Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2024

NON-TRADITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SPECIAL SECTION *

Right: Matt Copenhaver, chief development officer for Einstein Bros. Bagels, says the company’s latest focus is travel centers, which is one of the areas they see the most growth potential. Below: For its non-traditional development, Einstein Bros. Bagels is focused on airports, universities, casinos, healthcare centers, large travel plazas and toll roads, with the most success thus far in airports and universities.

Above: As in airports, restaurants on university campuses (California State University-San Marcos location pictured) often get huge influxes of customers who need quick service. Left: Mary Richardson, director of non-traditional business development and operations for Qdoba, notes that some of the brand’s higher education locations have gone to mobile ordering or kiosk ordering only, which offers convenience for customers and reduces the need for a POS function at the location.

across all our existing non-traditional locations, but especially in airports and universities,” he says. “The hours of operation that these venues allow ... pair well with our bagel, breakfast and coffee offerings. Airport travelers and students have become strong demographics for us.” Copenhaver adds that the brand is also continuing to build its presence in travel centers, which is one of the areas they see significant growth potential. A large part of Einstein Bros. Bagels’ strategy for success in non-traditional markets comes down to its design and operational adaptability. “We offer flexible restaurant footprints that allow our operators to find the perfect fit for their non-trad space, and we also have a menu that caters to all day parts and hours of operation, whether it’s early morning breakfast, fresh lunch and dinner fare, or the late-night segment, ,” Copenhaver says. “Another aspect of this is how our menu caters to ease of operation: Our processes are streamlined to make the culinary aspect

of the business as simple as possible. Our low-cost of entry and dedicated license team of experts also work in harmony with non-trad operators to help them hit the ground running.” Bob Cook, senior director of non-traditional development for Bojangles , similarly notes that the operating hours of non-traditional venues aligns with its business model of having menu items for all day parts. “Unlike traditional locations that typically operate during specific mealtimes, non-traditional venues are looking to be open as much as possible to serve customers at all hours. This makes Bojangles’ three day parts critical in meeting the demand for food options that are available and convenient whenever customers need them,” he says, noting that the brand is focusing on expanding into non-traditional venues such as airports, military bases, casinos, travel plazas, and colleges and universities. “Non-traditional venues are a key growth opportunity for Inspire, and adaptability is key to navigating operations in these

spaces, especially airports,” notes Rivello. “We’re investing in value engineering, shared back-of-house designs, equipment reutilization plans and more to address operations needs.” She says that Inspire Brands has “tremendous whitespace for non-traditional growth” across all brands in its portfolio in areas like airports, public transportation, universities, businesses, healthcare facilities, travel centers, truck stops, casinos and big-box retail. Rivello adds that she appreciates that the unique qualities of non-traditional spaces necessitates ingenuity from brands. “Non-traditional venues require flexibility and innovation, allowing us to get creative when working with our non-trad franchisees to ensure we’re maximizing the space available,” she says. “We can then apply these learnings to locations at a similar site or even apply them to an additional brand within our portfolio. For example, learnings from a Dunkin’ location at Logan airport can be used at a similar airport, and/or we

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AX NEWS JUNE 2024