Enliven | Beverage Deal Experts’ Post

Unpacking the Beverage Industry: What can Subway's recent switch from Coca-Cola to PepsiCo teach us? The industry landscape is shifting, with major players like Dunkin' Donuts also making similar moves. In just 18 months, PepsiCo has secured pouring rights in three of the top five restaurant chains, signaling a dynamic shift in the beverage market. What does this mean for your business? At the very least, that large chains aren't hesitating to change suppliers and that beverage companies are aggressively pursuing market share. To delve deeper into the implications of such transitions and learn how to navigate them effectively, check out our latest article: What Subway’s Switch to Pepsi Means for the Industry? https://loom.ly/HPfvmaw

What’s in a name? For Dunkin’, a lot! When Dunkin' Donuts became Dunkin’, it wasn’t just a name change… It was a smart move that led to its BIG success. By dropping “Donuts,” Dunkin’ focused on coffee and other beverages, appealing to health-conscious customers. This refresh revitalized Dunkin’s image, positioning it as a top choice for coffee, smoothies, and breakfast sandwiches. The results? Dunkin’ saw a 5% boost in annual revenue, especially from beverage sales. The rebrand attracted younger customers and supported global expansion. With modern store designs and a delicious menu, Dunkin' demonstrated how effective rebranding can lead to success. "Branding is the art of differentiation,” and this rings true for Dunkin’. Their strategy allowed them to stand out from competitors and thrive in the fast-food and beverage market. 🍩 Have a rebranding example that wowed you? Share it in the comments! #Dunkindonuts #Marketing #Strategy #SmallBusinesses #SmallBusinessOwners #Sbm #SmallBizMarketing

Interesting to see all of the brands approaches to driving more orders both in-store and digitally. When you see Starbucks launching a Pairing Menu to compete with new menu launches from McDonald's, The Wendy's Company,Taco Bell and others, you know chains need to look at all channels to drive incremental orders. 7-Eleven and 7NOW are here to help.

While most foodservice executives recognize the need for innovation to keep pace with evolving consumer demands and behavior, many resist creating these new ideas on their own: they’d rather someone else take the risk than stake their capital. The pizza category is a clear example that shows the payoffs of innovation. Over the last ten years, Domino’s, with a strong commitment to innovation, overtook Pizza Hut as the largest pizza chain (by sales) in the U.S. The players in the middle of the rank have catch up (after Domino’s proved the case for digital, delivery, and convenience investments) but there hasn’t been much shuffling of the rank. And some players that procrastinated or took a “wait and see” approach lost their places among the biggest. Insights on the competitive landscape are the first step to developing leapfrogging strategies and outsmarting the competition. #restaurants #pizza #qsr

Food and beverage founders who are struggling to get into big box retailers, tag your company and what stores you're currently in and I'll comment where you should go next. I know how hard it can be to start those conversations. #cpg #foodandbev #founders

McDonald’s and Starbucks, two of the biggest U.S. restaurant companies, both said the Israel-Hamas war hurt their sales at the end of last year. Shares of McDonald’s fell nearly 4% on Monday, after it reported that a sales slowdown in the Middle East contributed to its fourth-quarter revenue miss. Starbucks’ stock has fallen roughly 2% since Tuesday, when the company reported that the war dented its U.S. sales in the final three months of the year, too. The two restaurant giants became some of the largest U.S. companies to say the Middle East conflict hurt their sales — and will likely hit demand in future quarters, as well. It is unclear whether other restaurant companies will see a similar downturn. More details: https://cnb.cx/3HPoiYN

Domino's Pizza: A Case Study in Strategic Turnaround Domino's Pizza faced a critical juncture in the early 2000s when declining sales and negative customer sentiment threatened its market position. Rather than deflecting criticism, the company embarked on a bold strategic turnaround. Domino's rebuilt consumer trust by openly acknowledging product shortcomings and committing to significant improvements. 1. They launched the Tracker app to get feedback from their customers: "Show us your Pizza" campaign which made their customers think/talk about them. 2. The brand showed vulnerability which was very different from the general trend and helped them stand out. 3. All the conversation about how bad the pizza is to how can they make it better gave them a lot of free publicity. 4. They were ready to change the complete recipe: a risk which helped the brand's position as a market leader. -> This case study exemplifies the power of strategic agility, customer-centricity, and operational excellence in driving corporate resurgence. (Ref: Inc. Magazine, Medium, https://lnkd.in/gJjEPWRJ)

The need to please shareholder expectations can drive F&B companies to expand offerings extensively. While it may seem counterintuitive for SBUX to streamline menus now, the benefits are clear. Simplifying choices could enhance beverage quality, ensure consistency, and ease pressure on baristas, particularly during peak hours when some of them are barely holding the place together. Perhaps not every hi-fructose corn syrup combination needs to be created... Reflecting on Burger King's decision to retire their decades long "have it your way" campaign, we see how adjustments can transform the customer experience positively. Despite initial skepticism, BK's strategic shifts led to a remarkable surge in same store sales over recent years. Considering these insights, it's worth pondering if Starbucks could benefit from pivoting towards a more refined selection of truly exceptional beverages vs a gazillion mid beverages. Shareholders might find value in prioritizing quality over quantity, enabling a more focused and impactful menu that resonates with customers. (Cat face & Jack o'lantern cake pops are a distraction.)

McDonald's is still top 🍔 in the United States! The guys at QSR Magazine did an awesome assessment of the top 50 fast food chains in the US based on number of locations vs revenue... https://lnkd.in/e7ETWqEN ...And this article from pass_by's Kelsie C. showed that foot traffic correlated almost perfectly with sales data. https://lnkd.in/ej3p3aWA Why? Because who walks out of a fast food restaurant without anything? Conversion is always at or near 100%. If your conversion isn't at 100% in a QSR restaurant, something has gone wrong! Creating a popular, balanced and relevant menu, ensuring the right inventory, getting pricing right and optimizing store operations are all critical to the success of a fast food brand. This is why Starbucks shares shot up almost 30% this week after they announced Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Brian Niccol will take over the coffee giant on September 9th. Brian is credited for supercharging Chipotle's growth through menu innovation, creating a refreshed sense of brand loyalty and optimizing restaurant efficiencies through incredible digital transformation. Investors are certainly hoping for more of this playbook at Starbucks.

Reason to Smile - Every month, the ONS interviews foodservice operators and asks them how they expect their turnover to change in the month ahead – will it increase, stay the same, or decrease? So what do these figures tell us? Read the full story here and hear more at the lunch! show on 19th of September @ Excel, London. In my insight, I consider the need for the ‘third space’, following the appointment of Starbucks new CEO Brian Niccol.