Wendy's... Popeyes... and My 2014 New Year's Resolution

Part of my New Year’s Eve celebration involved stopping off at a new Wendy’s to grab a quick soft drink.

The Wendy’s I went to was enlightening. 

Not sure how many folks out there have been to a Wendy’s recently. 

Back in the late summer of 2013, I actually did a blog about Wendy’s and their new pretzel burger that was a big hit and posted gains for the QSR chain way ahead of their competition.

I noted in that blog that the vast array of Wendy’s facilities are like time machines that jut you back into the mid-80s… maybe into the late-70s.  A look and feel that is in no way, mid-century, “retro-cool.”

Wendy’s is not alone in this dated environment scenario. 

Many of the QSR brands that have historically been scattered across a wide expanse of individual franchisees take you back in time.  Burger King, Hardees, DQs… they are all in need of an appearance on TLC’s “What Not To Wear” show.

The Wendy’s that I visited is apparently, “the new Wendy’s brand design.”  Those are the exact words used by the concierge hostess that greets you at the door and channels you over to the spot to place your order.

I was pleasantly surprised by the style and décor.  It’s somewhat “Dwell Magazine – Urban – Loft – Contemporary.”  Not at all the 1980s Wendy’s footprint.

There was a “sitting area” of four overstuffed chairs in front of a large flat-screen television right where customers walk in the front door.

My gut wasn’t too sure how long that area would last.  I’m not too sure how many people think about going to Wendy’s to relax and “hang” like they do at Starbucks.

When I asked the concierge hostess if this was a prototype, she quickly corrected me and said this is the new Wendy’s. 

I asked her how many area stores were going to be retro-fitted and she replied that as far as she know, none.  Only new stores that being built will look like it.

Interesting.

I asked a couple of the people eating in the Wendy’s what they thought about the design and nearly all of them said the same thing…

“Boy, it will be nice when they convert over all those other Wendy’s and have them looking like this... right now they are very dated.”

While the inconsistent Wendy’s “brand footprint" was problematic, there was something else that was much more disturbing. 

So much so that I immediately concluded I would showcase Wendy's in the next Blog post.

On the wall as you enter, showcased on the large wall by the tables, above the order stations, on the staff shirts and on the cups and food wraps is apparently the new brand line.

“Quality is our recipe.”

Readers… I am not making this up.

Wendy’s is not the only QSR out there that kills their brand.

When Burger King kicked out the King, they anchored their brand around the line, “Exciting things are happening at Burger King.”

Ahhh... I am sure that just rings the bell with those 20-something, single, hourly-paid dudes that represented Burger King's core brand loyalists. 

I hammer away at my clients that many product attributes are core deliverables just to be able to sit at the competitive market table.  

I often use fast food restaurants as an example with attributes like “good food” and “clean restaurants.”

When I see the leadership of large consumer brands doing what Wendy’s is now doing, I quickly come to the conclusion that there is some rather narcissistic leadership out there living in a self-created fantasyland.

The fact that the large vast number of Wendy’s look like the “before” décor on HGTV’s before-and-after “Property Brothers” hit show does not seem to even enter top management’s– and their “kiss the client butt” ad agency’s – headset. 

Is this just the way that companies are now operating and the days of emotional connections with the brand experience are now fading away?

No. 

Even in the QSR category, there are a couple of good examples of brands that live in reality and find ways to drive a brand experience that connects on the emotional -- and not the rational -- level.

I am the first to admit that I actually crave Popeyes spicy chicken.

When I travel on the road, I often will go online and scope out just where there might be a Popeyes not too far from the Interstate.

AFC is the corporate firm that owns Popeyes.  They also used to own Church’s Chicken.  

To be honest, when AFC purchased Church’s Chicken, the intent was to convert the brand over to Popeyes.

Unfortunately, there was a majority share of the Church’s restaurants that were located in some very “worn and torn” buildings and neighborhood areas to match.

For a long time, Popeyes conveyed a very mixed up and fragmented brand image. 

The Church’s brand might have even had a more defined brand image than Popeye’s.  

Church’s was the cheap, in-the-hood, good ‘n greasy, lick-those-lips tummy pleaser.  And they even accepted those EBT cards as a method of pay!  

Popeyes BGO (Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious) was simple. 

Popeyes had Cajun roots and tasted like what your mama used to make and reinvented itself based on its long-standing Louisiana-inspired home cooking complete with the Louisiana “Gen X” – but authentically-rooted, helicopter mom.

Brand sales are growing and the restaurant is opening up more restaurants.

Best yet?  The brand strums the chords of the heartstring and the more rooted the décor of the restaurant, the more believable the brand experience... i.e. the buildings don't have to be much revamped.

I don’t know about you, but “quality is our recipe” not only doesn’t make my mouth water, it doesn’t do much to strum my heartstrings either!

My 2014 New Year’s resolution is simple… 

I have lost all interest in bringing in clients that cling to the dysfunctional, rational models of the past and live in an internal corporate la-la-land with no sense that they are in dire need of help.