Datassential s TrendSpotting Reports combine the art of spotting food trends with the science of market research, so you are always up-to-date on the trends that matter to your business, from ideation to marketing to competitive analysis. And, by subscribing to the full TrendSpotting package, you ll put it all into context by understanding the overall trend landscape, from sauces to spices, carriers to proteins, beverages to desserts. ON THE MENU analyzes flavor and ingredient trends from across the trend cycle, from consumer awareness and interest to menu examples that put trends into context. Plus, we gather and examine important LTOs and new menu items from chains across the country. INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTS, our newest TrendSpotting Report, highlights chain activity around the world these are the indemand, up-and-coming flavors, concepts, and trends that are often adapted for the U.S. market. DINE AROUND takes you on a TrendSpotting tour of a city or neighborhood, so you are always inthe-know on local food trends and how they fit into the overall food landscape, all combined with Datassential s industry-leading market research tools, including MenuTrends and Firefly. WORLD BITES brings you authentic dishes and ingredients from around the globe, each one packed with consumer survey data and U.S. menu examples a must for product ideation, menu development, and marketing. CREATIVE CONCEPTS makes it easy to understand how hot flavors, ingredients, and concepts fit into overall industry trends. Each month takes you across the country and into the establishments that are defining the industry. To begin your TrendSpotting subscription, contact Datassential Senior Director Maeve Webster at 312-655-0596 or maeve@datassential.com. datassential.com
: SOMETHING FOR EVERY IDEATION AND MARKETING NEED.
A MAJORITY OF CONSUMERS SAY THEIR TASTES ARE SHAPED BY THEIR RESTAURANT EXPERIENCES What s happening on the menu today can be a leading indicator of tomorrow s food trends. Datassential MenuTrends is the industry s largest menu data set with the longest historic trend record, plus the ability to search millions of dishes from over 100,000 menus. Because the database is designed to mirror the US restaurant census by segment, region, and menu type, MenuTrends is the only system that offers true projectable data. All segments and cuisine types are tracked extensively from food trucks to fine dining. MenuTrends INSIDER is also updated every month with Limited Time Offers (LTOs) and other new menu activity, with product photos that bring the listings to life. And with thousands of ready-to-use reports and simple trend detection tools, you can jump right into the database, identifying, measuring, and predicting the food and flavor trends that matter to your business. Call us today to begin using the food industry s authoritative resource for flavor trends. Call Jana Mann at 312-655-0595 or email jana.mann@datassential.com.