Situation

Limited Time Offers are important product news and are critical in driving traffic to mid-scale restaurants. Perkins was looking to determine which of a number of chef created entrees would be the most effective.

Objective

Determine customer feedback to concepts and prototypes of potential Limited Time Offers. Provide directional data on which might be the most successful.

Our Approach

We conducted focus groups with Perkins customers, using a qualitative/quantitative hybrid method. We gathered ratings at the concept stage and probed in-depth to understand the ratings and the qualitative reactions to concepts. We then repeated the process with the prototype chef-prepared menu items. One of the concepts had a very negative initial response with consumers describing the menu item as a conglomeration of different flavored foods piled on top of each other. But, the individual ingredients were very appealing. We rewrote the concept based on respondent feedback, leveraging the appealing elements as identified in the groups. The chefs revised the prototypes to match the new concept. The revised concept generated enormous appeal and increased the product’s potential value to the chain.

Results

Perkins rolled with the new product we created during the groups. It was a great success. Perkins said:

“The product was a home run… it increased store traffic, and was one of the most successful Limited Time Offers we have ever had.”