Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. (ARG), franchisor of the iconic quick-service sandwich chain with nearly 3,400 Arby’s restaurants worldwide, announced today its plans to launch a major remodeling program across Arby’s nationwide network. This holistic, turnkey revitalization initiative includes a new building image, team member re-training program and franchisee remodel financing solution.
“We continue to make tremendous progress against our multi-year program to reinvigorate the Arby’s brand,” said Paul Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. “The release of the new Inspire remodel image and corresponding revitalization initiative is an important step in the journey. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Arby’s brand this year, initiatives like these will ensure we’re well positioned for our next 50 years of growth.”
After testing various design alternatives in 2013 and early 2014, Arby’s is now planning to remodel at least 30 company-owned restaurants to the new Inspire image this year in key markets, including: Huntsville, Alabama; Indianapolis, Indiana; Youngstown, Ohio and Salt Lake City, Utah. Architectural plans were released to Franchisees in June of this year. The company plans to significantly expand the number of remodels in 2015.
“Though we’re still in the early stages, the response from guests has been extremely positive,” said George Condos President & COO, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. “Since the start of rollouts in early 2014, the revitalized restaurants have seen an average of nearly 20 percent in sales increases, which further supports our focused efforts on this front.”
The ongoing effort to provide a fresh new look for Arby’s restaurants ties in to the Brand’s plan to debut a new positioning and creative campaign later this summer. All updates to the restaurant interior and exterior, such as a fresh new color palette, strong geometric shapes and elements, renewed materials and subway tiling, will allow Arby’s guests to fully experience the revised and reinvigorated Brand look and feel.
“Our success is directly correlated with how our guests experience the Brand,” said Condos. “It’s critical for us to listen and respond accordingly when our guests and franchisees share suggestions on how we can improve, and the remodel designs are a great example of how their feedback continues to impact and inform our decisions.”
Designed as a “kit-of-parts” approach, exterior enhancements include: cantilevered red awnings at the primary touch points (drive-thru, entranceway, etc.), new internally-illuminated signage, wood tones, white brick, enhanced lighting for strong visual impact at night and upgraded landscaping around the restaurant.
Interior enhancements include: an inviting color palette that ties to the Brand colors using updated, fresh materials, subway tiling and stainless steel in the kitchen area, multicolor wood materials, modern lighting and chalkboard graphics.
Additionally, the Brand revitalization effort includes a half-day, offsite Brand Camp session for all restaurant team members. In Brand Camp, team members learn about Arby’s purpose, core values, and how they can deliver a better overall guest service experience. Year-to-date, over 19,000 team members have participated in this program and Arby’s intends to conduct these sessions for the remainder of the system throughout the balance of the year.
