5 awesome design tips for food franchises
Our five key points as a guide for the franchisor and franchisee in relation to food QSR in providing the best customer experience and a successful new design or refurbishment project.
1. Focus on the experience
2. Consumer Touchpoints
3. LO-FI physical space
4. Portable food concept
5. Budget driven design
Ideation is crucial to creative work, as well as invention, ingenuity, imagination and originality. It is the intent, the truth or the essence of the thought that constitutes the real value of the final product. In Italian ‘designo’ means ‘intent’.
‘Design when used intelligently can be a powerful business tool. It can effectively motivate employees and consumers. Companies that are at their heart are design driven perform better and bring increased profitability to the bottom line. Resources within these companies are dedicated to design and allow a sense of freedom, innovation and exploration’ - (An extract from a book of essays titled ‘Design does matter’)
Having said all this, it is vital to match the magic of the creative thinking with a budget to achieve the best results for the investment overall.
Food QSR brands strive to create new innovations for food and service models, marketing events and seasonal campaigns, twists on existing menu and food choices with external and internal design aspects are remodelled and updated along the timeline. All competing for customer loyalty and spend across a range of varied store formats and locations with demanding and changing choices, trends and tastes.
1. FOCUS ON THE EXPERIENCE
It is key to recognise, manage and integrate the customers total experience throughout. In an ideal scenario, a progressive brand has external and internal designers and specialists working together to create a seamless experience.
The customer journey and the path to purchase will need to be reviewed time and time again. It is invaluable to obtain customer feedback and insights to guide and influence where the customer journey, product, service and experience can be tweaked and improved upon whilst implementing both quick or long-term future wins.
Within the interior space is it ideal to have the following ingredients applied –
· Integrated Brand Assets that communicate the brand message, tone of voice, personality and wayfinding.
· Interior Design – Contemporary, natural and warm materials, use some colour highlights, encourage and apply food theatre
· Energy efficient warm LED lighting
· Clear menu displays and integrated marketing and promotion materials
· Good quality commercial grade furniture that is comfortable and used in a balanced way that gives choice to the customer to socialise with others and/or have privacy
· Consistent application of design principles across a network of stores.
Case Study: Merivale, Starbucks and GYG
2. CONSUMER TOUCHPOINTS
Consistent design principles must occur for example, uniforms, napkins, coffee cups, store front architecture, window seats, digital interfaces combine to reflect a company’s brand, its origins and in some cases their sustainability agenda.
Physical and digital must align and work in symmetry. Some brands are more progressive than others in introducing digital order points to assist with speedier service times. This has the added benefit of reducing waiting time in queues and not creating a crowd of people across the service counter and in some cases intruding into the seating area.
New sustainability measures and healthy menu options are being explored to cover a wider customer base previously not catered for. External service providers, for example Uber eats and Deliveroo provide a new wave of home delivery, all the more reason to ensure the recyclable packaging and brand look good and stand out from the crowd.
Hosted concierge experiences with an element of integrated digital are delivering and receiving the best customer satisfaction rates. Customer service model should always be considered for providing the customer with the best experience possible. Visibility through to the making and delivering of food and food theatre itself can also be explored.
Case Study: McDonalds & GYG
3. LO-FI Physical Space
Testing and prototyping of the new food and products is also a good time to test low cost brand assets and graphics, interior design treatments, locations to deliver and experience food, recyclable packaging and customer service models alongside real-time customer reactions and throwbacks to social media platforms. This also gives the opportunity to reskin existing spaces or pop ups.
Engaging with the customer face to face during these testing periods can provide helpful insights and future direction.
What do you like about this product?
What did you like about the space?
Is there anything you dislike or would change?
Would this be a regular treat or impulse purchase?
Could you identify with the new branding?
Case Study: Red Rooster
4. PORTABLE FOOD CONCEPT
Food trucks have made a resurgence of recent years and given the challenge for space versus the high cost of leasing commercial property could be a worthwhile option to explore. The food truck or mobile concepts allows for companies to bring the food direct to the audience in previously non-used or occupied spaces.
Food QSR brands could use existing drive thru or shopping centre food courts could benefit from mobile vans and portable spaces to provide external activation and brand awareness in a new and exciting first to market way. Combine this with likes, hashtags and free give ways, social media shares and a new flexible temporary physical space, creating another method to test and collect feedback from an engaged audience.
Case Study: Volkswurst
5.BUDGET DRIVEN DESIGN
Within the franchise environment of refurbishment and upgrading new materials, finishes, furniture and brand assets can be combined successfully and cost effectively within a physical space. A lo-fi approach could suit a franchisee searching for a maximum effect versus spend.
Focus on the design elements the consumer can see directly in front of them, elements they will touch and come into contact with. For example people touch and interact as a first point of call with a service counter to order from, they look to menu boards to understand, choose and compile their order. They use bathrooms for convenience and generally when eating use the chairs and tables. Whilst these may seem obvious they are normally used as points of critique and whether you would consider a return visit dependant on whether the bathrooms were clean and presentable or whether a chair was comfortable to sit at.
Customers also focus on their line of vision, exterior or internal walls, menus, brand communications and marketing promotions. For an existing space in need of refurbishment it may be suitable to accept and keep for example the existing floor and ceiling.
Consider the following checklist when approaching a refurbishment project –
· New paint finishes to walls
· New tiles to bathroom walls and counter fronts
· New material wall treatments in key locations to front of house
· New brand assets and environmental graphics
· New furniture, chairs and tables used in a way that encourages both single diners and/or family, tradies or larger group socialisation.
· New feature pendant lighting and the use of energy efficient warm LED light sources.
All of these enhancements over the existing space can have a major positive impact on the customer experience.
Article written by Lee Hopkinson, Design Director & Founder at The Great Indoors
See the article in INSIDE FRANCHISE BUSINESS