How breakfast category executives prioritize brand integrity and value

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Brand integrity was a key theme at this week’s Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., where leaders emphasized getting back to basics and staying true to what core customers know and love.

This theme was especially made clear in the “C-Suite in the Hot Seat” session on Wednesday, featuring executives in the breakfast category, including IHOP, Cracker Barrel, Jack in the Box, Paris Baguette, Ascent Hospitality and Biscuitville.

Each of the executives discussed both brand and category differentiators, from homing in on breakfast classics to a commitment to value and a family-friendly environment. The message was clear: Veer too far off-course from breakfast staples at a comfortable value and you risk losing your customer base.

 

“I think about brand as a promise: When you think about IHOP, you think those golden, fluffy pancakes and that is the promise that IHOP is going to deliver you,” IHOP brand president Lawrence Kim said. “Now you combine that with incredible value, and you have a solid 1-2 punch.”

While Kim said other dayparts and menu categories, “continue to be part of [their] platform,” the core of IHOP is the pancake.

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This was also a crucial consideration for Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino, when she took over and began the brand transformation process. It was crucial to her that Cracker Barrel not lose its identity as a down-home, nostalgic country breakfast spot (as well as other dayparts).

“So much of winning as a brand is knowing who you are and understanding your DNA and your role in your in your guest’s life,” Masino said. “What do people really want out of breakfast? People love the classics. Pancakes are really great on the menu too. They love that with our signature syrup that you can pour out of a bottle at the table, but they also love innovation.”

Masino added that value is a crucial part of this brand consideration, and that “we don’t have to have the lowest price point” to be considered a fair value in the customer’s mind.

This is also a crucial aspect of Jack in the Box’s approach to breakfast.

“At the end of the day, breakfast is all about driving habit, and for us it’s about value and making sure you have that consistency in that core product people look for,” Ryan Ostrom, chief customer and digital officer with Jack in the Box, said. “And that’s really what that business is about: that comfort food, speed and consistency.”

Value is also a crucial element of the Perkins brand, especially as a family-dining concept, James O’Reilly, CEO of Ascent Hospitality Management, said.

“When you compare family dining to mainstream casual-dining, family dining has better food, better service, better value, at about $9 less per person,” O’Reilly said.

However, as brands scale, it’s crucial to stay true to your roots. For Paris Baguette, that means focusing on quality, like baking pastries in-store instead of going to a commissary model.

“Quality, consistency, and friendliness will never change  — fresh baked pastries and cakes, quality coffee from Lavazza, and serving them in a welcoming atmosphere and environment,” Cathy Chavenet, CMO of Paris Baguette, said.