Latest / Leaders in Customer Loyalty, Powered by Loyalty360 / #497: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | Teriyaki Madness: Driving National Growth Using Tech, Flavor, and Fun!

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#497: Leaders in Customer Loyalty: Brand Stories | Teriyaki Madness: Driving National Growth Using Tech, Flavor, and Fun! · Leaders in Customer Loyalty, Powered by Loyalty360

0:02
SPEAKER_00: Over the past few months, we've had the pleasure of welcoming a variety of unique restaurants, both quick service restaurants and FastCasual, to the Leaders in Customer Loyalty Podcast.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: Today, we're revisiting a previous episode with a brand that continues to stand out.
0:19
SPEAKER_00: Being irreverent, passionate, and unique while staying true to your brand and customers is no easy feat.
0:27
SPEAKER_00: Finding an agency that can help shape and tell your story, your brand story, is equally challenging.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: The right agency needs the right team, the right approach, and true alignment with your brand's values.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: In this episode, we'll explore a particularly innovative approach, an agency powered by AI.
0:48
SPEAKER_00: This AI-driven strategy is not only helping terioke Madness tell its story, but also guiding the brand through this economic uncertainty we're facing today.
0:59
SPEAKER_00: With over 200 stores, teriyaki Madness is navigating headwinds currently seen in the restaurant, retail, hospitality, and convenience industries, yet its focus on customer loyalty continues to thrive, and the customers of the program continue to engage with the brand in a very unique manner.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: We're excited to welcome back Jodi Boyce.
1:19
SPEAKER_00: She is the chief marketing officer at teryaki Madness.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: Jody, thank you for joining us today.
1:24
SPEAKER_00: How are you?
1:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm great.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Good, good, good.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: First off, for those who may not know about teriyaki Madness, can you give us a brief introduction to teriyaki madness and when the company started, kind of why it was launched, a little bit about the background?
1:39
SPEAKER_00: It'd be great to know.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
1:41
SPEAKER_01: So teraki madness is a fast casual restaurant brand.
1:45
SPEAKER_01: We serve huge bowls of fresh marinated and then grilled meats over rice or noodles.
1:52
SPEAKER_01: And then all our bowls come with fresh veggies.
1:55
SPEAKER_01: And the founders actually started it in 2003.
1:58
SPEAKER_01: They were they had gone to school in Seattle.
2:01
SPEAKER_01: And in um Seattle, teriyaki is everywhere.
2:03
SPEAKER_01: It's like Chicago hot dogs and New York pizza.
2:06
SPEAKER_01: So it's all over.
2:07
SPEAKER_01: And then after school, they were living in Las Vegas and decided to bring um teriyaki down to Vegas.
2:13
SPEAKER_01: And that's where they started.
2:14
SPEAKER_01: And then Michael, who's our CEO, uh bought the company in 2016.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: Um and that's why we are headquartered in Denver.
2:22
SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, we are about to hit 200 locations um in the next like couple weeks or months.
2:30
SPEAKER_00: Okay, great.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: Teriyaki at Madness, a very unique name.
2:34
SPEAKER_00: Uh what's what's the backstory there?
2:36
SPEAKER_01: Uh I mean, we kind of inherited inherited it from the founders, but um, I mean, we love it because uh, you know, we always say we take our food seriously, but we don't take ourselves seriously.
2:47
SPEAKER_01: And so the madness kind of uh supports that.
2:50
SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, we're just we're passionate about it.
2:53
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: And when you look at the kind of the fast casual uh dining industry, very competitive right now.
3:01
SPEAKER_00: Uh hospitality is very important.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: We've had a number of uh restaurant uh fast casual uh QSR interviews recently, and just kind of the focus on hospitality is obviously growing.
3:11
SPEAKER_00: When you look at uh kind of how competitive the industry is, what uh makes teriyocumatics so successful?
3:18
SPEAKER_01: Um for one, we're different, right?
3:20
SPEAKER_01: It's not pizza and sandwiches and um burritos.
3:24
SPEAKER_01: So it is a different type of food, um, but it's really delicious food that happens to be healthy.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: So we never claim to be a health food brand by any means, but um just the nature of grilled fresh meats and the rices and everything, it just happens to be a healthier option.
3:41
SPEAKER_01: So um that for one has has really helped um helped us stand out in the marketplace.
3:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, we also have no national competitor.
3:51
SPEAKER_01: Um we have some regional ones, but in our specific space in Fast Casual, we don't have a direct competitor yet, which is you know why we're we're growing so fast.
4:02
SPEAKER_01: So um yeah, I mean, first and foremost, everyone tells us it's it's the flavor of the food.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: It just tastes really, really good.
4:09
SPEAKER_01: And it's something you can eat every day and not feel guilty.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
4:14
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, who is your core audience?
4:16
SPEAKER_00: Uh is it is it kind of people on the go, younger families, you know, who's your core audience and and how do you engage with them?
4:23
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, it's pretty broad.
4:25
SPEAKER_01: It's um pretty much male-female, 50-50 split, um, 24 to 54-year-olds.
4:31
SPEAKER_01: But like you said, yes, it is um active working adults, usually with families, um, people on the go, people looking for um, you know, something probably a little bit healthier, but something that's gonna fill them up and taste really good.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so we reach them through a whole bunch of different methods.
4:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, our loyalty program, which is very successful, our um emails, social media, uh, meta-ads, CTV.
4:56
SPEAKER_01: Uh, we do some iHeartRadio, a lot of display ads.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: So trying to reach them in in multiple ways.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
5:03
SPEAKER_00: When you look at your customer loyalty program, uh, can you tell us a little bit about that?
5:07
SPEAKER_00: Uh, how it was started, how it runs, what one of the the benefits for being a member of the loyalty program?
5:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, uh, you know, loyalty used to be something I think way back in the day that was kind of hard to prove out.
5:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
5:21
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we have been able to prove it over and over.
5:24
SPEAKER_01: And actually, we just had our quarter three um review.
5:28
SPEAKER_01: And even though traffic is down in the industry and we have our traffic's down a little bit as well, our traffic's up with our loyalty guests.
5:36
SPEAKER_01: And so it's just proving again that it's really important.
5:40
SPEAKER_01: Um, but we started it in 2017.
5:44
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
5:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we originally before that, we only had a database of 12,000 emails.
5:51
SPEAKER_01: And so we were just doing email marketing.
5:53
SPEAKER_01: Um, we transferred that into a loyalty program, and now we have almost um a million members.
5:59
SPEAKER_01: So it's grown.
6:01
SPEAKER_01: I mean, the benefit is that these are people who've signed up, they want to hear from you.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, the ones that are loyal are really loyal, and um it's a pretty captive audience.
6:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's one of the things that we see in our member community.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: We we meet with brands on a weekly basis, the members talk about different topics, we have peer groups, but even though uh traffic is down in restaurants a little bit, uh in uh convenience a little bit, in uh hospitality a little bit, the the customer loyalty programs, those those programs are doing exceptionally well of keeping customers, keeping them engaged.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, traditionally the frequency is going to be a little more as we know, right?
6:36
SPEAKER_00: Because they have a more emotional connection uh in theory with the brand.
6:40
SPEAKER_00: But it it it's we continue to hear from brands that we interview and members that you know the programs are really driving results in this somewhat you know challenging economic environment.
6:50
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: Uh so your role would love to know a little bit more about your current role, you know, what uh what you do and what what led you to that position?
6:59
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so um prior, I've I've been at Terek Madness now nine years.
7:04
SPEAKER_01: And so um prior to this, I was at Smash Burger, and we had done a lot of research at the time, just consumer research, not even um specific necessarily to like burgers or anything.
7:16
SPEAKER_01: And so when I heard of Terrak and Madness, I went and visited the shop.
7:20
SPEAKER_01: I tasted the food.
7:22
SPEAKER_01: Um I already had this research in the back of my head about what consumers were looking for in Fast Casual.
7:27
SPEAKER_01: Um and I pretty much just saw the potential.
7:30
SPEAKER_01: It was, you know, the um fresh ingredients, the high quality, the first and foremost, the taste was delicious, um, huge um portions, simple menu, um, the you know, the gluten-free and healthier options, and all the things that that Terrac and Madness had was exactly what the research was telling us um that consumers wanted.
7:52
SPEAKER_01: So saw the potential.
7:54
SPEAKER_01: Um it's a fun brand.
7:55
SPEAKER_01: The brand voice is irreverent and fun and um edgy.
7:59
SPEAKER_01: And so um I started when there was 30 restaurants and we're at almost 200 now.
8:04
SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, I just it's been a fun ride.
8:08
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
8:09
SPEAKER_00: When you look at uh kind of your role, you know, what are some of the biggest obstacles and or challenges that you've faced uh you know within the organization?
8:18
SPEAKER_01: Uh so we are 100% franchised.
8:21
SPEAKER_01: Um so that presents a challenge within itself.
8:25
SPEAKER_01: Um, but we've also been extremely scrappy over the years.
8:28
SPEAKER_01: Uh we've never been backed by you know big investor groups or um PE firms.
8:33
SPEAKER_01: So our budgets have only been um what the royalties are of our shops.
8:38
SPEAKER_01: And when I started, we had 30 locations.
8:40
SPEAKER_01: Um and you can imagine how tiny that budget might be.
8:44
SPEAKER_01: So we had to be pretty scrappy from the beginning.
8:48
SPEAKER_01: Um and we, although you know, our budgets have grown enormously since, we're still scrappy because um a lot of times we find that those are the tactics that work even better.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, although it's a a challenge, it's been it's been fun.
9:03
SPEAKER_01: It makes you think, um, and it makes you really selective on what type of marketing you do because you can't can't do everything.
9:11
SPEAKER_00: You can you know that's an interesting discussion as well.
9:13
SPEAKER_00: And you look at the marketing, kind of the the franchisees have a marketing fund they have to you know contribute to.
9:19
SPEAKER_00: Uh and then when you roll out a loyalty program, usually there may be some incremental uh charges with the program, uh, which can be somewhat challenging.
9:27
SPEAKER_00: You know, how how did you navigate that?
9:28
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, now the program's doing very well.
9:30
SPEAKER_00: You can say, yeah, I told you it's gonna do very well.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: So you uh you must love it.
9:34
SPEAKER_00: Well, were there any challenges uh when you kind of rolled out the loyalty program to the franchisees?
9:40
SPEAKER_01: Um not as much with the shop owners.
9:43
SPEAKER_01: What we did is we added the app and um online ordering first.
9:48
SPEAKER_01: So we partnered with Polo and Punch, um, but we only launched the app in online ordering because we we knew that would be such a big shift for our franchisees to get used to.
9:58
SPEAKER_01: And it was like flipping a switch, you know, with the amount of sales that they got.
10:03
SPEAKER_01: And then a year later, we rolled in loyalty.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: So we we stair-stepped it a little bit.
10:08
SPEAKER_01: Um and we we didn't really get any pushback.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: We used their tech fees to help pay for it and the marketing fund.
10:17
SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, they pay for OLO, but it's based on how many orders you get.
10:21
SPEAKER_01: So um over time, we've um been able to prove over and over it pays for itself, you know, tenfold.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: And when you look at uh the growth during your tenure from 30 locations to almost 200 now, 200 soon, you know, what do you think are some of the greatest achievements that that that you've been able to navigate?
10:38
SPEAKER_00: And and and also maybe what are some of the opportunities coming up?
10:42
SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, tech has been a big achievement.
10:46
SPEAKER_01: I think um one of the biggest differences of a marketing role, you know, pre-COVID probably, or even before that, but usually marketing was just marketing and tech landed in IT.
10:58
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
10:59
SPEAKER_01: Um I don't know if it was just because of the times changing or because we were such a small company, but we wore a lot of hats.
11:06
SPEAKER_01: And so um uh, you know, being the CMO, I'm I'm in charge of not just marketing, but kind of finding new revenue streams.
11:14
SPEAKER_01: And tech just happens to fall right into that now.
11:17
SPEAKER_01: So adding the app and online ordering and integrations with third-party delivery, and um we have a curbside program that's you know tracks people through GPS so we can meet them on the curb.
11:30
SPEAKER_01: Um so really tech is probably the biggest difference of what it used to be.
11:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we're pretty proud of it.
11:37
SPEAKER_01: We we've embraced it as a brand, even as a small brand.
11:41
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's that's awesome.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: Oftentimes, again, in kind of the meetings we have with our brands and some of the surveys we do throughout the year, you know, having tech work for you versus having to work for tech can be a good challenge.
11:51
SPEAKER_00: Many brands don't feel they have the organizational understanding of disparate technologies that can drive customer loyalty.
11:57
SPEAKER_00: So to be able to have kind of tech is something that is uh you know a benefit versus a you know a challenge is great to hear.
12:03
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
12:04
SPEAKER_00: So you've been in the restaurant industry for quite some time.
12:07
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, how we talked about a little bit more.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: How's the fast casual space evolving?
12:13
SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, we've always talked about convenience, I think, in the restaurant industry, but um prior prior to COVID, convenience was you know something consumers wanted.
12:24
SPEAKER_01: Then the pandemic happened, um, and then consumers really demanded it.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: Um, we had to have it because you know you had to have food in your hands quickly and there wasn't dine-in service.
12:34
SPEAKER_01: So essentially, COVID trained consumers, a lot of people who had never used an app, had never used delivery or third-party delivery.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: We trained consumers on how to do it.
12:45
SPEAKER_01: And so we kind of created our own monster and uh it snowballed from there.
12:49
SPEAKER_01: And so now convenience isn't just like a demand, it's green spees.
12:54
SPEAKER_01: You have to have um different ways to get food in people's hands.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: I think the biggest um change today is because of inflation, because of everything that's happened in the industry over the last couple of years, um, value is isn't just a price point anymore.
13:12
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so brands really have to offer something other than just a decently priced item, um, you know, the high quality, we have huge portions.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: Um, but we also need to give a really good customer experience because I think consumers are just being a little tighter with their wallets and you know, they're they're gonna spend it on the places where they they feel good about spending it and not um where they're gonna have a mediocre experience.
13:42
SPEAKER_00: No, I think you're interested, you're you're right.
13:44
SPEAKER_00: The the whole discussion around value is is another topic that that's quite front and center right now.
13:48
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, especially with regard to uh kind of the economy.
13:52
SPEAKER_00: We had a we had a peer group yesterday and talked about it, and and many brands, a few of the brands, like uh some of the value we put into these programs, we've had to tweak the value, right?
14:00
SPEAKER_00: So, but value also comes in different shapes and sizes right now.
14:04
SPEAKER_00: It can be customers valuing the program, you know, the the brand's value in the program, the CMO, CFO, they're value in the program, and you know, uh the organizational value that it brings.
14:15
SPEAKER_00: So it's very unique right now.
14:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know, you talked about convenience being one.
14:19
SPEAKER_00: Uh convenience can be great value, uh the speed that you can feed someone the healthy fare that you have, the customization.
14:27
SPEAKER_00: You know, how are you looking at value holistically as a brand?
14:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, I think that's the exact word, is holistically.
14:33
SPEAKER_01: It has to be, it's not just one thing.
14:36
SPEAKER_01: Um, we already have the huge portions, we've got quality ingredients, we um have really good food and decent prices.
14:43
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's not, we are not keep by any means, but we're not the most expensive.
14:47
SPEAKER_01: But it's a good price-value equation because it's a lot of high-quality, healthy food for a reasonable price.
14:53
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so I feel like the the last piece of the puzzle that we just need to continue to improve and um just nail every time is the experience.
15:02
SPEAKER_01: Um and you're relying on people to do that um in a franchise system.
15:07
SPEAKER_01: So that's um, you know, definitely a challenge, um, but something that we're we're constantly working on because again, if if you don't have a good experience, you're probably not coming back.
15:17
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's interesting.
15:18
SPEAKER_00: We we had a discussion uh about a month ago, I think, with a gentleman that ran a company called Nukes.
15:23
SPEAKER_00: They're a small company, uh East Coast based hundred locations.
15:27
SPEAKER_00: And he mentioned uh kind of we started talking about uh conversion and and choice, right?
15:33
SPEAKER_00: Uh I don't go to a ton of restaurants.
15:35
SPEAKER_00: I would definitely love this restaurant.
15:36
SPEAKER_00: We used to have a few of them in Cincinnati, we don't have them anymore, but you know, uh Qdoba and a few others I go to.
15:41
SPEAKER_00: My wife likes to go to everything, right?
15:43
SPEAKER_00: So, but we started talking about choice and conversion, right?
15:46
SPEAKER_00: So you got to get them to try it that that first time.
15:49
SPEAKER_00: And you mentioned making sure that uh the experience is is spot on so you can convert them, right?
15:54
SPEAKER_00: So getting them to make that choice with you and to choose you, but then getting them to convert can be a challenge, correct?
16:00
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of options out there today.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: Um but yeah, I think uh kind of a rule of thumb that we've used in loyalty over the years is you need to get them in three times.
16:11
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's something like within six or eight weeks that you need to get them in to get them locked.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so that's you know a lot of pressure to give three really great experiences.
16:22
SPEAKER_01: Um, the food has to be perfect, the order has to be, you know, nothing missing in it.
16:27
SPEAKER_01: Um, the customer service needs to be friendly or go above and beyond friendly and have something that stands out.
16:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, so all the pieces need to be put in place to get those consumers to lock in on your brand.
16:40
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, absolutely.
16:41
SPEAKER_00: Uh AI is another uh topic everyone's uh kind of concerned or focused on.
16:46
SPEAKER_00: It seems uh they kind of the acceleration to AI has gotten pretty quick here recently, with especially some of the executive uh organizations like Amazon and uh Target and others kind of laying off uh significant numbers of people.
16:59
SPEAKER_00: Uh but you know, AI is is gonna be uh something that brands are obviously laser focused on.
17:04
SPEAKER_00: I know you recently launched your first AI generated ad campaign with the genre AI, which is a which are the first for the fast casual restaurant space.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: You know, what inspired this move and how does it align with your broader uh brand strategy and growth strategy?
17:21
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so um our company, we've always been a bit tech forward, especially for a brand our size, you know, getting into um loyalty and integrations with third party, you know, in 2017, that was about three-ish years before other brands really jumped on board.
17:37
SPEAKER_01: So we've always been tech forward.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: Um our CEO just he forwarded with no comment, he forwarded an article about um genre AI.
17:46
SPEAKER_01: And it was the um it was an ad they had done um for like a trading um betting app.
17:53
SPEAKER_01: And I watched it and I was like, oh my god, this is AI.
17:57
SPEAKER_01: Like you really couldn't tell.
17:59
SPEAKER_01: Um it was hilarious.
18:01
SPEAKER_01: The energy was crazy.
18:03
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so a light bulb went off in my head because I like I said, we are scrappy.
18:09
SPEAKER_01: Um last year we did our first real ad with a full service agency, spent a big chunk of our budget to make the ad, um, and then another piece of the budget to run the ad.
18:20
SPEAKER_01: And we were a little bit disappointed.
18:22
SPEAKER_01: It just didn't, it didn't turn out the way we fully wanted.
18:26
SPEAKER_01: We probably, you know, had we had more dollars, we would have done a longer um production.
18:31
SPEAKER_01: There was a lot of things in hindsight we would have done differently.
18:35
SPEAKER_01: So when this AI thing came up, I basically stopped um genre AI after this article came out.
18:42
SPEAKER_01: They were super busy, um, as you can imagine.
18:45
SPEAKER_01: And so I tracked them down, told them I wanted to work with them.
18:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, they had the kind of personality, and um, they have a lot of great writers, um comedic writers over there, and um just really fit our brand personality.
19:02
SPEAKER_01: And so we decided to move forward and create an over-the-top ad with them, uh, really leaned into the AI piece of it.
19:11
SPEAKER_01: Like we weren't trying to make it look completely real.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: Um and uh yeah, it was a lot of fun.
19:17
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
19:18
SPEAKER_00: You know, uh you talked about kind of the alignment uh between the the agency and terrick madness.
19:24
SPEAKER_00: You know, uh how does it work with these guys?
19:26
SPEAKER_00: Do they have did AI create all of it?
19:28
SPEAKER_00: Is it kind of do you they have like the agency uh talent, uh human talent that kind of helps uh craft some of initially and then you leverage AI to kind of streamline the process?
19:38
SPEAKER_00: You know, how does it work?
19:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean we were super involved every step of the way.
19:42
SPEAKER_01: So, and it was it was quick.
19:44
SPEAKER_01: Like we did the whole thing, I think, in six to eight weeks.
19:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so we wrote the create a brief, we had um discussion with them, talked through it.
19:53
SPEAKER_01: They do have um, you know, professional writers on their staff, actually, people that that came from like sitcoms and You know, writing uh comedy and movies and stuff.
20:04
SPEAKER_01: So they um they sent over a few script ideas based on our creative brief.
20:09
SPEAKER_01: Um we went back and forth, we helped create it with them.
20:12
SPEAKER_01: Um then they sent over you know the initial um first rough cut, and we were able to you know pinpoint can you make this guy um have long hair instead of short hair?
20:24
SPEAKER_01: Can you change?
20:25
SPEAKER_01: I mean, it was so quick.
20:26
SPEAKER_01: And so we would send over really specific, detailed changes.
20:31
SPEAKER_01: Um, and within a day or two, we'd have another round.
20:34
SPEAKER_01: So it sped everything up and was a fraction of the cost.
20:38
SPEAKER_01: And so it allowed us to put um a lot more of our dollars into actually running the ad versus just creating it.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: Uh so you know, what are you hoping to achieve with this campaign?
20:49
SPEAKER_01: Our ultimate goal is to increase sales and traffic.
20:52
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, traffic's been taking a dip for everyone in the industry.
20:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, we're starting to see that gap close a little bit.
20:59
SPEAKER_01: It's only been running for a few weeks, so um it runs through uh mid-December.
21:04
SPEAKER_01: So we're we're tracking it closely.
21:06
SPEAKER_01: We are um comparing it to um, you know, year over year data, uh pre-campaign versus you know during campaign data.
21:15
SPEAKER_01: We've got a lot of analytics behind it.
21:18
SPEAKER_01: Um we're also comparing it to other campaigns we've run to see um, you know, if people are reacting to this campaign versus other, you know, food focused or other campaigns we've done.
21:29
SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, we're tracking it really closely and then just overall brand awareness.
21:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we're 200 and growing fast, but um, we've barely made a dent in people knowing who we are.
21:41
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
21:42
SPEAKER_00: And when you look at uh you know 41 states, 200 locations, uh innovation is very important.
21:48
SPEAKER_00: They uh mentioned numerous times that you're very tech focused, uh, relying on your partners to make sure that they can kind of help uh drive the digital conversion and uh kind of the digital first mindset that you already have.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: You know, uh, you know, how how do you work with the franchisees on these campaigns?
22:04
SPEAKER_00: Do you are they aware of them?
22:05
SPEAKER_00: Do you get their buy-in?
22:06
SPEAKER_00: Do you use any VOC in that capacity?
22:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, we uh we definitely share the final result with them.
22:14
SPEAKER_01: Um I mean, we're unique, we're a unique franchise or in that we provide a ton of support for our franchisees.
22:20
SPEAKER_01: Um, we we help people every step of the way when it comes to national advertising.
22:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we we're not necessarily getting their input on that, but we we know as a brand what we need to get out there.
22:34
SPEAKER_01: Um and so yeah, we we shared it with them.
22:36
SPEAKER_01: Everyone was pretty excited about it.
22:38
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
22:38
SPEAKER_01: Um, the the tech that we invest in for the company in in general are things that our our shop owners tell us they need.
22:46
SPEAKER_01: So we always try not to have you know an ivory tower mentality.
22:50
SPEAKER_01: We want our franchisees to tell us how to make their business better.
22:54
SPEAKER_01: So if there are certain, you know, AI or tech that's gonna help them and make things easier or faster or um, you know, somehow make their business better, that's what we're gonna focus on.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: Well, and I think that uh that's a very salient point, right?
23:09
SPEAKER_00: Especially uh the the restaurant owners, they got into it because they have passion about food, right?
23:13
SPEAKER_00: They have a background and they have an opportunity to take part in an amazing franchise like yourself.
23:18
SPEAKER_00: You know, they they want to serve the people.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: They want to make sure that everything goes well.
23:21
SPEAKER_00: They don't necessarily want to or have the skill set to manage technology, man or manage kind of oper kind of the operational pieces that can be uh more effectively done with with technology, correct?
23:32
SPEAKER_01: Right.
23:33
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
23:34
SPEAKER_01: I mean, we have we set a rule, a general rule a few years ago that any new partner that we bring on that has a tech component has to either have an open API or um be integrated with our other partners.
23:48
SPEAKER_01: Um it just it especially if it's um something that our franchisees have to you know get into and touch themselves.
23:54
SPEAKER_01: We can't have them going to 10 different systems, you know, and logging into different things and finding um different ways to do things on everything, uh every single system.
24:05
SPEAKER_01: We need a centralized um tech platform.
24:09
SPEAKER_01: So everything has to be integrated.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: You talked a little bit uh uh you know the tech partnerships you have with Olo and Punch and obviously uh genre AI.
24:19
SPEAKER_00: You know, are you looking at partnerships on the brand to brand side that can potentially add value to the consumer as well?
24:24
SPEAKER_00: Is that something that you have on your roadmap now or maybe in the future?
24:28
SPEAKER_01: Um we're focused on it from finance to real estate to um every piece of our business.
24:37
SPEAKER_01: So I don't know exactly what that's gonna look like um in 2026, but um AI and just tech and integrations are a big piece of our focus across the entire company.
24:49
SPEAKER_01: Um, and so you know, if we can help our franchisees find better real estate that's faster and easier and more accurate than what we've done in the past, or um, you know, uh in inventory system in the restaurant or whatever it is, um tech is helping kind of lead the way in that.
25:08
SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, it has to be able to make things easier or faster or more accurate.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
25:13
SPEAKER_00: We talked earlier a little bit about the the choice uh and conversion opportunities uh in in many industries, uh, but also, you know, we talked about hospitality a little bit.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, it's beyond the restaurant.
25:24
SPEAKER_00: It's a digital channel, it's a loyalty program, how clean the parking lot may be.
25:28
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, if uh that uh 18-year-old just broke up with her boyfriend, is doing that check-in, that uh that may not be the best experience as well.
25:36
SPEAKER_00: But you know, when you look at hospitality, how important is that kind of not only in the restaurant, but beyond the restaurant?
25:42
SPEAKER_00: And and how can you influence those things that may not be under direct control?
25:47
SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, I mean, I think that's a theme we've been talking about this whole time is that it's the experience that that matters.
25:54
SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, we before COVID, we used to do things that we call table touches.
26:00
SPEAKER_01: So for the dine-in customers, um, you know, the cashier when they're walking around the dining room will stop at the table and say, How is everything?
26:08
SPEAKER_01: Or can I refill your drink?
26:10
SPEAKER_01: Um, little things like that, where I see you can't finish your bowl because it's huge.
26:14
SPEAKER_01: Do you want me to get you a lid?
26:16
SPEAKER_01: So we used to do those things.
26:18
SPEAKER_01: Um then the pandemic happened.
26:20
SPEAKER_01: We opened um, you know, half of our restaurants since COVID.
26:25
SPEAKER_01: And so they didn't even know that that system of what we used to do.
26:28
SPEAKER_01: And so a lot of it is just bringing back um that human touch.
26:33
SPEAKER_01: Um, and you know, what else can we do that's for the people, the 80% that take our food to go, um, because we don't have a chance to necessarily do that table touch with them.
26:45
SPEAKER_01: So we're constantly looking at ways to improve that hospitality and that service, um, even though 80% of our food goes outdoor.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: Uh, so when you look at uh kind of the that uh going back to genre AI a little bit, uh you talked about how they matched up to you.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: You know, you have that bold, cravable Seattle style teriyaki and fun, uh obviously in Denver, which has its own kind of flair as well.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: You know, uh how do you match up the the brand personality with the creative campaign that can reinforce but also you know differentiate you from other fast casual concepts?
27:22
SPEAKER_01: Well, in 30 seconds, we had um a guy fighting a bear, a guy being thrown out a window, um, the guy riding the bear at the end.
27:34
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, really irreverent, fun, bizarre things.
27:38
SPEAKER_01: Um, the whole intent of that is to make the ad memorable and give it the energy that we feel like our brand personality has.
27:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, all the food in the ad is real.
27:47
SPEAKER_01: That's the only thing that's a hundred percent real.
27:49
SPEAKER_01: We're not gonna fake our food because that kind of defeats the purpose.
27:52
SPEAKER_01: So um I I think we accomplished it.
27:55
SPEAKER_01: Nobody else is doing it.
27:58
SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's definitely a memorable ad.
28:00
SPEAKER_01: It's it's you know, more than we could have ever done had we tried to do that type of ad um with a real production budget.
28:07
SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, it's it's a little out there and um for reverent and fun and a little crazy.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: That sounds good.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: I like that.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: Reverence always good.
28:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's fun.
28:19
SPEAKER_00: So are you any planned uh promotions with the Broncos?
28:22
SPEAKER_00: Have you avalanches out of curiosity?
28:24
SPEAKER_01: Uh I would love to do that.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: Um we don't have anything currently, but we should.
28:29
SPEAKER_00: Uh so you know, looking ahead, you know, what's next?
28:32
SPEAKER_00: What innovations are you most excited about bringing to life?
28:37
SPEAKER_01: Um I think um all this integration that we keep talking about, you know, we have data in so many different places.
28:45
SPEAKER_01: Like in marketing, we've got our loyalty data, we've got um online and third-party sales data, we've got all this data out there, not to mention everything else that throughout the company that's not just marketing.
28:59
SPEAKER_01: And bringing that all into one space where we can um have actually AI help analyze it so that we can help our shop owners um know what they can do to make their business better.
29:14
SPEAKER_01: Um I'm really excited about that because we again are 100% franchised.
29:20
SPEAKER_01: We um committed to supporting all of these shops and all of this data and the integrated data and the AI can help us go down to the local level and tell that shop these are the three things you need to do to make your shop better.
29:34
SPEAKER_01: Um, so yeah, it's pulling it all together.
29:37
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
29:38
SPEAKER_00: So when you look at uh kind of the marketing campaigns, the creative strategies, the customer loyalty program, you know, the reverence style that you've built, you know, what are two or three things that you're most proud of when it comes to your tenure at uh Terrachi Madness?
29:52
SPEAKER_01: Um I think ultimately it's it's making something out of nothing.
29:56
SPEAKER_01: Um, and not that we had nothing, but when I started, we literally had nothing.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: We literally had a counter where you could order or a phone where you could take an order.
30:04
SPEAKER_01: Um so I'm pretty proud of creating all the systems that we have in place today through the app and online ordering and all the integrations with third-party delivery because that actually helped us um thrive during COVID because we were already set up.
30:19
SPEAKER_01: We didn't need to scramble.
30:21
SPEAKER_01: We just kind of had to crank the volume up and let people know we had it.
30:25
SPEAKER_01: Um so that was a huge turning point for us when other brands were struggling and trying to figure it out.
30:32
SPEAKER_01: Um, we were already kind of hitting the ground running.
30:35
SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: And then last question, uh somewhat self-serving, you know, what can Loyalty 360 do to help you and your uh business with regard to your customer loyalty efforts, customer loyalty program?
30:45
SPEAKER_01: I think keep telling us what um what trends are sticking um and what tech is coming next.
30:52
SPEAKER_01: Because, you know, a few years ago, um, you know, unrelated to you guys, but we were we were excited about drone delivery.
30:58
SPEAKER_01: We're like, let's do it, let's be the first one to do drone delivery.
31:01
SPEAKER_01: Um, and that hasn't totally taken off yet, but that that could be next.
31:05
SPEAKER_01: So I think um in your world, it's telling us what what trends are sticking um and where we should all be be heading.
31:13
SPEAKER_01: Because even way back in the day, you know, people didn't think third-party delivery was gonna stick around.
31:19
SPEAKER_01: And it's definitely stuck around.
31:20
SPEAKER_00: So that's absolutely well, uh, this has been a very interesting discussion, Jody.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much.
31:26
SPEAKER_00: But uh you're not off the hook yet.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: We have our wonderful quick fire round of questions.
31:30
SPEAKER_00: We'd like to keep these short uh to uh a minute or a few phrases, or I get in trouble with Hannah and the content team.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: Okay, but I'm always in trouble, so that'll be status quo.
31:40
SPEAKER_00: So we'll be good.
31:41
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, first off, what loyalty programs do you belong to?
31:45
SPEAKER_01: Um, mostly restaurants and and food brands.
31:48
SPEAKER_01: So Starbucks, Qdoba, Jimmy Johns, Jersey Mics, anywhere my kids like to go.
31:53
SPEAKER_00: Uh what brand other than your own uh do you find yourself most loyal to?
31:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh sadly, probably Starbucks, big user.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: Uh there you go.
32:03
SPEAKER_00: Uh what do you do better, manage up or manage down?
32:07
SPEAKER_01: Uh I can do both when necessary.
32:09
SPEAKER_01: I I think the piece um about that's important with both is just managing expectations, whether it's uh up or down.
32:17
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
32:17
SPEAKER_00: Well, what's the most challenging project you've ever been a part of?
32:22
SPEAKER_01: When called a project, but uh the pandemic was the most challenging time.
32:26
SPEAKER_01: Um, but it was also kind of fun because we were really scrappy and we were able to do a lot with with little.
32:32
SPEAKER_00: Okay, excellent.
32:33
SPEAKER_00: Uh are you a just in time kind of person or are you more of a strategic planner, get things done way early?
32:41
SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't say way early, but I'm definitely a planner.
32:44
SPEAKER_01: Um I think if you plan ahead, you can um get everybody rolling in the right direction.
32:49
SPEAKER_01: Still have to be nimble to change that plan, but then you can replan.
32:53
SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I'm a planner.
32:54
SPEAKER_00: That's it.
32:55
SPEAKER_00: And and uh what did you want to be when you were a kid growing up?
32:59
SPEAKER_01: Uh sounds like a lie, but always marketing.
33:02
SPEAKER_01: My my mom used to teach marketing.
33:04
SPEAKER_01: Um, and I as like a four, five, six-year-old, used to sit in the class.
33:08
SPEAKER_01: And then my first job in or first class in college realized like, oh, this is marketing.
33:14
SPEAKER_01: And so um, yeah, always wanted to do it.
33:16
SPEAKER_00: Well, then having a mother who taught marketing, uh, you know, how did that prepare you for the workforce?
33:21
SPEAKER_01: Uh well, my first job out of college was driving the Oscarmeyer Wienmobile around the country.
33:26
SPEAKER_01: Um so I was I was a hot dogger and I was doing it too way back in the wind.
33:30
SPEAKER_00: I didn't drive it all the country, I just sort of did it in Cincinnati.
33:33
SPEAKER_00: I wrecked it.
33:34
SPEAKER_01: Press event?
33:35
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
33:35
SPEAKER_00: What's that?
33:36
SPEAKER_01: You did it in a press, like a press event?
33:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's like local events, like uh kind of it's in the ASI world, but yeah, I did it around Cincinnati.
33:43
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the big hot dog.
33:44
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I backed it into something though.
33:46
SPEAKER_01: Oh, perfect.
33:48
SPEAKER_01: You it scraped the buns.
33:50
SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, so I that was all marketing and PR.
33:53
SPEAKER_01: So I drove the winner beal around the country for a year and kind of launched me into the food industry and into marketing.
34:00
SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: Well, Jody, thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us today.
34:04
SPEAKER_00: It was uh a pleasure speaking with you again uh giving an update on Terrachi Madness.
34:08
SPEAKER_00: Looking forward to hearing more uh from you and your team uh throughout the next year.
34:12
SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
34:13
SPEAKER_01: Thanks, Mark.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: And thank you everyone for taking the time to listen today.
34:16
SPEAKER_00: Make sure you join us back every Thursday for a new edition of our Leaders and Customer Loyalty series.
34:21
SPEAKER_00: Until then, have a wonderful day.