Rockbot took a look at the 10 Quick Service and Casual Dining brands who topped the charts on positive consumer perceptions! We reviewed their year to figure out the key indicators that helped bring them to the top of this list!

1. How 10 Restaurant Brands Topped the Charts
on Positive Consumer Perceptions

2. Buzz?
Do You Hear the

3. What is…
The Buzz Value by…
?

4. It’s a measure of brand perception
among the public, tracking many
brands across multiple sectors
simultaneously.

5. They interview 5,000 people a day,
serving up more than 1.2 million
interviews per year
The only daily consumer perception
research service
is

6. How did everyone
stack up in YouGov’s
Mid Year Review?

7. Quick-Service Restaurant
Chains

8. Casual Dining Chains

9. Let’s take a look at the decisions these
brands made this year that have influenced
their buzz scores

10. Buzz Score: 17.6
“Subway to remove artificial ingredients from many items”
“It also plans to remove artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from its
sandwiches, soups and cookies over the next 18 months.”
Nation’s Restaurant News
“Subway rolls out order-ahead app and online ordering”
“The new smartphone order and pay ahead app is available on both Android and
Apple devices and its revamped website allows for quick online ordering to its
nearest location.”
Fox News
#MenuRevamp
#NewTech.

11. Buzz Score: 13.9
“Wendy’s exec: Without Great Content, Technology
Doesn’t Matter”
“Wendy’s created its own content around LTOs, pushed out offers, and
some screens even featured a live Twitter stream, so customers could
see their own tweets as well as those from others.”
QSR Web
“Wendy’s Testing Antibiotic Free Chicken”
“Wendy’s has begun testing antibiotic-free chicken this week in a handful
of Southern markets to evaluate the chain’s broader guidelines on
antibiotic-free meat.”
Fox News
#NewTech.
#MenuRevamp

12. Buzz Score: 13.3
“UPS and Chick-fil-A make Customer Service Hall
of Fame 2015”
“Chick-fil-A was once again the only fast food chain to make the
top 10 list with 47% claiming to have received ‘excellent service’.”
Biz Journals
“Chick-fil-A Rolls Out Mobile Ordering And Payment
System For Customers’ Convenience”
“The two new features aim to offer convenience and save time for
customers.”
Franchise Herald
#CustomerService
#NewTech.

13. Buzz Score: 12.5
“Pizza Hut’s new pizza box does what!?”
“The Yum Brands’ chain’s new pizza box also functions as a
movie projector. Pizza is a social food and movies are a social
event. Perfect match.”
CNBC
“Pizza Refund! Pizza Hut Adds A Little Flavor to
Tax Season With First-Ever National Pizza Return”
“The world’s largest pizza company is bringing some much needed
flavor to the 2015 tax season by unveiling the “Pizza Hut National
Pizza Return,” giving fans across the country the opportunity to
redeem their 2014 pizza return.”
PR Newswire
#CleverMarketing
#CleverMarketing

14. Buzz Score: 11.1
“Sonic Drive-In’s Largest Franchisee Group Begins Deployment of
Mobivity’s SmartReceipt POS Cloud Technology”
“Mobivity’s SmartReceipt technology is a game changing technology for us…w
expect the ability to transform our receipts into targeted, relevant and
measurable promotions will increase sales at our Sonic locations.”
Nation’s Restaurant News
“Digital signage driving increase in average checks at
Sonic Drive-In”
“…Sonic realized the functionality is twofold: It offers suggestive selling
opportunities to customers watching the content and, once their orders are
confirmed, it can suggest add-ons.”
Digital Signage Today
#NewTech.
#NewTech.

15. Buzz Score: 17.6
“Olive Garden Food Trucks Delivering Free Breadsticks
Sandwiches to Chicago Area”
“Olive Garden will be doing what they do best — serving up breadsticks —
for the Chicago area this week. But this time they’ll be doing it on wheels”
NBC Chicago
“Takeout orders powering Olive Garden’s growth”
“Darden boss Gene Lee said during an earnings call that he expects 20
percent of OliveGarden’s sales to come from its takeout business, which
enables diners to order their meals online.”
NY Post
#MenuRevamp
#NewTech.

16. Buzz Score: 16.7
“Panera lists ‘unacceptable’ ingredients in its foods”
“The driver behind this action reflects the rapid evolution in consumer
concern over artificial-anything in foods and beverages.”
USA Today
“More Kiosks, Fewer Cashiers Coming Soon to Panera”
“…Panera’s rolling out a new store design where customers order on their
phones or at kiosks. Rather than customers standing around and wait for
their order in front of the counter, a server brings their order to them, sans
gratuity.”
Bloomberg Business
#MenuRevamp
#NewTech.

17. Buzz Score: 15.8
“Outback Launches Lunch Nationwide”
“The company also offers online ordering for pickup and curbside to-go
orders, as well as click-through seating enabling customers to get on a
waiting list before they arrive at the restaurant.”
Nation’s Restaurant News
“Outback Steakhouse’s New Click Thru Seating Helps
Eliminate The Wait”
“With Click Thru Seating, guests simply visit outback.com to view the
current wait time at their local Outback Restaurant and put their name on
the wait list for now or later.”
PR Newswire
#MenuRevamp
#NewTech.

18. Buzz Score: 14.6
“Applebee’s Wants to Be A Hip Hangout For Millenials”
“Change is a central term to Applebee’s reinvigoration campaign, which will
officially launch Tuesday, July 21, with the largest-ever food giveaway.”
CityPages.com
“Bar Snacks, Pub Plates and Shareables: Applebee’s
Launches Robust Flavors in New Appetizer Platform”
“Applebee’s Grill and Bar today launches a new platform of appetizers
featuring bold flavors, premium ingredients and Applebee’s tasteful twist on
bar-and-grill classics…”
MarketWatch
#CleverMarketing
#MenuRevamp

19. Buzz Score: 13.7
“Red Lobster chef talks menu revamp”
“Red Lobster’s new menu sharpens the focus on the chain’s area of
expertise — seafood — androids pork chops and other items incongruous
with what it stands for…”
Nation’s Restaurant News
“How Red Lobster Succeeds at Social Media”
“The biggest thing about our social media program is that it really does
play upon the fact that our guests love to share their experience at Red
Lobster.”
Nation’s Restaurant News
#MenuRevamp
#CleverMarketing

20. These brands have something
in common…

21. They aren’t afraid of

22. #NewTech.
#MenuRevamp
#CleverMarketing
Using social to promote food & the guests who are posting them
Re-Marketing a classic menu item
Removing artificial ingredients
Increased transparency in what’s in your food
Mobile strategies
Digital Signage & dynamic content
Kiosks to make ordering faster
What are they
changing?

23. Takeaways

24. Listen to your
consumers.

25. Use technology to improve
their experience and make their
wait times shorter.

26. Be aware of the content you’re
producing and make sure it’s
relevant and helpful for your
market.

27. Be more transparent with
what you’re putting on the
plate.

28. The term “fresh” should not just
be a word, it should be a
strategy.

29. Don’t be afraid to take something
you’re known for and change it
to make it new and exciting again.

30. Create marketing people
love and invest in it.

31. Thank You
@RockbotBrands