Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 20

Grow Market Lead

Part 2

By Paul Mangiamele

Bennigan’s Builds
a Brand Newinnovation
Box
Leveraging nostalgia and

A

to “revolutionize” fast casual

s president and chief execu- our franchise partners succeed and
tive of Bennigan’s Franchis- grow, and keep winning new guests
ing Company, I have the every day?
honor of being at the helm
of a renaissance. In Part 1 of this series Creating a new box
(Franchise Update, Q2), I talked about At Bennigan’s, we aren’t thinking outside
our quest to restore the integrity of of the box, we are creating a new box.
an iconic brand. Through a strategic For us, this is not just about restoring
analysis and overhaul of our training,
a brand. We are revolutionizing the
operations, design, marketing,
casual dining segment. That’s
real estate, and supply chain,
a strong word, but we’re not
Bennigan’s has differentiated
about being in the pack,
itself and created a legendary
or even leading the pack.
brand experience for every
We’re going beyond that
guest, every meal, every day.
to engage, enchant, and
Looking forward to what’s
enthrall our guests, our
next, how do we continue this
restaurant team members,
renaissance beyond our four
and our franchise partners.
walls? How do we conSo when I say we’re
tinue to stay true to
creating a new box, I
the nostalgia of our
mean some truly new
brand while introideas that are going
to change the game.
ducing new, forwardthinking concepts
Our first breakPaul Mangiamele
that are going to help
through is a recent

18

Franchiseupdate Iss u e III, 2 0 1 2

strategic alliance that gives us the ability to offer both real estate and financing options to potential franchisees.
When you look at the landscape of
what the obstacles of growth are, the
two most common stumbling blocks
are finding solid real estate sites and
financing. The common questions are:
Where do I go, and how do I get the
money? Bennigan’s is now working
with a national real estate firm to put
together a full arsenal of weapons to
set franchisees up for the path to success. We are in a unique position to
bring both of these tremendous assets
to the table. With our ability now to
offer approved space across the country and provide financing, this truly
puts us in a category of one.
Next is our fast casual concept,
Bennigan’s on the Fly. The fast casual segment continues to grow, but
unfortunately lacks the consistent
service and hospitality of a casual dining meal. Too often, guests are rushed