It's Bo time! Today's episode is with Sergio Pérez, Senior Director of Omnichannel at Bojangles, who takes us through his journey from an intern to a strategic executive in the world of restaurant marketing.
We also talk through the 3 C's: Convenience, Consistency, and Connection, and how you can use them to acquire new guests and keep them coming back for a lifetime.
This one's a marketing must-listen.
Thanks, Sergio!
It's Bo time! Today's episode is with Sergio Pérez, Senior Director of Omnichannel at Bojangles, who takes us through his journey from an intern to a strategic executive in the world of restaurant marketing.
We also talk through the 3 C's: Convenience, Consistency, and Connection, and how you can use them to acquire new guests and keep them coming back for a lifetime.
This one's a marketing must-listen.
Thanks, Sergio!
Welcome to another edition of Give an Ovation, the restaurant guest experience podcast, where I talk to industry experts to get their strategies and tactics you can use to create a five-star guest experience. This podcast is sponsored by Ovation, an operations and guest recovery platform for multi-unit restaurants that gives all the answers without annoying guests. With all the questions. Learn more at OvationUpcom. And today we have Sergio Perez with us. He's a senior director at Bojangles. He also ran marketing and digital marketing at Ascent Hospitality with over 700 locations, soup Plantation and Sweet Tomatoes, johnny Rockets and Churches and this guy knows a lot about marketing and digital. And, sergio, thanks for joining us on Give an ovation.
Speaker 2:It's about time. Thank you for having me this morning, zach. It's good to talk all things restaurants and my favorite topic, chicken and biscuits, so I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:Amen. Well, let's start with a hard hitting question, Sergio. Who has better, chicken churches or Bojangles?
Speaker 2:They're both good in different ways. How about that?
Speaker 1:All accepted as we are recording. But once we hit pause I'm gonna ask you that question again. Anyway, well, sergio, honestly, like you've had such an interesting career. You right out of college you got into restaurants and you've just kind of worked your way up from an intern marketing, intern at churches, right and now senior director at Bojangles. And talk to me about that journey. Like, what do you think are some of the important lessons you learned along that way?
Speaker 2:For sure, I'll take you a little bit back as to why I even got into the space, which you know, to be honest, I never thought I'd be doing this, but my parents or family owned. You know, to be honest, I never thought I'd be doing this, but my parents or family owned the restaurants growing up. So we grew up in a small town called Laredo, texas, just south of San Antonio, on the US-Mexican border, and so I literally grew up in our restaurants. Like you know, that's how we hit our bills and how we kind of got through life, and you know bussing tables, you know helping around the restaurant, and so for me, it gave me a very interesting perspective now, thinking about sort of my parents or family as like franchisees and how important it is as a corporate marketer to you know, deliver programs that are easy to execute but also drive sales, because ultimately, like that is, you know, an important perspective that I think sometimes it's easy to forget when you're in a boardroom or where you are in an office. It's these people are putting their house on the line. They might be putting all their savings on the line, so people's paychecks depend on your work, and so it gave me a sense of responsibility sort of early on, and because of that I had an opportunity. My university had a partnership with the president of the franchise board at churches. I had a partnership with the president of the franchise board at Church's created the citizenship program there, joined in 2014.
Speaker 2:And my life changed in a meaningful way, because you know, as a customer, you kind of go into a restaurant, you order food, you have a great time, but you don't. Once you're in a corporate office, you recognize that there's a sort of method to the madness. Right, somebody thought about the menu, the napkins you're using. Right, somebody thought about the menu, the napkins you're using. You're basically creating experiences for people and to really facilitate a moment. Like you know, you think about people's most important moments in life and they tend to be around food, whether it's a birthday or celebration dinner. And so we have a responsibility to create good moments for people, because there's nothing more heartbreaking than you're hungry or you're trying to celebrate an experience and you have bad service or the food's terrible or whatever that might be. It has a real quick way to ruin that occasion. And so it's not just about the pretty marketing and the great campaign and the ideas, but making sure, from an execution standpoint, you're delivering that, and so it really set the path for my career in terms of where I am today. So, as you say, I did an internship program at churches, came back as a field marketing coordinator, where, you know, I ran the biggest company-owned DMA for churches.
Speaker 2:And you know, if any young marketers or aspiring restaurant marketers are listening, I would recommend you always start in field marketing Because it gives you really good perspective to be on the ground and to understand how restaurants work, how marketing programs impact operations, and you also get to wear lots of different hats. Someday you're doing a food drop at the radio station. The next day you're looking at a media plan. The next day you're putting up POP or window claims or whatever that might be, and so it gives you broad perspective in terms of all the marketing things that touch the restaurant. And then from there you can decide look, am I a digital person? Am I a brand person? Am I a? You know, whatever that might be. So again, if there's any young aspiring marketers, field marketing is always a good place to start.
Speaker 1:And so from there, that's honestly, sergio, like that's where the rubber meets the road. Right, you can talk about this, this boardroom marketing. It's like if you haven't been there, if you haven't worked in a restaurant like me, working in the kitchen, I know what it's like to work in the kitchen. I know how chaotic it gets during a rush. I know what it's like to work in the kitchen. I know how chaotic it gets during a rush. I know what it's like when servers are fighting each other in the kitchen and then trying to go out there and serve the guests.
Speaker 1:You know, I know what it's like to. You know, as a server, to like do the booger check after you blow your nose because you're standing above the guests and don't want them to look up, right, like, but when, if you only ever work in the boardroom and you don't, don't go into the front doors of the restaurant and see it, and like it just makes it so much more real and I think that's great advice. Like, get really hands-on with, with your career, like that. And if you're going to go into marketing, I think field marketing, yeah, that's, that's awesome Anyway. So continue. Sorry, I, I just I love that. I love that concept of starting with field marketing, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:And you know, to the other point, there is, you know, the world's kind of far more digital and you can think about, like if the ordering experience is cumbersome or the redemption experience is cumbersome in a restaurant, like that creates real challenges for the crew. So it's also very eye opening to being the restaurant and not just look at the crew. So it's also very eye opening to be in the restaurant and not just look at the crew but also like how are our customers engaging with the restaurant? Like what are they doing? What do they look like, what do they talk about? Like there's lots of positives out of being in the restaurant and, you know, getting some elbow grease if you will, and so I highly highly recommend but I'll give you the headlines after that. I would say that you know most of my career after that really focused Johnny Rockets a whole lot of fun in that brand. It's burgers, shakes and fries.
Speaker 1:And smiling face. Ketchup plates.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and ketchup plates. And for me, you know, what was interesting about that role is, you know it was early on in sort of the digital transformation. I share this story often, where it was 2015 and Noah walked into our office to talk about online ordering in 2015. And I remember him leaving our office and people kind of looking around and saying online ordering for the restaurant industry I don't know Like is that, you know, too broad of a concept and look at where we are now.
Speaker 2:But what Johnny Rockets for me was a good school round. Two, you know, running digital programs at a global level. We operated, you know, 26 different countries, and understanding digital advertising laws abroad in the Middle East, in Asian countries was quite interesting. But it also gave me the sense of being scrappy. We didn't have the biggest budget. We had to be scrappy and nimble and find ways to make our budget work so like we did things that create an in-house social media studio to shoot content there, and so lots of scrappy things. But we were actually one of the first brands to launch delivery back then With DoorDash. I remember proofing menus and entering before an integrated world. We were also one of the first brands to test Amazon restaurants, which was supposed to be the changer of the world, and then that survived much after that. But you know, we worked with, for example, simon Mons to figure out what the flow of drivers would be for, like mall locations. So we were kind of early adopters of the delivery game back again in 2015.
Speaker 2:Shortly after that, I ended up at Garn Fresh Restaurants, which was a soup and salad concept out of San Diego, and they're. The biggest learning was around data and users for a call it a hundred restaurant brand that about 2 million email subscribers for the loyalty program and it made up about 40% of all transactions. It was kind of bed bath and beyond of the industry in terms of we send coupons and offers twice a week and on those days sales will be through the roof. It was interesting if we've always sent them on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that was sort of the history. If it was about 7 am and people have not received their coupon, the office lines will start to ring Like I've not got my coupon, like where's my coupon? And so it was very interesting learning around segmentation and how to leverage data. So it was very interesting learning around segmentation and how to leverage data.
Speaker 2:And then after that I went to Atlanta to send hospitality to lead the digital transformation at Huddle in Perkins and there I think my biggest headline in learning was around integrations and how to think about our technology partners and building the right tech stack. And you know, how do you build an infrastructure for what I would call legacy brands that tend to have a not as a digital savvy consumer, so how do you adopt the restaurant experience there? And then all those experiences brought me to Bo here, which is probably the most robust digital transformation program or initiative I've been a part of and just incredibly proud of the work we've done here to redefine the Bo experience, and so I would say the headlines are scrappy.
Speaker 1:Anchor your decisions and your ideas and data and then, you know, translate those into, you know, self-driving initiatives through a good digital program traffic, because that is probably the biggest thing that's coming up in conversations right now, and 2024 is projected to be the hardest year to attract new restaurant guests ever, and because there's so many different options of places to eat, it's never been easier to try them, and it's like it's really tough to attract new customers because people have kind of decided where they want to eat.
Speaker 1:They've they've picked their spots, their budgets are set, prices are going up, ticket counts are down, and so, as we're, as we're looking at this kind of it's an industry right now that we're propped up by price takes. You know where revenue is looking some places a little bit better, some places equal, some a little bit down, but if you look at just the people going out, ticket volume is down, right, and so it's so important to retain these guests, right. It's so important to make sure that we know who the guest is, to capture their email addresses, to understand who they are, to get them to come back in, because without retention you can't survive in 24, right?
Speaker 2:For sure. And I think, more importantly, it's also far more expensive to acquire users right. It's also far more expensive to acquire users right. Like you're looking at five, six, $7 for acquiring a user versus. It's just a lot easier to retain them. And, particularly in this hyper-competitive space, you really have to think about value. We don't think of value as price at vote, but rather as abundance and making sure that you feel like a dollar spent here is a good dollar spent, and so making sure that you have the right value equation for your customer and, most importantly, I think, consistency.
Speaker 2:I think in terms of what's incredibly important right now is, over the last few years, as you know, there's just been lots of headwinds for the industry, whether it's a tight labor market, supply chain outages, rapid adoption of technology and, to your point, price increases. That customers are kind of in this evergreen state of almost mistrust, and so they're asking questions like are you going to have the menu items that I love in the restaurant? Are you going to be open? When you say you're open, am I going to get my food delivered on time and accurately? Am I going to get good service? And so, for me, the headline is for brands that I think are going to win or fare well here over the next little bit is getting back to consistency and making sure that we're consistently delivering good experiences for people and that they feel like their money is well spent there, versus. Are you going to be open? Do you have the right item?
Speaker 2:I think customers have become less forgiving over the last few years. Will spend there, versus. Are you going to be open? Do you have the right item? Like those, I think the customers have become less forgiving over the last few years because you know you're watching your budget more than ever and you can't afford to have a bad experience or, you know, to just kind of throw your money away in one of those restaurant visits. So getting back to consistency is important primarily from a QSR perspective. Right Like QSR is sort of fast moving, you know accurately, just sort of you're moving the line, as we say, from a drive-through perspective, and so predictability and consistency is something that I think customers are really looking for right now.
Speaker 1:A hundred percent and I talk about this all the time on this show. But it's the vending machine principle of if you put in a dollar and you get your candy bar, you're not elated Like you got your candy bar. If you put in a dollar, your candy bar doesn't come out, you are just raging.
Speaker 2:You're banging on the.
Speaker 1:Because it's not about the dollar, it's about the fact that you didn't get what you paid for, the injustice of it. And and I think that one of the things that's really interesting is, as you're looking at, what will get a guest to to come back. Right, you get someone in one or two times because they hear about you know, the food being good, the online reviews are good, the brand is good. I got an ad, I got an email. That'll get somebody in one or two times, but consistency is going to be what gets people in a few times, right, and if you want people to come in, and you've got to have that consistency, because consistency means trust and that trust is a really deep-seated word and we need to have that trust.
Speaker 1:But really what it comes down to is, above consistency comes connection, and when you build that connection that is what we find is the only place that people are willing to be forgiving Is once they have that connection with your brand, once they feel like, hey, bo cares about me, zach, right, that is going to be what gets them to. You know, forgive a couple of errors, but otherwise what happens? If you to your point, if you're not, not consistent, you make a few mistakes. Well, boom they're. They're down the street because they're like, hey, there's more chicken places now. Granted, no one has a chicken and biscuit like bojangles.
Speaker 2:All right, that, that is one thing that you guys have, and no matter how much, no matter how much you abuse me, I I'm probably gonna come back chicken and biscuit well and, and I think you make an important point, or a couple of important points, one to the point on our Cajun filet biscuit that you know we have such a cult-like following for the brand that when you say it's Motown, it means something to people. They tend to smile. There's a deep connection, cultural connection, to the brand. You know, one of the number one social media comments we get all the time is you know when are you coming to Blank City? Or for the holidays, people saying something along the lines of I know I'm finally in North Carolina when you know I've had my first bite of a Cajun Floyd biscuit. And so how to you know, protecting and cultivating that cult life following is incredibly important.
Speaker 2:But going back to that reliability piece and trust is, you know, hospitality has done a really nice job. I think of creating that trust in terms of. I think about airlines, for example. I travel a lot for both work but also on a personal level, and you know what airline you're going to fly with because you know that it's going to be on time. You know that there's going to be a reliable service. Hotels are the same thing.
Speaker 2:If you stay at a Marriott property, you know what to expect out of a Marriott property, and the last couple of years have made it challenging, I think, for restaurants to know what version of that brand are you going to get today? Is it going to be the brand that will be accurate and have a good service? Is it going to be a brand that you know it's going to take a long time and you might get cold food? So, getting back to that consistency and that reliability, I think it's critical and I think customers can deserve it, and I think we need to make sure that we're aiming to get better at more predictable experiences as it relates to the in-restaurant experience for customers Love that.
Speaker 1:Well, sergio, we have had such a great conversation. We haven't gotten to any of the questions, and that's okay. We got to get you back on for part two, I guess. Lastly, let me just ask who deserves an ovation in the restaurant industry? Who's someone that we should be following?
Speaker 2:You know there's a lot of disturbing people in the industry and a lot of great brands out there, but for me I think it stops and starts with restaurant employees. I don't think they get enough credit and enough love for the work they do. They're the lifeblood of our business and you know our CEO, jose Ramirez, reminds us often that in the office we don't ring up a single dollar. It all happens in the restaurants and so we serve to support our restaurants. And for me, you can have great marketing and a great product, but if folks don't show up and if folks don't deliver that experience on the front line, none of it happens. I can't be here today, you can't be here today. So I think they are the stars of the show on a day-to-day basis, not just at Bo but at every restaurant brand out there.
Speaker 1:Amen love that. And where can people go to learn more about you? Obviously, Bojangles. They can. Bojangles is everywhere, Find them out, and I'm excited for all your expansion that you got going but where can people go to learn more about Sergio?
Speaker 2:LinkedIn is the best place. I try to keep people updated with all the places. So you know, sergio Perez, over at LinkedIn, you can find me there, and so, again, we really appreciate, you know you giving me a forum here to talk a little bit about restaurants and talk a little bit about my favorite topic, which is soft fried chicken.
Speaker 1:Amen. Well, for reminding us that it is all about delivering the guest experience and for giving me some hair to aspire to. Today's ovation goes to you. Thank you for joining us on Give an Ovation, sergio. Thank you. Thanks for joining us today. If you liked this episode, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen. We're all about feedback here. Again, this episode was sponsored by Ovation, a two-question, sms-based actionable guest feedback platform built for multi-unit restaurants. If you'd like to learn how we can help you measure and create a better guest experience, visit us at OvationUpcom.