Fast-casual restaurants have become the decade’s most important food trend. They have not only changed the way people eat and how ingredients are sourced, but they provide a combination of higher-quality, fresher food, served quickly without the option of full-service dining.
With the global fast-casual restaurant market being valued at $125.6 billion in 2019 and expected to reach $209.1 billion by 2027, there is incredible market potential for franchisees in this sector. Sanjeev Sanghera, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Berlin street-food concept, Döner Shack, understands how to differentiate your restaurant and stand out from the crowd by serving healthy options with the appeal of something customisable and convenient.
How to stand out
Standing out from your competition is critical to your restaurant’s success. While most people understand that concept, far too many businesses fail to put it into practice and feel they must serve everyone and be too broad. The exact opposite, however, is true. If you want to be prosperous, you have to differentiate your business if you want to stand out and get noticed, giving your customers a reason to choose your brand over the competition. It is likely that many restaurants in your area operate in the same segment, serve a similar cuisine, and target the same clientele you do.
“At Döner Shack, our mission is to change the perception of kebabs and to help people realise that they are an incredible fresh-tasting, delicious and convenient food concept and not just a guilty late-night pleasure. We believe that people shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to quality, taste or dining experience, and we only source the best quality products and only serve ethically sourced ingredients to ensure there is something for every taste and type of diet on our menu. Our Berlin-inspired menu has taken years to perfect, and it’s only once we’re happy and confident that we can provide the best customer experience that we open the doors to our restaurants.”
Innovation and flexibility
Innovation is essential for growth, and it needs to be embraced by the franchisor and its franchisees to ensure positive development and long-term success. For organisations to be more innovative and position themselves as thought leaders in their market, they have to be exceptionally focused on creating customer value and making their experience as seamless as possible.
Döner Shack is already pioneering in its innovation and technology and is one of the most fashionable and profitable fast-casual concepts in the food industry. Sanjeev’s approach has always focused on his expertise and knowledge of the restaurant industry, and he has ensured that the brand is spearheaded to become a national and globally recognised brand. This includes conceptualising ideas and branding, menu development, store design and introducing the most robust and efficient systems in the industry, including robotics and advanced operating procedures to prepare the food in its kitchens.
“Delivering good food is our number one objective, but ensuring convenience is maintained is a close second. We offer flexibility and fit seamlessly with today’s social media culture. We know from the footfall in our restaurants that we are providing our customers with a sought-after product offering a new generation of street food. We serve up to 3,000 kebabs per week per store, which demonstrates that people are loving the authentic taste of the Berlin doner kebab filled with freshly made quality meat, salads and delicious signature sauces… something they would not expect from previous visits to a kebab shop.”
Diversity in the workplace
A diverse workplace is about weaving genuine inclusion into the fabric of your business and ensuring your employees are involved, empowered and trusted. Pulling talent from the broadest range of people available will undeniably have a positive impact on your organisation as you are building teams that generate different viewpoints and talents to the mix, increasing innovation and driving higher revenues.
“Diversity is central to our strategy at Döner Shack, and we have made sure that we have an inclusive environment for every one of our employees, so they feel valued, motivated and developed. As someone who’s been in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years, I have seen first-hand how diversity brings so many advantages to a business – it can help foster better teamwork, lead to improved job satisfaction, boost problem-solving capabilities, and increase happiness and productivity. We are gender inclusive at Döner Shack and we have made sure we have equal representation of women as I believe they offer an important and different perspective to our franchise. A diverse workforce is especially valuable in franchising and hospitality, particularly as they are historically both male-dominated industries.”
Shaping the future of the fast-casual industry
It is not difficult to run a restaurant franchise. If you get the food and the service right every time, you get a successful business. We know our products, the business is great, and our locations are good too, but once you have done that, the success factor comes down to how well you deliver that experience for the customer. And if you do that time and time again, you will have a successful franchise business.
