The parent to The Counter Custom Burger chain is in the midst of a brand refresh that executives hope will help the customized burger brand stand out in a crowded field.
The Los Angeles-based chain has rolled out a new logo, website, uniforms and streamlined menu. Coming later this summer is a new happy hour and a revamped loyalty program.
The goal is to bring the brand back to its roots of customization, co-founder Jeff Weinstein said.
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What was “The Counter Custom Built Burgers” is now “The Counter Custom Burgers,” dropping the word “built.”
At 45 units, The Counter is a mostly full-service, build-your-own burger concept, but the company is also growing a fast-casual sister concept called Built, which has five locations.
Weinstein said it was time to more clearly distinguish The Counter from the crowded field of better burger concepts that mostly fall in the fast-casual segment.
“We’re more of a full-service burger brand, and we think of ourselves as a step above some of those other brands,” he said.
The refresh comes after the company took a hard look at what consumers wanted, Weinstein said. “We attacked every angle to find out what was really, truly working and what was not working, and what we needed to improve.”
The menu, from which customers could build exotic burgers of all kinds, had grown too big, he said. The clipboard customers use to check off their meal selections had grown into more of a “notebook.”
Gone now are sauces and toppings that didn’t sell well. And although the goal was to streamline, the chain added a few new items, such as carne asada skirt steak sandwiches, a Southern fried chicken item, chicken wing appetizers and mini burgers for happy hour.
Weinstein said the company looked at moving to iPad ordering rather than paper clipboards, but customers said they preferred the lower-tech model.
In preparation for happy hour to be introduced in August, restaurants are adding more beers on tap, including up to two dozen brews. About half of the chain’s restaurants have a full bar, and those locations will expand their cocktail programs, he said.
Overall, the moves have increased the chain’s average check to about $16 per person, up from between $14 and $15 previously.
The chain is also going through a remodeling program, with about 60 percent of units renovated or under construction. Remodeled locations have seen a sales lift of 5 percent to 7 percent, Weinstein said.
The Counter is also building infrastructure.
Last year, Edie Ames, former executive vice president of Wolfgang Puck Catering, was named president and chief operating officer. Julie Charvat, former vice president of marketing at Claim Jumper Restaurants, was named The Counter’s chief marketing officer.
In 2015, the company added 13 restaurants, mostly franchised, and this year another six locations are planned.
Weinstein said the goal is to grow by 10 to 12 units per year, including both brands, with expansion focused both on domestic and international locales.
The first restaurant in Japan is expected to open in 2017, and the first of 15 units planned in Mexico are scheduled to open this year, along with the first location to open in Ghana. The chain already has restaurants in Ireland, Malaysia and the Middle East.
Plans for a joint venture in Texas fell through, said Weinstein, who, with co-founder Craig Albert, owns five restaurants, including two units recently acquired from a franchise operator in Florida. Another two units are licensed at Miami International Airport and the University of Miami.
Weinstein said The Counter can grow to between 200 and 300 units, and Built could reach more than 1,000 locations at some point.
When The Counter first opened in 2003, it was one of the first chains to offer a build-your-burger format. Now, with so many other brands offering customizable menus, it was time for The Counter to move to the next phase, Weinstein said.
“In the restaurant industry, you spend a lot of time and energy focusing on things that aren’t working, rather than what is working and how you can enhance that even more,” he said. “This is The Counter evolving.”
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]
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