Are you thinking about Franchising your Restaurant or just trying to compete with those who are? It is important to Polish & Perfect Your Entire Concept including Branding, Operations, Space & Team. And more importantly have a Plan to Manage these items for the future.
We work with Start Ups as well as Restaurants wanting to Franchise or Expand. In both situations these recommendations can help serve as a checklist to make sure you are looking at the big picture on a regular basis.
Your business should always be an ongoing process of growth and improvement. Do you have all of the proper pieces in place to take it to the next level?
Restaurant Checklist explores...
1. Concept - Do You Need Improvement on Food, Space, Operations, Etc?
2. Brand Personality - What do you stand for? What do people say about you?
3. Brand Positioning - How are you Unique from your Competition?
4. Brand Collateral Evaluation - Does Your Brand & Graphics Package Need Updating?
5. Target Audience Defined - Who will you serve, what do they need?
6. Logo - Updated to where you want it?
7 Trademark - Have you Trademarked your Name and Logo?
8. URL & Website - Have you purchased all similar urls and updated your website?
9. Marketing Plan - Have you created a marketing plan w/ branded social media accounts? Do have someone in place to manage your marketing efforts?
10. Brand Standards Manuals - Create a Usage Guides for others to Follow.
11. Materials Standards - Materials documented and ready for future locations.
12. Brand Package - All items packaged and available and ready to go the second you find a new location.
13. Operations & Training Manuals - Document all Recipes, Processes & Procedures.
14. Team in Place - Who will help take you to the Next Level?
1. R E S TA U R A N T B R A N D I N G
Are You Thinking About Franchising?
(or just need to compete with those who are)
14 Steps to Polish and Perfect
Your Brand and Business
TM
Specializing in Brand Strategy & Development for the
RESTAURANT, EVENT & LIFESTYLE INDUSTRIES
ph: 949.433.0728
InspiroBrands.com
2. R E S TA U R A N T B R A N D I N G
Are you thinking about Franchising your restaurant or just trying to compete
with those who are? It is important to Polish & Perfect Your Entire Concept
including Branding, Operations, Space & Team. And more importantly have
a Plan to Manage these items for the future.
We work with Start Ups as well as Restaurants wanting to Franchise or
Expand. In both situations these recommendations can help serve as a
Is it Time to
FRANCHISE
or
Just Take Your
Concept to the
NEXT LEVEL?
checklist to make sure you are looking at the big picture on a regular basis.
Your business should always be an ongoing process of growth and
improvement. Do you have all of the proper pieces in place to take it to the
next level?
3. W H AT I S A B R A N D ?
Your BRAND
is What Your
CUSTOMERS
Say It Is...
NOT What You
Say It Is!
MARKETING
Business Cards
Menus/Take Out
In-house Collateral
Email Newsletters
Website/Mobile
Brochures
Advertising
LOGO
Quality & Relevance
Tagline/Modifier
EXTERIOR
Drive by Impression
Signage
Entry Way
YOUR
BRAND
NETWORKING
Online/Social Presence
Community Involvement
PRODUCT
Quality of Offering
Visual Presentation
INTERIOR
Decor/Cleanliness
Receptionist/Hostess
Staff Presence
Voice Mail/Hold Music
Interior Music
Restrooms
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
4. 1
YOUR CONCEPT
What Are You
Known For?
Who Are Your
Ideal Guests?
How Do You
WOW Them?
In the past most companies wouldn’t even consider a franchise model until
they had a few restaurants. Today if even one location is doing well,
Franchise companies are quick to expand before their competition does.
It is important to treat your restaurant as if it were a larger entity whether it is
or not. You must manage all aspects such as food, staff, service, decor and
marketing as a part of your overall brand.
There are 3 main reasons to treat your restaurant as a franchise model.
1. PROFESSIONALISM - Allows you to WOW your guests as well as
compete against other larger players.
2. CONSISTENCY - Helps set up systems and standards to create a great
customer experience every time.
3. GROWTH - Provides an expansion plan for the future. It is always easier
to update on an ongoing basis than to fix things later.
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
5. 2
BRAND PERSONALITY
DEFINING YOUR
BRAND PERSONALITY
Who Are You?
How Do People
Describe Your
Company?
Step 1
Building your brand words
Select your 3 brand words that describe
how you would like to be perceived:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Your Power Brand Word
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Support Brand Word
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Support Brand Word
Download
Your Brand
Personality
Starter Kit
Step 2
Managing your brand words
Step 3
Create & manage your brand touchpoints
BRAND WORD STARTER KIT
Scan quickly without thinking too much and circle any and all words that may apply:
Accessible
Accommodating
Accomplished
Active
Adaptable
Admirable
Adorable
Affectionate
Agreeable
Alive
Alluring
Ambitious
Amorous
Appreciative
Approachable
Appropriate
Artistic
Assured
Astute
Athletic
Attentive
Attractive
Authentic
Authoritative
Balanced
Beautiful
Believable
Big-hearted
Blessed
Blissful
Bold
Brainy
Brave
Bright
Brilliant
Calm
Captivating
Caring
Casual
Cerebral
Charming
Cheerful
Chic
Clearheaded
Colorful
Comedic
Comfortable
Compassionate
Compatible
Competent
Complex
Concise
Confident
Considerate
Consistent
Constant
Content
Convincing
Cordial
Courageous
Courteous
Creative
Credible
Cute
Daring
Decent
Decisive
Dedicated
Deep
Defined
Delectable
Deliberate
Delightful
Democratic
Dependable
Desirable
Determined
Devoted
Dignified
Diligent
Diplomatic
Direct
Discerning
Discrete
Distinctive
Dramatic
Easy-going
Economical
Ecstatic
Efficient
Elated
Elegant
Eloquent
Enchanted
Encouraging
Energetic
Engaging
Enlightened
Enterprising
Entertaining
Enthusiastic
Established
Ethical
Exact
Excellent
Extraordinary
Fabulous
Faithful
Fantastic
Fascinating
Fashionable
Flexible
Focused
Forgiving
Fresh
Free
Fun
Funny
Generous
Gentle
Genuine
Good
Good looking
Good-hearted
Good-natured
Gorgeous
Gracious
Grateful
Great
Gregarious
Grounded
Handy
Happy
Harmonious
Healthy
Helpful
Hilarious
Hopeful
Hospitable
Humorous
Imaginative
Immaculate
Impartial
Important
Impressive
Independent
Influential
Ingenious
Innovative
Inspired
Intelligent
Intuitive
Inventive
Jolly
Joyful
Jubilant
Knowledgeable
Liberal
Light
Likable
Lively
Logical
Lovely
Loyal
Lucid
Lucky
Luminous
Magnetic
Mature
Mild
Miraculous
Moderate
Modest
Moral
Natural
Nice
Noble
Nourishing
Open-minded
Original
Passionate
Peaceful
Personable
Persuasive
Philosophical
Playful
Pleasant
Poetic
Polished
Positive
Powerful
Practical
Precious
Proactive
Productive
Professional
Profound
Progressive
Prolific
Prompt
Proper
Prudent
Purposeful
Radiant
Real
Reasonable
Refined
Reflective
Relaxed
Reliable
Remarkable
Respectful
Responsive
Reverent
Rich
Righteous
Robust
Romantic
Satisfied
Scholarly
Sensible
Sensual
Sentimental
Serene
Sexy
Sharp
Sincere
Simple
Sociable
Solid
Sophisticated
Soulful
Sparkling
Spirited
Spiritual
Splendid
Spontaneous
Stable
Steady
Strong
Studious
Stylish
Suave
Subtle
Successful
Sunny
Superb
Sweet
Sympathetic
Systematic
Tender
Terrific
Thankful
Thorough
Thoughtful
Tolerant
Tough
Tranquil
Truthful
Understanding
Unique
Upright
Valiant
Versatile
Vigorous
Virtuous
Visionary
Vivacious
Warm
Well-rounded
Whimsical
Wise
Witty
Wonderful
Worldly
Zealous
List any others that come to mind: _________________________________________________________________________
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
6. 3
BRAND POSITIONING
What Makes
You SPECIAL
& UNIQUE?
DO WHAT YOU DO BEST AND
LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT IT!
You need to have great food, great service
and a good atmosphere but that is a
given in todays market.
How Can You
COMPETE
Against Your
COMPETITION?
What you really need to do is have
something that makes you UNIQUE
and a perfect fit for YOUR GUESTS.
If they love you - they will help spread
the word.
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
7. 4
TA R G E T A U D I E N C E
% Male/Female
Age
Married/Single
Kids
Income
Lifestyle
Education
Lunch/Dinner
What do your
guests want
most from you?
Once you think about expanding, it is important to know that what works
one place may not work for all. It is mandatory that you understand your
target market and find that audience. Or perhaps you may need to adjust
for those who are in the new location you select.
Anyone up for a Chicken Akatougarashi from McDonald’s in Japan?
Our Concept Requires This Target Audience:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
The New Location we are Considering has:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
10. 7
TRADEMARK
Before Franchising
Make sure to
Trademark your
NAME and LOGO
PROTECT YOURSELF...
You don’t want to be on the road to expansion with everything in motion and
realize that you are not able to grow into other territories. Or even worse
have someone stop you from using your name.
As a start go to
uspto.gov and
do a preliminary
trademark search.
You may also file there
but we recommend
getting an attorney.
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
11. 8
WEBSITE & URL
Make sure your
Website it updated
to be used on
ALL PLATFORMS
ARE YOU STAYING RELEVENT?
Many people find restaurants via web and mobile devices.
To compete you must make sure you website works on all
platforms and people can find you EVERYWHERE
• Home - About You
• Location w/ map
Also Purchase
ALL Appropriate
Web Addresses
• Menus
• Social Media Links
• Events
• Newletter Sign Up
• Franchise Information
Create links for submission
or downloadable pdf
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
12. 9
MARKETING
Pick The Marketing
Methods that Work
BEST for You
DON’T TRY TO DO EVERYTHING
Try a few and track your results. Then Choose your Favorites that work for
you and CREATE A PLAN and IMPLEMENT ON A REGULAR BASIS.
Like it or not, you MUST have a Social Media
• Social Media
presence as part of your Marketing Plan.
• Email Blasts
• Print Advertising
• In Store Promotions
• Direct Mail
To compete with other companies
we suggest that you hire someone
to be your Marketing/Social media
person to handle these tasks for you
• Radio/TV
if you do not have the time or
• Local & Charity Events
enjoy them.
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
13. 10
B R A N D S TA N D A R D S
CREATE A STYLE GUIDE WITH USAGE AND GRAPHIC ELEMENTS FOR BETTER
CONSISTENCY OF YOUR BRAND.
Brand Style Guides
FONT USAGE
SIGNAGE
HEADERS
• Logos
ALL NATU RAL
NEUTRA TEXT BOLD
HEADERS
Subheads Subheads
SUBHEADS SUBHEADS
• Fonts
• Colors
NEUTRA TEXT DEMI BOLD
Neutra Text Bold
Accent Font
Accent Font
• Textures
AM ERICAN K OBE BEEF
Bold or Demi in Green or Black to be used for headers only.
Used in All Caps. Can be green, black or reversed in white on black.
Primary Sans-Serif typeface used for emphesis
bodies of copy. Can be set-in Bold and/or Caps.
Can be green, black or reversed in white on black.
Joe Hand 2
To be used to highlight. To be used as Header 4 words or less.
Can be used in orange or green
Neutra Text
Body Copy
To be used Upper/Lower case for all sentances and body copy.
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh
Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq
Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
0123456789!@#$&*()
• Graphic Elements
• Marketing Templates
WALL ART
WEARABLES
• Signage
THE
• Wall Graphics
• Web Elements
K R AV E
KOBE BURGER GRILL
An Average
Style Guide
will contain
10-20 pages
• Etc...
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
14. 11
M AT E R I A L S S TA N D A R D S
INTERIOR MATERIALS
Materials
Style Guide
• Floor Plan
• Elevation
STAINED CONCRETE FLOORING
B&W MATERIAL BOOTH
BIRCH WOODS TABLE TOP
BRUSHED ALUMINUM COUNTER FRONT
• Seating flow
• Paint Colors
• Flooring
• Counters
• Booth Material
SAMPLE FLOOR PLAN
PAINT
• Tables/Chairs
• Lighting
BLACK FORMICA COUNTER
SUBWAY TILE IN BATHROOM
CHARCOAL CEILING
LIME RICKY SOFIT
PEACE YELLOW WALLS
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
15. 12
B R A N D PA C K A G E
Now you can
Store your
Brand Collateral
and Easily Access
it When you find
that Perfect
Next Location
KEEP YOUR FILES ON THE CLOUD
Once Your Brand Package is Complete,
MAKE SURE YOU OWN IT and
Keep it where you can easily get to it.
LOGOS
FONTS/COLORS
SIGNAGE PACKAGING MENUS
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
16. 13
O P E R AT I O N M A N U A L S
Operations
& Training
• Food Prep
We do not personally do these except offer the branding for those who do.
But... Before you register your franchise you will need to have these.
Even if you never go
to a franchise model
• Service
you should have clear
• Purchasing
PRACTICES AND
• Receiving
PROCEEDURES
• Storage
in place.
• Preparation
• Cleaning
• Shift Change
• Opening/Closing
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
17. 14
YOUR TEAM
Key Players
WHO WILL HELP TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL?
Your Company - Having a defined team is key. Your internal team should
• Financial/CFO
all know their roles and reponsibilities without any grey areas.
• Operations
• Training
Contractors - If you are thinking of expanding it is crutial to have all of your
• Real Estate
vendors in place and ready to jump into action once you find a new location.
• Branding/Design
• Production Vendors
• Marketing
Franchise Company - There are many
franchise companies out there ready to
promise to take you to the next level.
• Equipment
Sometimes these can be quite costly
so make sure you do your homework
• Construction
• Franchise Company
and choose an expansion plan that
WORKS BEST FOR YOU!
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
18. RESTAURANT CHECKLIST
Concept - Do You Need Improvement on Food, Space, Operations, Etc?
Brand Personality - What do you stand for? What do people say about you?
Brand Positioning - How are you Unique from your Competition?
Brand Collateral Evaluation - Does Your Brand & Graphics Package Need Updating?
Target Audience Defined - Who will you serve, what do they need?
Logo - Is it updated to where you want it?
Trademark - Have you Trademarked your Name and Logo?
URL & Website - Have you purchased all similar urls and updated your website?
Marketing Plan - Have you created a marketing plan w/ branded social media accounts?
Do have someone in place to manage your marketing efforts?
Brand Standards Manuals - Create a Usage Guides for others to Follow.
What are the
NEXT STEPS for
the FUTURE?
Materials Standards - Materials documented and ready for future locations.
Brand Package - All items packaged and available and ready to go the second
you find a new location.
Operations & Training Manuals - Document all Recipes, Processes & Procedures.
Team in Place - Who will help take you to the Next Level?
TM
Inspiring People to Love Your Brand
19. R E S TA U R A N T B R A N D I N G
Inspiro’s President/Founder, Gina Mims, has developed the brand identity for over 100 dining
destinations. She is the V.P. of Branding/Marketing and Co-Creator of the OC Restaurant
Association where she leads the design of all marketing materials for countywide “foodie” events,
including Orange County Restaurant Week and The Golden Foodie Awards.
Gina has Taught Graphic Design at Chapman University. She has been the Communications
Chair for both Les Dames d’Escoffier LA/OC and Share Our Strength’s - Taste of the
Nation, Laguna Beach.
Owner
Strategy + Design
She speaks publicly about “Branding The Guest Experience” and how to “Define then
Design” to restaurant, marketing and design groups focusing on those who want to create a
‘WOW’ for their customers.
TM
Specializing in Brand Strategy & Development for the
RESTAURANT, EVENT & LIFESTYLE INDUSTRIES
ph: 949.433.0728
InspiroBrands.com