PROBLEM: Getting Franchise-Ready
Grumps Burgers opened their first location in Granbury, Texas, in 2002. After opening its second location in a similarly rural area, and while preparing to open a third, they saw the potential to franchise. The investor group behind Grumps, however, knew they weren’t ready. They first needed to enhance the brand positioning and create an impressive customer journey in order to increase its value proposition. That’s when they reached out to Envision Works Marketing.
SOLUTION: One Order of Community, Heavy on the Texas
Before developing a plan for Grumps Burgers, Envision Works did its due diligence. We visited their two open locations as secret shoppers to experience those aspects of the customer journey first-hand. We carried out a thorough review of all online communications and messaging. And we interviewed the owners to uncover what’s important to them and how they see Grumps Burgers standing out from the competition.
We discovered Grumps proudly uses Texas products and suppliers across the board – burgers, buns, ice cream, drinks, etc. Also, the owners of this small-town quick service restaurant were (and are) very community-minded. They are local people serving their neighbours, and that needed to come across in every step of the customer journey.
We recommended they insert a heavy dose of local community and Texas products into their brand strategy and throughout their customer journey, something no national chain could do. We incorporated those brand attributes into an omnichannel strategy and all communications, including digital, table toppers, interior design and exterior signage. We even called this place “Grumps, Texas” in their new collection of hats and tee shirts.
In each of their communities, Grumps Burgers would reach out to get involved, help out and provide the kind of service neighbours would expect.
RESULTS: Strong Foundation for Growth
The overall value of the Grumps Burgers brand has grown with the increased strength of its customer journey. They’ve also grown in revenue, which has supported the addition of new restaurants. Today, potential customers read articles and see social posts about Grumps in their communities – how involved they are, how the staff treats everyone like family, and how delicious their food tastes (winning both awards and high customer ratings).
Plus…
- There are now six Grumps Burgers locations, all located in small rural communities.
- They grew from a few hundred Facebook followers to more than 20,000, with each location maintaining its own Facebook presence.
- A dedicated “Franchising” tab is now available on their website.
With a successful, purpose-built customer journey and a developed brand and brand strategy, Grumps Burgers, in the very near future, just might have to change their name to Very Happy and Successful Burgers.
