"GearBox™ allows me to effectively combine all of the capabilities needed to manage large national Menu rollouts with multiple Vendors to utilize the best resource for a given need. It’s an extremely effective combination that had alluded me until we found IRIS."
Applebee’s needed an effective, online Menu Engineering System
Deviations were manual and difficult to effectively maintain
Current structure did not allow for quick response to Franchisee and Corporate requirements
Reporting was not real-time and required manual touches resulting in potentially inaccurate data
GearBox™ was engaged to create an automated Menu engineering environment
Franchisees can see their changes real-time
Deviations are managed in a database environment for expedited updates and Menu changes
Corporate receives real-time feedback on Menu option selections and their potential impact on food purchases for the upcoming months
Franchisees’ response has been extremely positive
Additional functionalities/offerings have been engaged - resulting in a centralized interface for all aspects of a location’s needs
Local Menu initiatives are now engaged to supplement the national initiatives
Environment allows for corporate personnel to create a more proactive engagement with the Franchisees
Applebee’s needed an effective, online Menu Engineering System
Deviations were manual and difficult to effectively maintain
Current structure did not allow for quick response to Franchisee and Corporate requirements
Reporting was not real-time and required manual touches resulting in potentially inaccurate data
GearBox™ was engaged to create an automated Menu engineering environment
Franchisees can see their changes real-time
Deviations are managed in a database environment for expedited updates and Menu changes
Corporate receives real-time feedback on Menu option selections and their potential impact on food purchases for the upcoming months
Franchisees’ response has been extremely positive
Additional functionalities/offerings have been engaged - resulting in a centralized interface for all aspects of a location’s needs
Local Menu initiatives are now engaged to supplement the national initiatives
Environment allows for corporate personnel to create a more proactive engagement with the Franchisees
Founded nearly 30 years ago, Applebee’s started with the same philosophy that they follow today – focus on serving good food to good people. Today, what was once a popular neighborhood restaurant has grown to become the largest casual restaurant chain in North America – with almost 2,000 locations and counting.
Applebee’s continues to grow and prosper, and further differentiates itself with great-tasting food and service innovations like the popular Carside to Go service available at many of its restaurants
Applebee’s restaurant group has the challenge of managing a large network of Franchisees (almost 2,000), keeping their menu offering current, and engaging Customers with ongoing promotions and local initiatives. All of this while managing the logistics of the necessary back-end support. Applebee’s challenges include:
• almost 2,000 locations
• multiple Vendors to support all aspects of a location’s ongoing needs including multiple Menu types, POP, displays, uniforms, etc.
• fast-paced menu cycling with multiple annual rollouts on a national scale
• location-specific deviations that have to be managed across the entire network
• real-time online updates to applebees.com as well as effective reporting around food usage and marketing spend projections
Applebee’s needed a way to effectively manage a very complex Menu Support environment. Requirements included 6-7 Menu types per location across 2,000 locations nationwide. National rollouts occur up to 6 times per year with item updates and location changes during each rollout. Deviations meant that across the national network, there could be as many as 800 different versions of Menus. Updates made in one Menu needed to flow into data points on other Menus. Current solutions required manual manipulations of files and activity reports that could take weeks to produce. Additional challenges included Multiple Vendors - each with varying degrees of technological capabilities, Franchisees that needed to know when their Menus were going to arrive to ensure alignment with national marketing campaigns and brand standards/print quality that had to be maintained.
GearBox™ was engaged to create an Automated Menu Engineering environment where Franchisees can build/modify their respective local Menus with real-time, online proofing. The system automatically adjusts the file to ensure Corporate brand standards are maintained and national initiatives are engaged. Deviation databases are maintained and entire menu structures can change in a real-time environment - if Corporate initiatives require it.
Franchisee feedback is extremely positive due to the real-time feedback of Menu changes and the ability to easily report on historical Menu information and Franchise network comparisons.
