Marketing
Krystal celebrates Atlanta with immersive design
Krystal Restaurants teamed up with an Atlanta design firm to celebrate the culture, heritage and spirit of the town it calls its headquarters. We talked to the company's chief marketing officer about what the collaboration means to the brand and what Krystal has planned for future growth.
September 14, 2021 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group
Krystal Restaurants recently celebrated Atlanta, where the company is headquartered, with an immersive reimaging of one of the city's restaurants. The vibrant design commemorates the history, culture and people of Atlanta and is a collaboration with design firm BUTTER.ATL. We talked with Alice Crowder, chief marketing officer of Krystal, about the collaboration and what it means to the company's history and future.
Q:Krystal moved headquarters to Atlanta 10 years ago. Why Atlanta?
A: Great question. That was a few leadership teams ago, so I can't speak to the original impetus; however, Atlanta is packed with restaurant companies and it's easy to see why. Atlanta is a city of amazing geographic, demographic and psychographic diversity — it's impossible to live in this place and not be inspired a dozen different ways every day. Whether you're talking food, culture, education, innovation or business, you're amongst the best, and operating in a space like that makes your brand and your teams stronger.
Q:How did Krystal choose the location to collaborate?
A: The Krystal x Butter location sits in a highly trafficked area in one of the most vibrant parts of the city. The choice made sense from a visibility standpoint in order to create a brand landmark, anchor the Krystal image in the Atlanta DMA (designated market area), and build momentum and energy for the brand on a nationwide basis.
Q:Is this a rebrand for Krystal?
A: It's not a rebrand — closer to say it represents a cultural connection point between Krystal and the Atlanta community. We're trying to create an experience, not execute a design, and this location in particular is about making the brand more present, relevant, and exciting in the marketplace by truly being part of the culture of an area. It is one of a kind!
Q:Why did Krystal decide to do this collaboration now?
A:I'm part of an amazing leadership team headed by Tom Stager, who took charge of the brand about a year and a half ago. Since then, he's been driving improvements to the guest experience and our relationships to our neighborhoods. When we met the team from Butter.ATL and learned about their involvement with Atlanta culture, something clicked — the opportunity to bring to life some of the connections our brand has to our city through a voice that understands and celebrates us both seemed like such a natural evolution.
Q: Why partner with Butter.ATL?
A:Butter.ATL is awesome — they're ATL's culture channel, and the connections they have with personalities and sponsorships, programming, the arts and music form this beautiful intersection of creativity and cultural relevance. They talk about Atlanta as the "heart of modern culture" and as we articulate how we're part of that culture, it seemed – and seems — like a great fit.
Q:How did Krystal and Butter.ATL come up with this design? What was the appeal of this new design?
A: Butter.ATL led the process, and we had regular meetings and feedback sessions about parts of the city and the brand and the intersection between the two that we all felt were meaningful. Everyone involved came at it from a different angle and it was so interesting to learn even more about how people relate(d) to the brand and the city. The installation is chock full of great reflections of both — from the jukebox stocked solely with Atlanta artists to the skate wall to the "Come Thru" and drip murals…there's something for everyone! We're getting a lot of feedback from people who've visited with us and rediscovered or amplified for themselves the inherent joy and fun of the brand (and taken tons of pictures of folks posing in the oversized Krystal box out front!).
Q:What are Krystal's expansion plans for the future? How many stores does Krystal operate now?
A:Krystal has just under 300 restaurants operating today and about a third of those are franchised. We're actively growing and working on opening new franchise locations with new and existing franchisees. We have room to grow in our current footprint and are looking at increasing penetration in those markets while expanding to new markets. The benefit for us is that the spirit of Krystal is something that everyone connects with. Everyone needs a little bit of fun in their day; everyone welcomes a pop of joy — that's what we offer with every experience, and that's what will keep our guests coming and this brand growing.
Q:Where does Krystal plan to expand next?
A: We'll see! We're talking to a lot of people, from close in to our footprint to entirely new territories. We're actively signing up new owners/operators for the brand and bringing new Krystals to new communities for the future!
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.
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