With second quarter sales off 7% - more and more franchisees are not confident with the new emphasis on sandwiches and grilled chicken - one decades long franchisee even said this: “Roger Eaton and his company don’t give a rat’s ass,” - http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_34/b4192019553596.htm?chan=magazine+channel_news+-+companies+%2B+industries much more detail at the link.

And KFC isn’t the only big name with continued lower secondquarter sales as Arby’s is once again off 7.4% and Wendy’s is off 1.7% http://www.restaurantnews.com/wendys-arbys-group-reports-2nd-quarter-2010-results/ - that said, Wendy’s/Arby’s plans expansion abroad with duel branded stores - http://www.ajc.com/business/wendys-arbys-to-open-588791.html

Meanwhile, while some chains go overseas for expansion - Chick-Fil-A plans to go into urban USA locations - http://www.ajc.com/business/chick-fil-a-plans-589960.html

And, speaking of GOING into new areas - New food-truck trend rolls into Akron - Vehicles promote fresh, unique fare, pose competition to eateries - http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/100353574.html making existing restaurants uneasy.

And, speaking of being uneasy in the restaurant business - Restaurants seek recipe for economic sustenance - So, with the fear of the unknown come new marketing strategies, including lots of social media and some creative pricing packages. Restaurants are also learning the value of truly connecting to the community they call home and making sure their new and regular customers are given top-notch food, delivered with a smile. - http://mddailyrecord.com/2010/08/05/restaurants-seek-recipe-for-economic-sustenance/ the bad news, of course, is that the `new normal’ is quickly becoming the new reality.

More down sales from O’Charley’s too - same-store sales at O’Charley’s company-operated restaurants declined by 7.9 percent - http://www.restaurantnews.com/ocharleys-inc-reports-results-for-the-second-quarter-of-2010/

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I live only about 2.5 miles from a Stevi B’s - it’s pretty good pizza - that said, when it opened our family used to use it 3-6 tmes a year - but, it’s been 3-4 years since our last use. That said, free food can indeed bring in the old users (now nonusers) - and, IF they give that pizza to the customers as they leave - they may indeed stimulate some `take out’ business in the future. (Especially if the pizza re-heats well.) http://www.restaurantnewsrelease.com/stevi-bs-pizza-celebrates-second-annual-free-pizza-day-on-august-19/852283/ Free Food - Part of the New Normal.

(Finally) Blimpie Introduces New Lighter Stuff Menu - The Lighter Stuff menu is comprised of six deliciously healthy items, all less than 400 calories and six grams of fat. - with a celebrity endorser and all - http://www.restaurantnews.com/blimpie-introduces-new-lighter-stuff-menu/ - Just how many years ago was Jared?

“It’s Bo Time” - http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/19/1572009/bojangles-fries-up-new-ad-slogan.html - Will Bojangles new slogan live up to the impressive KFC `So Good’? Are you motivated?

Arby’s goes interactive to introduce a new 1.00 sandwich - New Web App Morphs Your Photo Into “Arby’s Junior” Character - http://www.restaurantnewsrelease.com/become-an-arbys-junior/852235/  will cutesy work? That said, the description of the sandwich sounds like a taste treat for one dollar: the Jr. Deluxe features oven-roasted, thinly sliced roast beef, topped with crisp, fresh lettuce, ripe tomato and mayo on a toasted sesame seed bun. 

And, why not try the new media when - Starbucks Tops 10 Million Facebook Fans - http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=132008

America’s number 3 Fast Food Chain changing hands is big news indeed - http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-11/wendy-s-arby-s-investor-peltz-approached-on-takeover-update2-.html.

Taco Bell’s Two Dollar price point promotion is being well received in the new normal - “Taco Bell’s two dollar value meal is potentially game changing,” says Gary Stibel, Founder and CEO…..One dollar meals drastically limit the quantity a restaurant can offer and often leave consumers wanting.  This is strategic to Taco Bell because the bullseye of their target audience is the young male who doesn’t eat restaurant food, he ‘hoovers’ it. ….the original Chief Marketing Officer of Taco Bell, points out that “one of the bases for PepsiCo’s acquisition of Taco Bell was the ability to deliver good tasting, filling foods to young men at prices that were attractive to the guest and profitable to the owner.  It is one of the strengths of Mexican food in a crowded QSR marketplace.” - More here - http://www.restaurantnews.com/the-2-value-meal-could-be-a-game-changer-for-taco-bell/ 

Taco Bell recently used this Fun Idea to promote the 2 dollar price point - Taco Bell Asks Federal Reserve to Circulate More $2 Bills - http://www.restaurantnews.com/taco-bell-asks-federal-reserve-to-circulate-more-2-bills/

In other price point positioning news - Boston Market Debuts New Market Sliders For $2.99 - http://www.restaurantnews.com/boston-market-debuts-new-market-sliders-for-2-99/ - and combos for 4.99 - very aggressive.

And, score another one for McDonald’s - McDonald’s Ads to Showcase Undiscovered Artists and Bands - as this is an incredibly great idea to target the under 25 segment. - McDonald’s Ads to Showcase Undiscovered Artists and Bands - brilliant, again - http://www.restaurantnews.com/mcdonalds-ads-to-showcase-undiscovered-artists-and-bands/

I appreciate your visit today. Have a look around www.restauranttradearearesearch.com .

A very serious article about the sales and marketing concerns with the Arby’s brand - including low brand loyalty even by users; and price-product positionings out of wack. http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/05/17/2010-05-17_arbys_performance_amongst_the_worst_in_modern_restaurant_history_analyst.html 

Here’s Burger King’s latest venture into the areas beyond Fast Food - http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/04/21/burger-king-testing-brunch-menu-in-select-markets - an area rapidly becoming important in the new normal.

More news - Why Captain D’s Was Thrown Overboard To Save Del Taco - http://blogs.bnet.com/business-news/?p=2077 - the bottom line on this was - healthier food, stronger brand, stronger finances, and fresher marketing - read for the details. (I did some research for one of these brands in the past and one of the brands in the above links.)

Can a two word slogan turn around sales - http://www.slashfood.com/2010/05/25/so-good-is-kfcs-groundbreaking-new-message/ - KFC hopes so. So Good?

In other news - NRA: Menu trends continue to highlight comfort food - http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/article.php?id=18373 - Bread Bowls, Oatmeal, Meatballs - you get the idea. More too.

The smartness of McDonald’s marketing and positionings are amazing - McDonald’s seeks to boost its beverage business - http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/05/18/mcdonalds-seeks-to-boost-its-beverage-business/

A great place to start if you are new with this blog is right here - http://restauranttradearearesearch.com/important-posts-in-2008/

Image From - http://fastfood.freedomblogging.com/files/2008/05/tacobell_valuemenu_web.jpg

In my last post http://restauranttradearearesearch.com/2010/04/21/price-point-stalking-the-new-normal/ - where I provided a list of price positionings that I’ve seen various restaurant chains promote in the past year in the Atlanta ADI - I made the point (I hope) of `how crowded’ some price points are. (AND PROBABLY HOW HARD IT IS TO STAND OUT AND CLAIM A PRICE POINT).

That said, the chains are doing it for a reason - price talks in this new normal. The minimum price to have the chains `experience’ - whether it’s 79 cents at Taco Bell, a Buck at Arby’s, 1.99 Breakfast combo at Dunkin Donuts, 2.50 Subway breakfast combo, 2.99 Boston Market 4.99 Pickadilly’s (who I forgot to include) …ect. ect. ect. — is gobbling up significant portions of marketing efforts and probably not contributing significantly to the bottom line of operating revenue. It can also make the `regular priced fare’ appear to be much more expensive in  a perceptual sense. (Also, unless you are Taco Bell, someone will ALWAYS be cheaper - why pay more?.)

All that said, appealing to multiple price points - including the one that seemingly IS affordable (the minimum prices) - may continue to be important strategic positioning until a real recovery begins - if and when. BUT, now that these minimums are already in place, some shift in ad revenue should happen to emphasize other important restaurant and FF restaurant attributes. (Fun, quickness, food quality, etc.)

Thanks for visiting today - I offer the MarketView, read about it here - www.squidoo.com/tradeareasurveys .

Putting promotion and advertising dollars behind various price points is nothing new in the restaurant category - but - in 2010 - it would seem to be of huge importance based on the current crop of ad positionings positioning prices. For example - check out this list of price points promoted in the past year in the Atlanta ADI at least:

79 cents - Taco Bell (occasionally).

99cents - Wendy’s Value Menu - Capt. D’s sides

1.00 - McDonald’s Dollar Menu; Burger King, Arby’s, Checkers

1.50 (2/3.00) - Checkers, Dairy Queen (occasionally)

1.99 - Snack meals - Mrs. Winners, Church’s, KFC (occasionally), Dunkin Donuts, 

2.00 Denny’s

2.50 Subway Breakfast Combo

Meals For One

2.99 Combo’s - McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Krystal, Boston Market

3.99 Long John Silvers, KFC, (4.00)Firehouse Subs >4Pm (4.00) Steak & Shake, (4.00) Quizno’s, 3.99 Hardee’s, (4.00) Denny’s

5.00 - Subway Footlong, Boston Market 5.oo + sides, (5.01) Arby’s, (4.99) Waffle House, (4.99) CiCi’s Pizza, (5.00) Little Ceasar Pizza, (4.99) Denny’s, 5.00 - Capt. D’s lunch, (4.99) - Zaxby’s,

5.99 Domino’s Pizza, 6.00-Denny’s

8.00 Denny’s

6.99-9.99 - Friday’s, Ruby Tuesday’s, Ryan’s, Golden Corral, (10.00) Pizza Hut, Folks Restaurant, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Applebees,

And now, with smaller portions becoming more accepted at a reduced price (often with more profit however) - the under 10.00 to eat AT a restaurant perception continues to grow.

Today’s headline is in honor of the entry of Subway into the breakfast daypart nationwide. To me, most likely to be `hurt’ would be the `Morning Bakery’ type places (Atlanta Bread Company, Panera Bread, etc) as they also are `walk-in’ - non biscuit - 7AM opening type of places. Subway’s entry also makes it harder for other FF restaurants that are not heavily in the breakfast daypart to start up - such as Wendy’s, Arby’s, some Chicken chains - even a fast casual like Moe’s.

Some Restaurant Links in the news:

Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Inc. Q4 2009 Earnings Call Transcript - Interesting - bottom line Arby’s still way off for 2009 compared to 2008 (9%) — much more. http://seekingalpha.com/article/191999-wendys-arbys-group-inc-q4-2009-earnings-call-transcript?page=1

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/143/next-tech-happy-hour.html -Social Network Rockets Houlihan Restaurants’ Profits - Interesting read.

Battle For Breakfast Diners Intensifying - http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=124241 Premium coffee’s - all day breakfasts - coming soon.

Here’s a great example of competition in a down economy - Where a Meal Can Cost a Fortune, 99¢ Pizza Catches On - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/nyregion/16pizza.html 

Eateries emphasize bar areas, happy hours to lure customers amid recession - http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-alcohol-sales-restaurants-20100313,0,4791182.story

Fish survives fall from sky, lands outside sushi bar - Here’s a fun link for you all - http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/specials/weirdflorida/blog/2010/04/fish_survives_fall_from_sky_la_1.html

Great news for Five Guys Burgers - http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2010/03/25/five-guys-burgers-and-fries-tops-growth-charts - Fastest growing 2009.

More on my services at www.squidoo.com/tradeareasurveys - thanks for visiting today - please bookmark.

One of the few available ways to increase sales is to increase the size of the eating party - here (perhaps you have seen the ads featuring Bo Bice) Moe’s smartly does just that. Indeed, by targeting a `workday’ Moe’s is even encouraging the development of the `office workers luncheon `date” (no romance required). And, by establishing work pairs eating out together - it will surely `happen’ on non-2-1 days too. Excellent idea.

More links to - including:

Vowel Sounds Influence Consumers’ Price Perceptions - http://www.cnbc.com/id/34919366 

10 Worst Sandwiches in America - http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/43781/10-worst-sandwiches-in-america/ - A list you don’t want to be on - such as FF chains - Arby’s, Panera, Red Robin, Subway, Blimpie, Quizno’s.

Unemployment Takes a Bite Out of Breakfast - http://www.aolnews.com/money/article/unemployment-takes-a-bite-out-of-breakfast/19367237 - Down 4% — even 8% off breakfast sandwiches at 7-11.

http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/23/burger-king-unveils-secret-weapon-for-new-steakhouse-xt-burger/ BK goes huge. 7 oz Burger - new broilers.

http://restaurantnews.com/short-orders-news-bites-from-across-the-web-022510/ Just showing off that last weeks post was carried by restaurantnews.com - cool.

Hungry for Returns? Try Wendy’s/Arby’s Group - http://seekingalpha.com/article/185953-hungry-for-returns-try-wendy-s-arby-s-group

Return soon for more.

Great thinking outside of the box right here - includes flowers on the table too AND a photographer to remember the event — for only 11.99 - reservations needed. http://news.holidash.com/2010/01/15/candle-lit-valentines-day-dinner-at-white-castle/?icid=main|htmlws-main-w|dl8|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.holidash.com%2F2010%2F01%2F15%2Fcandle-lit-valentines-day-dinner-at-white-castle%2F I can’t see why this same idea couldn’t work for other FF’s.

Fast Food Jobs and What They Pay - http://jobs.aol.com/articles/photos/fast-food-jobs-and-what-they-pay/2475605/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl4|link7|http%3A%2F%2Fjobs.aol.com%2Farticles%2Fphotos%2Ffast-food-jobs-and-what-they-pay%2F2475605%2F And the winner is ……….. Arby’s

And, Arby’s scores again right here - http://www.slashfood.com/2009/11/20/arbys-lures-sports-fans-with-free-food/?icid=main|htmlws-main-n|dl6|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfood.com%2F2009%2F11%2F20%2Farbys-lures-sports-fans-with-free-food%2F

Read more about the services I offer at www.squidoo.com/tradeareasurveys thanks.

Nothing like being a bit late to the party - or - making the move while a 5.01 Combo advertising campaign is going onward - but Arby’s has finally moved to match the direct FF competition. Seems the shift away from advertising specific products and tastes continues.

Also seen lately is Capt. D’s once again positioning their food and prices compared to Red Lobster - this time showing a party of two that they could have fed a party of four AND gotten 15.00 back. The tradedown customer is a legit positioning for sure for `dinner’ FF restaurants.

Finally, some other restaurant links:

Hundreds line up to apply for a job at In-N-Out Burger - http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8366210

Study: Consumers Prefer E-mail Interaction to Social Media - http://blog.sellsiusrealestate.com/marketing-tips/study-consumers-prefer-e-mail-interaction-to-social-media/2009/10/16/

First, let it be said that my usage of nearly ALL of the restaurants has already assumed the `new normal’ of the Great Recession. Regardless of what cheerleading the media may be doing about the economy - most folks are now cautious on discretionary spending - of which, restaurant visits - even to a degree Fast Food restaurant visits - has been impacted. 

 In alphabetical order:

Arby’s - I `responded’ to the ads for the `Roast Burger’ earlier in the year and was not impressed. I refused to respond to the Marry a Goat `humor’  ad campaign and somewhat like the recent 5.01 combo or pricing (the one cent being for Quality).  That said, generally, I perceive that Arby’s as expensive without having coupons from the coupon mail drop a few times a year. Additionally, they  `streamlined’ their `fries’ - dropping my favorite the Homestyle. How can they NOT promote the Jamoca Shake?

Atlanta Bread Company (ABC) - Remodeled nicely. Upgraded to real plates and silverware. Messy to clean up. Can be crowded and slow service. Female favorite. Good soups and combo prices. Mellow atmosphere.

Burger Inn - Local  legend - all fresh cooked. Great breakfast customer base. Friendly people; newspapers available often. Excellent onion rings. Beefy hamburgers. Male favorite.

Burger King - I like the current billboard promotion about the Double Cheeseburger for a buck, real value - but - haven’t gotten it.  I have ordered the Mini burgers more than once however and view that as an excellent addition. Amazingly, the Woodstock BK got rid of Real Sweet Tea years ago (my assumption is that is still the case) and thereby nearly ended my usage — I can’t stand the fake sweet tea out of a machine. Operations should be aware that changing ICONic drinks can have a big effect. — Finally, where is the KING?

Capt. D’s - Perhaps my favorite FF in Woodstock. Quality, Quick, and Quantity with good value pricing. Covers all reasonable price points including lunch specials and on-going `specialities’ that have all prices. Excellent choice of sides. Funny ads earlier in the year comparing to Red Lobster pricing. Friendly greeting and thanking when exiting. Good inside music.

Checkers - Still a viable concept (double drive thru) - chicken wings were a good addition earlier in year - somehow it fits. Catchy phrase “you gotta eat” recognizable for smaller chain levels of advertising. Covers all price points well with a good mix of products. The Woodstock store does Sunday Pricing - good idea - hasn’t ever motivated me for their `down sized’ versions. Could probably `play-up’ the FUN theme a little bit more.

Chick-Fil-A - Woodstock’s Chick-Fil-A is amazingly busy. Overwhelmingly busy whenever they do a promotion like 2-1 for a chicken sandwich or free food giveaway. Excellent quick service regardless of how long the lines are - especially at the drive-thru. (However, I’ve detected a time or two a usage of `workers in India’ taking my orders — I’m not kidding - and, in this time of underemployment in America - that is NOT right to save a few cents that way.) Real Milk Shakes were genius. Consistent quality. Friendly employees. Clean. ————— All that said, the Woodstock inside service in the sit-down area can be horrid and when is Chick-Fil-A gonna get some normal fries? Also, one takes a chance when getting the baked potato.

Dairy Queen -  The standard in Ice Cream desserts from the drive-thru. Haven’t used but really like the new pricing structure in ads 2/3 3/4 4/5.00 - interesting approach. Unfortunately, for me, the food hasn’t broke thru.

Dunkin Donuts - Right on the Strip - I’ve never used location. Certainly they can advertise donuts and donut prices more.  (IF I knew a quick Donut sweet was 99 cents for example - it would come to mind for `dessert’ or breakfast purchase more often. Never seen a place less concerned with establishing a price point understanding. Just how much does a dozen donuts cost?)

Firehouse Subs - Expensive but Excellent. Can be slow. Friendly employees. TV’s to watch. Good real sweet tea. Small, can be crowded.

Five Guys Hamburgers - Tangential to Woodstock in Sandy Plains area — good operation - waiting for a Woodstock Location (several good places available perhaps too).

IHOP - Expensive, right? What specials?

KFC - Closed but not forgotten. Also was one, like BK, to drop sweet tea for a time.

Krystal’s - Krystal `fix’ a must a few times a year. (Canton Road.) Ad’s featuring Crispy Onions on burger looks very compelling. Wi-Fi add - good idea.

McDonald’s - Woodstocks unit re-designs and updates the interiour often - which is nice. Clean. Service can range from excellent to very poor (weekends). Can often find an AJC or USA today in newspaper bin. Separate kids area - thumbs up. Fries can vary in quality. Best FF fish sandwich.

New China Buffet - Lunch value leader. Good quality food. Friendly employees. Priced by the pound to go. Widest variety of food.

O’Charlies - Stopped going shortly after changed menu restricting Prime Rib to Sundays only.

Panda Express - Have never used. Pass by back of lot 3 times a week on way to Walmart.

Po Folks - AKA Folks —> Expesive for what you get.

Ruby Tuesday’s — How could they get rid of German Potato Salad? (pet peeve). Good miniburgers and platter pricing. Easy to split orders. Great salad bar still.

Sonic - I really like their ad’s inside the car with the main guy and his friend and the main guy and his wife. Classic. Best onion rings in Woodstock at FF. To me, tasteless burgers. Fun to use. Daypart pricing on drinks in the afternoon. Fun music playing.

Steak And Shake -  Best Milkshake in Woodstock. Can be very expensive without coupons and very reasonable with coupons. Great variety of sides. Great music inside.

Subway - Good with pricing with coupons. Good quality. Can be SLOW service. GOOD real sweet tea. Fresh. Daily specials a good way to address pricing. Excellent variety of sandwiches.

Taco Bell - Good cheap price positioning. Good Chalupa’s. Good real sweet tea. Good service speed. Good quality overall.

Wendy’s - Huge variety in quality - excellent one time - poorish the next. What the heck happened to the fries - almost tasteless compared to yesteryear. I’m told good salads. Expensiveish compared to McD’s. Baked potato good price/quality.

Thanks for reading - feel free to comment.

Here’s some links also:

KFC Closes Its Doors to Fight Hunger - http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/30/kfc-closes-its-doors-to-fight-hunger/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashfood.com%2F2009%2F09%2F30%2Fkfc-closes-its-doors-to-fight-hunger%2F Community involvemet matters - look at the results of the survey on this page too.

A Real Whopper? NASCAR’s Stewart to take live polygraph test in ad  - http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/09/30/a-real-whopper-nascars-stewart-to-take-live-polygraph-test-in//?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl1|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walletpop.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F09%2F30%2Fa-real-whopper-nascars-stewart-to-take-live-polygraph-test-in%2F%2F BK, attention grabber again.

Eat, drink, and spend money: Restaurants ply diners with cheap booze - http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/29/eat-drink-and-spend-money-restaurants-ply-diners-with-cheap-b/#continued?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl3|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailyfinance.com%2F2009%2F09%2F29%2Feat-drink-and-spend-money-restaurants-ply-diners-with-cheap-b%2F%23continued

When you use the MarketView design - part of the findings via our customer base formula - tells the owner, literally, an estimate on `how many’ customers do I have at this unit. Then, when that is combined with the knowledge of what percentage of transactions are with customers in the top two zipcodes for a store — the operator ends up knowing the number of customers that live in a certain zipcode(s).

In the same market I spoke of yesterday - one store had over 11,000 customers who lived in the top two zipcodes to that store; whereas, other stores had less than 5,000 customers in the top two zipcodes. So, once again, in this time of limited marketing dollars - targeting the most customers is good business and smart money.

More restaurant links for you:

http://www.nrn.com/breakingNews.aspx?id=370226 Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s sales slip in June, July.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ak1s1RK9PVp4 Wendy’s and Arby’s sales off too. This link also talks about how restaurant visits overall were down for the first time since 1981 (shows how my post about spring research `expecting an increase’ was dead on http://restauranttradearearesearch.com/2009/04/19/does-new-restaurant-research-point-to-real-surge-in-confidence-and-more-restaurant-spending-or-not/)

http://www.qsrweb.com/article.php?id=15504&na=1&s=2 Taco Bell about to add breakfast.

http://www.couponcravings.com/2009/08/wednesday-free-fruittea-with-sandwich.html Arby’s `free sandwich’ with drink purchase today.

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/07/06/new-mcdonalds-to-include-recharging-stations-for-electric-cars/?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloggingstocks.com%2F2009%2F07%2F06%2Fnew-mcdonalds-to-include-recharging-stations-for-electric-cars%2F Yep, McDonald’s to offer re-charging for electric cars at some new units.

This is a copy and paste from my blog at http://streetlevelviews.blogspot.com — Check it out.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Restaurant Top Of Mind Fast Food Awareness - Atlanta July 4th, 2009

Hello, and welcome back to Street Level Views. As you may be aware, on July 4th I spoke with a number of random people in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. Each of them were asked to name restaurants off the top of their heads and ultimately were also asked to name Fast Food Brands in a top of mind fashion. And, the seven folks in the demonstration taping were a mix of races, ages, and represented both sexes about equally.

Which makes the results even more interesting as they were anything but random. Indeed, 4 of 7 respondents named Chick-fil-A FIRST when mentioning Fast Food brands - with 5 out of seven naming them unaidedly. The other FIRST mentions were Moe’s, Subway and Burger King.

Only four FF restaurants had more than one mention unaidedly McDonald’s (3), Wendy’s (2), Subway (2), and Burger King (2). Other FF brands mentioned unaidedly included 5 Guys Burgers, Taco Bell, Jayson’s Deli, Moe’s, Quizno’s, Checkers, KFC, and Publix Subs.

Commenting on the top of mind mentions —— It is striking that Chick-fil-A `won’ in such a hands down manner (even with such a small sampling). Even more striking is the best `top of mind stories’ told by the respondents involved Chick-fil-A too. One story was told by a under 35 year old woman of she and her friends talking about how they would love to be on the `ad account’ - and - another woman, the heaviest fast food user of the seven - went into GREAT lengths to `show what she appreciates’ about Chick-fil-A. Obviously, the cows, humor and service seem to set Chick-fil-A apart from the everyday FF crowd.

The question is - will that awareness hold up in the first (beta) sample to be gathered citywide over the next month or so - bookmark and return for more information.

And, see the sample interview here http://streetlevelviews.blogspot.com/2009/07/street-level-views-about-restaurants.html and links to the other six interviews on YouTube.

Here’s some recent on the street interviewing I did about restaurants:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtVziTDuZOY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj8ZsJ5JeAg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v9QqZ9QeCc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTRO81RR7DA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJlZ-cOFbqg

Find out more here - http://streetlevelviews.blogspot.com

The above research `featured’ Arby’s, Chick-fil-A and Subway.

The new price of `free’ continues within the fast food category - this week - I’m aware of a dayparted Sonic free Root Beer Float and a free donut at Dunkin Donuts (with purchase) and I’m pretty sure I saw a coupon for an Arby’s `weekparted’ free Kids meal (on weekends with purchase). To be honest, I think there was at least one more.

Well, at least the new FREE involves some targeting. Targeting families to get into a weekend Arby’s visit - good idea. Targeting the sweet tooth by Sonic in the evening (this promo was after 8PM) - creating that `float, at night, in the summer idea - and also making this FREE promotion FREE - good idea. Dunkin Donuts getting some free trial by coffee users - good idea.

Also newsworthy on the `re-pricing’ of fast food restaurant visits is McDonald’s (at least locally) going 1.00 for all sizes of any soft drink (a la carte) (until Sept.30th) - NOT just the sweet tea. Smart - something I suggested all chains should consider in prior posts about how to deal with the `new’ normal in restaurant usage.

And, that new normal continues to make it a rough go as these links indicate:

Fast-Food Chains In For Job-Loss Pain - http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200906031622DOWJONESDJONLINE000812_FORTUNE5.htm

Same store sale figures - Not good news for some - down as much as 8% for Arby’s - Qdoba’s down;  BK, Wendy’s, Jack In The Box slightly up. http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/entry/41524/burger-king-promotes-value/

http://www.rttnews.com/Content/BreakingNews.aspx?Node=B1&Id=947907%20&Category=Breaking%20News

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