If there’s one Aussie-born fast food business that can testify to sustainable brand growth it’s beloved chicken chain Red Rooster. The 54-year-old icon is running its own race, combining the needs of today’s customers with a celebration of its heritage.
“We want to be in our own lane. And the strategy is brand and marketing and operations with equal force,” Red Rooster CEO Samantha Bragg says.
“Brands are built on being distinctive and consistent. In 1972 the brand developed a strong set of values, and these continue to connect customers to Red Rooster today.”
The Red Rooster name epitomises a commitment to premium product, and a spirit of generosity mirrored in its suburban regional customer base. It’s all summed up in its latest ad campaign. It features real locals filmed in the neighbourhoods that represent the customers and franchisees passionate about the chicken chain.
“The campaign is around rewarding customers post-effort: the mum at the dance studio, dad after a hard day at work. Red Rooster is about rewarding that everyday effort with a good value meal,” Samantha says.
A robust brand platform extends well beyond an ad campaign, and celebrates the diversity and hustle in suburban communities, she adds.
“Red Rooster is Australia’s favourite chicken shop; this is not a strategy for any QSR, it’s our own truth, it’s relevant to the brand,” she says.
Taking the brand from cultural icon to challenger
While ensuring the values remain relevant to a modern consumer, for the next growth chapter the brand is shifting its culture and taking on a challenger mindset.
“We are stepping outside the cliched representations of glossy shots and exaggerated experiences shown in ads. Our campaign is a real love letter to regional and suburban Australia,” Samantha says.
“We don’t need to be the fanciest, nor the shiniest new toy. What we do need to do is deliver great food and service to customers and focus on our support for franchisees,” Samantha points out.
Equipping franchisees and teams with streamlined systems, effective training, reliable supply chains, and practical head office support helps drive performance and success.
So at Red Rooster, operational support becomes a competitive advantage.
“Building relationships with franchisees is critical; we are acutely aware of franchisee pressures in a tough market,” she adds.
High on the agenda are digital ordering, and growing customer loyalty that will bring benefits to both consumers and franchisees.
Investing in the right locations, developing an exciting menu and creating an appealing store environment contribute significantly to driving customer loyalty, Samantha says.
Supporting franchisees to deliver great customer experiences
It’s important that scale enhances, rather than dilutes, the customer experience. And education and coaching for franchisees and staff are fundamentals that underpin a good customer experience.
“Training on how we greet customers, how we make them feel, is crucial,” she says.
Red Rooster is part of a portfolio of brands under the wing of Craveable Brands, a structure which delivers particular value to franchisees.
“Craveable can complement our brand strategy with a focus on scale and providing streamlined systems. We work with long term supply partners to ensure a reliable supply and maintain the right quality,” she says.
“We are also working to leverage assets and investments our franchisees make and work on areas of opportunity for growth. Each store has nuances, and the support team works one-on-one to enhance their performance.”
Franchisee support can extend from helping face the challenge of a competitor opening nearby, assistance on staffing, to investing in PoS and payroll systems that simplify franchisees’ lives.
Easily accessible data that helps franchisees benchmark, and improve, their performance is on the horizon, Samantha says. It’s all part of the brand’s growth progression.
The franchise also offers a pathway for team members to advance and become franchisees.
A mentoring program enables a team member to go through learning pathways, become a shift supervisor, then a restaurant manager, and then take a step into business ownership as a franchisee.
Red Rooster: brand and operational advantages
The mantra of real food, real service and real people lies at the heart of the business, and at every one of the brand’s touchpoints, Samantha says.
The franchise is innovating its menu, employing a deep understanding of customer preferences as it leverages heritage products in a modern way, maintaining a distinct and recognisable brand identity.
“The strategy to build beyond the product means creating deliberate human moments, harnessing the power of data, digital integration, and improved customisation; but it’s so important not just what we do, but how we view it in its entirety,” Samantha says.
“In our next chapter of growth, we are really ensuring we are running our own race. We have a clear direction.
“First and foremost connecting with our consumers, on values we stand for. Real food, real service, to real people. That means from menu to operations, standards are absolutely critical so we are supporting our franchisees to deliver what we promise. They are a big part of making Red Rooster‘s success,” Samantha says.