Article

Custom(er) made: Some QSRs getting their guests involved in menu creations

August 22, 2010 by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

By now, most quick-service chains have used social media to engage with their fans. Some have gone a step further with the outlet, facilitating consumer ideation for implementation in marketing strategies and even menu development.

Dunkin’ Donuts, for example, recently finished its second annual “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest, which generated 90,000 submissions and more than 250,000 ideas. (Most participants came up with multiple ideas, but were asked to submit only one).

The winner, Rachel Davis from Massachusetts, received $12,000 and her original “Monkey-see Monkey-donut” creation will be featured at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide beginning this fall. The donut includes a bananas foster filling with chocolate icing and is topped with Reese’s Peanut Butter shavings.

Culver’s held a similar contest throughout the summer. The Ultimate ButterBurger Build-Off Contest attracted nearly 12,000 votes and 200,000 online visitors. The winner, Aana Blalock from South Dakota, and her family earned a trip to Culver’s headquarters (and Kalahari Resort) in Wisconsin, and her Luau Burger – topped with pineapple, teriyaki and Wisconsin cheddar cheese – will join the classic ButterBurger lineup as a daily feature and potential limited-time offer.

Although social media has provided a more efficient vehicle for customers to take ownership in their favorite restaurants’ repertoire, the idea behind this type of engagement is simpler than that.

“This trend – allowing customers to get involved – allows companies to extend their efforts to include their most loyal customers who have a stake in the outcome. It helps reduce the risk of acceptance and trial of a new product, and it creates a sense of excitement stemming from customer involvement,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of foodservice consultant Technomic, Inc.

Customer knows best

Because of that involvement and excitement, bringing the “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest back for a second year was a “no-brainer,’ according to Dunkin’ Brands Inc. executive chef Stan Frankenthaler.

“Being a chef has been my career, but I was excited to see others get to be a small part of this. It’s a fulfillment of a little dream. When the finalists put it all together, their enthusiasm was tangible,” he said.

He added that this type of functional contest – providing an opportunity for ideas to come to fruition on the actual menu – makes sense for a company like Dunkin’ Donuts because of the nature of the product.

“Donuts are something people share; they bring joy and fun. We have lifelong passionate customers who have a real bond with the brand. They have probably had many ideas about getting creative with the frosting or the filling or the toppings of a donut, and they finally got to bring those ideas to life,” Frankenthaler said. “To get them involved in the creative process was exciting for us and for them, and that’s probably why we had such an overwhelming response.”

Culver’s ButterBurgers certainly provide a much different canvas, but the premise behind the Build-Off Contest was similar.

“Customers know best,” said David Stidham, vice president of marketing at Culver’s. “If you want to create products that your guests want to eat, you have to ask them. Consumers love providing input, it makes them feel closer to the brand. And for us, it allows us to engage with our fans in a meaningful way.”

That doesn’t mean these contests or Facebook comments will replace restaurants’ R & D teams, but it does perhaps change the relationship between companies and their patrons.

"The logic is that your customer provides the best input and, in a sense, provides a preliminary focus group test on new ideas and platforms. This is an innovative approach and I believe it will continue to provide operators with a well heard voice of the customer,” Tristano said.

Planning and execution

With these contests, there is a cost involved – to plan and market, test and implement. And there is always the risk of crickets chirping once the winning product is added to the menu. But Frankenthaler said the benefits far outweigh any risks. 

“The food industry has challenges to get a consumer recipe to become a replicate-able menu item at multiple units,” he said. “But any concerns are filtered through our criteria, to make sure the ingredients are available and effective in our system. In strictly business terms, it’s a competitive advantage because our relationship with customers is different from having the contest.”

The Culver’s contest also relied on stringent standards to assure entries were consistent with its classic ButterBurger line. 

“In planning, it was important we didn’t lose the integrity of the ButterBurger, and we didn’t want the recipe entries to take away from what the ButterBurger consists of. So participants had to use one or two fresh beef patties, and their burgers had to be on a lightly buttered, lightly toasted bun. After that, they could get as creative as they wanted to,” Stidham said. “You have to be careful in planning this type of initiative in order to execute it successfully.” 

For their respective contests, both Dunkin’s and Culver’s relied heavily on social media voting, a well as expert panels. This provided more efficiency in the marketing efforts and selection processes. 

“If we didn’t have the social media aspect of this contest, I’m not sure we could have executed it as well. Not only is it efficient, but participants had the option to share their recipe with friends and family instantly and get them to vote. It is exciting to have this vehicle to reach out to more people,” Stidham said. 

Although Stidham isn’t sure about whether or not Culver’s will bring back the contest in 2011, he thinks the brand is better for having tried it in the first place. 

“There are so many great ideas out there from people who have great loyalty to the brand. I believe we’re onto something. We have passionate fans, so we anticipated a big turnout. But the contest really exceeded our expectations,” he said. “Consumers have always and will always love giving input, and something like this makes them feel closer to the brand.”

About Alicia Kelso

---

None

Connect with Alicia: