Twin Peaks, a division of Addison, Texas-based Front Burner Restaurants LP, ranked No. 5 in the Latest Year in terms of growth in U.S. foodservice sales, slipping from No. 1 the Preceding Year.
Twin Peaks, known for its all-female service staff and 29-degree-Fahrenheit draft beer served in frozen mugs, first opened in 2005 in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville, Texas. Founders Randy DeWitt and Scott Gordon created a mountain sports lodge setting and Casual Dining menu that has grown over the past 10 years into a strong competitor to such similar concepts as Hooters.
Twin Peaks ended 2015 with 63 restaurants, 24 of them company-owned. U.S. systemwide foodservice sales in the Latest Year were $226.8 million, rising from $165.3 million in the Preceding Year.
Keys to growth
Brewing craft beer. Early in 2014, Twin Peaks opened its first microbrewery, which produces several in-house beers, including Dirty Blonde and Knotty Brunette.
“Most people who open a craft brewery or microbrewery have to go out and find customers. Well, we’re our own customer,” said Randy DeWitt, CEO of Front Burner Restaurants.
As well as providing beer for its restaurants, Twin Peaks sells some of the canned beer at select retailers, which puts the brand in front of the general beer-drinking population.
New chief marketing officer. Twin Peaks created the new position of chief marketing officer in 2014, and named industry veteran Pete Bell to the post. Bell oversees the brand’s marketing communications and strategy, as well as menu research and development. Bell was most recently CMO at Specialty Brands Holdings, parent to Papa Gino’s Pizzeria, D’Angelo Grilled Sandwiches and Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group.
Unit growth. Twin Peaks added 17 units in 2014, an increase of 37 percent in the Latest Year. That gave Twin Peaks the No. 1 spot in percentage growth over the Preceding Year. As of the end of June 2015, Twin Peaks had 71 locations in 24 states, an increase of eight locations from the end of 2014, and a similar pace as the Latest Year.
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