We are a QSR/c-store/retail/anywhere a transaction is made brain trust. We specialize in driving performance and profitability, physical space behavior, strategic initiatives, menu and merchandising innovation, brand management, and digital activation including loyalty optimization, . We assume that every human in that space is a potential brand-loyal & lifelong customer. Whether they know it or not. That’s our sweet spot. Let us explain. 

We approach everything
store out first.

Simply put. We operate as a fractional consulting team and agency. We have the chops of any marketing/innovation consulting firm / CMO and any full service agency you can find. Best part is, we don’t act like one. If you are looking for the expensive overhead, the excessive project managers in every meeting, canned solutions for your messages and innovation That’s not us. 

We help you grow your business and drive performance through listening to you and your guests first, then building plans and assets that will drive to that performance – whether it is a marketing campaign, food innovation, digital or loyalty program build / activation, or initiating improvements and upgrades to your existing plans.

We sit smack dab at the intersection of restaurant & retail. And since restaurant is chasing retail. And retail is chasing restaurant menus nowadays. We are happy to leverage both to drive your business.

As the quick-service restaurant industry was evolving, so was the convenience industry. We became very interested in how consumer behaviors were changing, and convenience brands sought to leverage their spaces to become a one-stop shop for fuel, grocery, and meals. The past stigma of convenience had the opportunity to evolve into brands that people went out of their way to shop. 

Part of that strategy was to elevate the food and beverage platform. So, in addition to the restaurant industry we  the engaged the convenience industry, focusing on food and beverage as well as highlighting compelling messages in other categories to complement and drive growth. Elevating F & B together with the other categories and overall brand strategy became our formula to drive business growth in both channels.

a few things we are good at.

  • menu optimization

    Are you concerned about your menu being too broad / too much waste / too many ingredients?  Are your new products not gaining the traction you had hoped?  Are you experience too much waste?  We have deep solutions for margin and profit improvement, right sizing your menu,  and meaningful innovation that drives results.  

  • brand management.

    We don’t need to tell you how important your brand is.  But we can tell you where you are missing opportunities.  We can tell you weh your brand’s too heavy.  You know your brand, and you also know there are a thousand ways to do it a disservice.  Let us help

  • product innovation.

    We believe innovation is the heartbeat for growth.  We constantly challenge our brands to ensure that the core offer is strong AND keep and eye on what should be done differently in the future to accelerate growth.  Innovation should be both iterative and step changes.  Sometimes it’s as simple as a flavor addition / new build on a strong base -  with a different combination of toppings and sauces (done successfully at Wendy’s).  Or maybe it is taking and insight to leverage a new bread carrier that broadens the appeal of a base – such as bagel thins at Einstein’s Bagels.  Or maybe it is a completely new food platform like the menu launched in NTI’s at Thorntons.  It may also be a complete shift to broaden engagement and appeal to a different target like the menu re-set at American Natural which shifted from Healthy / Organic to soccer moms to Quality and Local brands and ingredients that drove the growth and transactions at American Natural.

  • loyalty.

    We have significant experience in developing new loyalty programs and improving existing programs that need to work stronger.  Our goal has always been leveraging loyalty to protect vs. the competition, drive incremental transactions, and do it in a way that is highly profitable.  We believe a strong loyalty program should be an organizational imperative and have the ability / tools to gain deep data based insights that track and enable success.

  • merchandising.

    Are segments of you merchandise slowing down?  Do you need fresh ideas on your next reset.  We have extensive experience in optimizing the merchandising to drive sales and significant improvements in profit.  We partner with your category teams and vendors to find the best solution for you, your stores, and your customers.

let’s chat