President Bob Andersen explains how the brand’s high-quality food is fitting between traditional fast casual and full service.
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Offering quality food may seem like a no-brainer for most restaurants, but at The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, it’s critical to the brand’s survival.
That’s because this 30-unit, limited-service franchise is banking on high-quality food being a core differentiator as it competes in the increasingly busy Mediterranean category. In fact, The Great Greek is striving to carve a niche between the traditional fast-casual category and full-service restaurants, claiming its concept — which makes food from scratch, serves dishes on real plate ware, and even buses tables — occupies the “fine fast casual” category.
Bob Andersen, president of The Great Greek, joined the latest episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches to talk about the opportunities and challenges in fine fast casual and how this brand is planning to go from $50 million in sales today to over $100 million in the next year.
In this conversation, you’ll learn why:
Improving the quality of your food has a direct impact on the guest experience
Longer ticket times aren’t impossible in fast causal, but you should communicate them to your guests
A great training program is key to franchising an upscale concept
Water drinkers are an upsell opportunity
The build-your-own fast-casual model has its limitations
A flexible footprint will help you win the competition for real estate
Contact Sam Oches at [email protected].
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