Fine to be a Swiss chick'n
Chick ’n’ More is expanding rapidly—even without traditional advertising
Chick 'n' More is expanding rapidly - even without traditional advertisingBy Luca Aloisi Chick 'n' More is the name of the fast food chain that has been conquering the Swiss market for almost two years. With its anglophile image, promising business plan and genuine products, the Swiss start-up trio seems to be guaranteed success. An ingenious idea that almost completely dispenses with traditional advertising in the communication mix.
While the expansion of the fast food giants, above all McDonald's, is stalling, a local gastronomy company is taking the fast food market by storm: Chick 'n' More (C'n'M). With an average of one new opening per month, the chain aims to operate around 50 branches in Switzerland within three years. The biggest obstacle in the business plan is not suitable locations, but the requirement to achieve consistency in quality and implementation with the teams. CEO Marc-Antoine Cornaz therefore does not rule out further expansion with partners across borders into German-speaking countries. Cornaz, former Development Director and member of the management board at the UK headquarters of Pepsico Restaurants Int. - Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut - is joined on the management board by Martin Wieland, Metrociné Director, and Ivan Levy, Chef Body Shop, Switzerland.
The wait for the alternative is over
The stars are aligned: after cases of antibiotics and bacteria, mad cow scandals and foot-and-mouth disease, many Swiss people have lost their appetite for minced beef patties with gherkins and sesame buns. The white, lower-calorie chicken meat has benefited from this tarnished image.
However, this is not the only reason why C'n'M CEO Cornaz believes that the Swiss chicken fast food chain has good chances of success: On the one hand, fast food is the fastest growing segment in the European restaurant industry, in which there is still considerable growth potential, Cornaz knows. In addition, market penetration in the highly fragmented restaurant sector in continental Europe is still very low. If anyone can judge that, it's him.
The trained hotelier, who most recently worked in London as Market Manager for Kentucky Fried Chicken England and as Real Estate Manager for Tricon UK, has also gained a wealth of experience of the entire European fast food market. He knows what is important when launching and establishing a new restaurant brand in the local market. The investment company CommCept Trust is also convinced of this, which is why it is supporting the recently launched expansion.
In order to assess the market potential, the CEO relied on key considerations and market data that were decisive for the expansion: First of all, there is the rising purchasing power, the trend towards eating outside the home - transport and concept gastronomy has been recording annual sales increases of around 10 percent for some time - as well as the competition: the 12 largest restaurant brands manage less than 8 percent of all restaurant businesses with a sales share of around 15 percent. Finally, the willingness of many consumers to pay more for Swiss Natura chicken, the basis of the C'n'M menus, is also a factor. And among the market leaders, only McDonald's offers a focused range.
Cornaz then designed an innovative restaurant formula that is positioned in the upper quality and price range and has a highly flexible, efficient operating system. He also wants to achieve a competitive advantage by quickly gaining market share and good conversion capability, but above all by achieving a high level of customer satisfaction. The latter is based on brand recognition, high product continuity and a convincing value system.
"The first two locations proved this to us," says Cornaz, not without pride. In these branches, the company initially concentrated on product and price positioning. After all, the first C'n'M take-away in Bern's railroad station in 1999 had the hoped-for success and soon achieved an unexpectedly high level of customer loyalty, despite a nearby and cheaper chicken roaster. The competitor's sales hardly fell at all, suggesting that C'n'M had reached new, consciously consuming customer groups. The same was observed in Vevey, where C'n'M was able to capture a growing market share in direct competition with McDonald's.
No print campaign, no TV commercial and almost no posters
Accordingly, Cornaz wants to clearly distinguish and position the brand for not exactly cheap finger food through the USP of quality: Above all, the freshness of the ingredients and the high-quality processing are conveyed - the chicken here is not baked in the deep fryer, but grilled on the griddle.
And something else is different at C'n'M: publicity is not achieved via traditional communication channels or price, but directly at the location and locally in PR, above all in the form of a clearly defined corporate identity and behavior. New openings are also followed by sales promotion measures.
Cornaz expects that the international image and word of mouth will also help to build awareness. This communication mix makes sense for the target clientele - mainly a discerning adult and primarily female clientele who were waiting for an alternative to conventional fast food restaurants.
Although the response is already very strong, particularly among early innovators, there is an "image hurdle" among women because they are not the primary fast food consumers. In brand communication, it is therefore important to achieve a balance between simple messages and the diverse content of C'n'M. "You always have to try to consciously and boldly break certain established industry rules," says Cornaz, referring to the extraordinary C'n'M positioning in the fast food and takeaway sector.
The communication style, which conveys the naturalness and core values of the new Swiss restaurant brand, is completely in tune with the genuine food. Above all, the main motif clearly reflects this message: fit, food, fast, whereby the alliteration is partly broken up visually and attractively by the product illustration of specialties such as the Deluxe Sandwich or the Salad Meal. While the Ideenhaus agency, Nuremberg and London, implemented the brand strategy in corporate design and claim and created the logo, into which they graphically projected the sandwich, the wave of fragrance, but also wellness, flame, poultry, naturalness and freshness, the Basel agency Schenk Müller Bider developed the means for the location-specific communication.
Authenticity, personality and passion are core brand values
Two steps should lead C'n'M to the hoped-for popularity and popularity: "Firstly, we try to generate a lot of trials, because this is the only way for customers to feel the clear difference. And secondly, if you want to build up a market, it is crucial that the necessary volume is achieved as quickly as possible. This is the only way to gain and defend market share and synergies," Cornaz is convinced.
From the first generation of stores, which proved the concept, the founders of the fast food chain practically only saved the product and the price positioning. Following market analysis and customer surveys, the go-ahead was given at the beginning of 2001 for rapid expansion and the emotional positioning of the brand to differentiate C'n'M from the usual grilled chicken.
In contrast to most fast food chains, which have the image of artificial junk food, customers attested to the authenticity of C'n'M's products. The personal service was also appreciated. However, there was a gap in perception in the emotional area of the target positioning matrix. Precisely because rational reasons for buying predominate in the targeted catering area and are decisive for providers, emotional stimuli are of great importance because this area is the most interesting economically.
Examples such as Häagen Dazs prove that price elasticity in this area is far greater than with competing products that are not positioned in the emotional segment. However, very few fast food chains still differentiate themselves through passion, lifestyle, eroticism and other associative worlds. C'n'M focuses on experience positioning and appeals to the need for vitality for emotional involvement. Cornaz says: "Vitality in the sense of wellness, i.e. simple, balanced and cozy food, time savings thanks to fast service, warm, cozy ambience in which people like to linger a little longer."
At the chicken chain, this philosophy of naturalness is not only reflected in the fresh chicken, the crispy bread developed by Hiestand, the baked potatoes or the unsweetened teas, but also in the comfortable seating, which is designed in such a way as to artificially increase customer circulation at fast food competitors.
The differentiating market entry has been thought through down to the last detail: even the usual tray, which requires a high level of juggling skill from the customer when shopping with fully loaded bags, has been replaced by a shopping basket at C'n'M. This has the additional advantage that "it also makes clearing up much easier", explains Cornaz. This has the additional advantage that "it also makes clearing up much easier", explains Cornaz. Conceptual particularities such as these reflect the natural, simple and original nature of chicken food.
There are many good concepts - few can be multiplied
In order to stay on track in the long term, brand rules have been defined: for example, only whole and fresh pieces of chicken with a declaration of origin are used, and the customer is served personally by the manager at the till. "The decisive moment in a restaurant is the one-minute customer contact, which rarely happens with the chef, even in a staffed restaurant," says Cornaz.
Alcohol is not served at C'n'M, nor is smoking permitted here. The standardized values make a strategic difference to the competition visible and are intended to increase brand recognition and minimize anonymity. "Even in fast food, where service is often underestimated, more than half of customer satisfaction is achieved precisely through this experience," Cornaz is convinced and includes cleanliness, service, the right selection, right bills and more.
30 to 35 percent of satisfaction is gained from the food itself, and the rest is based on the right value for money. "In the fast food sector, the motto is therefore: We're in the entertainment business, and by the way there is something to eat." After all, McDonald's also sells entertainment, says the CEO. He acquired this expertise at Tricon, which invested a lot of money in extensive studies. He planned the modular C'n'M system to be correspondingly flexible and efficient in order to deal with fluctuations better than other restaurant systems.
Technically and spatially, the absence of a large kitchen represents a significant advantage in terms of location, implementation and costs, which allows for high market penetration. C'n'M compensates for the mediocre frequencies that are possible in Switzerland in an international comparison and, in contrast, the high fixed costs - real estate and personnel - with a smaller space and personnel requirement. Not only that: "We have entered the market with a product that is in the higher price segment, partly because purchasing power is the only way to compensate for these frequency disadvantages," says Cornaz.
He sees the real trump card of his chain in its multiplicability. And as the people business factor comes into play with this restaurant model, he is convinced that C'n'M will benefit from the appeal of a dynamic, expansive brand. This applies to employees as well as suppliers, partners and stakeholders of all kinds.
The expansion plan was drawn up from the west and concentrated on smaller and medium-sized cities. Only with impressive volumes would it be possible to operate in more competitive markets such as Zurich. Under no circumstances did he want to cross-finance a store in a prime location with the cash flow from a few branches. So - the downer at the end - we will probably have to be a little patient until the first Zurich C'n'M restaurant opens its doors.
While the expansion of the fast food giants, above all McDonald's, is stalling, a local gastronomy company is taking the fast food market by storm: Chick 'n' More (C'n'M). With an average of one new opening per month, the chain aims to operate around 50 branches in Switzerland within three years. The biggest obstacle in the business plan is not suitable locations, but the requirement to achieve consistency in quality and implementation with the teams. CEO Marc-Antoine Cornaz therefore does not rule out further expansion with partners across borders into German-speaking countries. Cornaz, former Development Director and member of the management board at the UK headquarters of Pepsico Restaurants Int. - Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut - is joined on the management board by Martin Wieland, Metrociné Director, and Ivan Levy, Chef Body Shop, Switzerland.
The wait for the alternative is over
The stars are aligned: after cases of antibiotics and bacteria, mad cow scandals and foot-and-mouth disease, many Swiss people have lost their appetite for minced beef patties with gherkins and sesame buns. The white, lower-calorie chicken meat has benefited from this tarnished image.
However, this is not the only reason why C'n'M CEO Cornaz believes that the Swiss chicken fast food chain has good chances of success: On the one hand, fast food is the fastest growing segment in the European restaurant industry, in which there is still considerable growth potential, Cornaz knows. In addition, market penetration in the highly fragmented restaurant sector in continental Europe is still very low. If anyone can judge that, it's him.
The trained hotelier, who most recently worked in London as Market Manager for Kentucky Fried Chicken England and as Real Estate Manager for Tricon UK, has also gained a wealth of experience of the entire European fast food market. He knows what is important when launching and establishing a new restaurant brand in the local market. The investment company CommCept Trust is also convinced of this, which is why it is supporting the recently launched expansion.
In order to assess the market potential, the CEO relied on key considerations and market data that were decisive for the expansion: First of all, there is the rising purchasing power, the trend towards eating outside the home - transport and concept gastronomy has been recording annual sales increases of around 10 percent for some time - as well as the competition: the 12 largest restaurant brands manage less than 8 percent of all restaurant businesses with a sales share of around 15 percent. Finally, the willingness of many consumers to pay more for Swiss Natura chicken, the basis of the C'n'M menus, is also a factor. And among the market leaders, only McDonald's offers a focused range.
Cornaz then designed an innovative restaurant formula that is positioned in the upper quality and price range and has a highly flexible, efficient operating system. He also wants to achieve a competitive advantage by quickly gaining market share and good conversion capability, but above all by achieving a high level of customer satisfaction. The latter is based on brand recognition, high product continuity and a convincing value system.
"The first two locations proved this to us," says Cornaz, not without pride. In these branches, the company initially concentrated on product and price positioning. After all, the first C'n'M take-away in Bern's railroad station in 1999 had the hoped-for success and soon achieved an unexpectedly high level of customer loyalty, despite a nearby and cheaper chicken roaster. The competitor's sales hardly fell at all, suggesting that C'n'M had reached new, consciously consuming customer groups. The same was observed in Vevey, where C'n'M was able to capture a growing market share in direct competition with McDonald's.
No print campaign, no TV commercial and almost no posters
Accordingly, Cornaz wants to clearly distinguish and position the brand for not exactly cheap finger food through the USP of quality: Above all, the freshness of the ingredients and the high-quality processing are conveyed - the chicken here is not baked in the deep fryer, but grilled on the griddle.
And something else is different at C'n'M: publicity is not achieved via traditional communication channels or price, but directly at the location and locally in PR, above all in the form of a clearly defined corporate identity and behavior. New openings are also followed by sales promotion measures.
Cornaz expects that the international image and word of mouth will also help to build awareness. This communication mix makes sense for the target clientele - mainly a discerning adult and primarily female clientele who were waiting for an alternative to conventional fast food restaurants.
Although the response is already very strong, particularly among early innovators, there is an "image hurdle" among women because they are not the primary fast food consumers. In brand communication, it is therefore important to achieve a balance between simple messages and the diverse content of C'n'M. "You always have to try to consciously and boldly break certain established industry rules," says Cornaz, referring to the extraordinary C'n'M positioning in the fast food and takeaway sector.
The communication style, which conveys the naturalness and core values of the new Swiss restaurant brand, is completely in tune with the genuine food. Above all, the main motif clearly reflects this message: fit, food, fast, whereby the alliteration is partly broken up visually and attractively by the product illustration of specialties such as the Deluxe Sandwich or the Salad Meal. While the Ideenhaus agency, Nuremberg and London, implemented the brand strategy in corporate design and claim and created the logo, into which they graphically projected the sandwich, the wave of fragrance, but also wellness, flame, poultry, naturalness and freshness, the Basel agency Schenk Müller Bider developed the means for the location-specific communication.
Authenticity, personality and passion are core brand values
Two steps should lead C'n'M to the hoped-for popularity and popularity: "Firstly, we try to generate a lot of trials, because this is the only way for customers to feel the clear difference. And secondly, if you want to build up a market, it is crucial that the necessary volume is achieved as quickly as possible. This is the only way to gain and defend market share and synergies," Cornaz is convinced.
From the first generation of stores, which proved the concept, the founders of the fast food chain practically only saved the product and the price positioning. Following market analysis and customer surveys, the go-ahead was given at the beginning of 2001 for rapid expansion and the emotional positioning of the brand to differentiate C'n'M from the usual grilled chicken.
In contrast to most fast food chains, which have the image of artificial junk food, customers attested to the authenticity of C'n'M's products. The personal service was also appreciated. However, there was a gap in perception in the emotional area of the target positioning matrix. Precisely because rational reasons for buying predominate in the targeted catering area and are decisive for providers, emotional stimuli are of great importance because this area is the most interesting economically.
Examples such as Häagen Dazs prove that price elasticity in this area is far greater than with competing products that are not positioned in the emotional segment. However, very few fast food chains still differentiate themselves through passion, lifestyle, eroticism and other associative worlds. C'n'M focuses on experience positioning and appeals to the need for vitality for emotional involvement. Cornaz says: "Vitality in the sense of wellness, i.e. simple, balanced and cozy food, time savings thanks to fast service, warm, cozy ambience in which people like to linger a little longer."
At the chicken chain, this philosophy of naturalness is not only reflected in the fresh chicken, the crispy bread developed by Hiestand, the baked potatoes or the unsweetened teas, but also in the comfortable seating, which is designed in such a way as to artificially increase customer circulation at fast food competitors.
The differentiating market entry has been thought through down to the last detail: even the usual tray, which requires a high level of juggling skill from the customer when shopping with fully loaded bags, has been replaced by a shopping basket at C'n'M. This has the additional advantage that "it also makes clearing up much easier", explains Cornaz. This has the additional advantage that "it also makes clearing up much easier", explains Cornaz. Conceptual particularities such as these reflect the natural, simple and original nature of chicken food.
There are many good concepts - few can be multiplied
In order to stay on track in the long term, brand rules have been defined: for example, only whole and fresh pieces of chicken with a declaration of origin are used, and the customer is served personally by the manager at the till. "The decisive moment in a restaurant is the one-minute customer contact, which rarely happens with the chef, even in a staffed restaurant," says Cornaz.
Alcohol is not served at C'n'M, nor is smoking permitted here. The standardized values make a strategic difference to the competition visible and are intended to increase brand recognition and minimize anonymity. "Even in fast food, where service is often underestimated, more than half of customer satisfaction is achieved precisely through this experience," Cornaz is convinced and includes cleanliness, service, the right selection, right bills and more.
30 to 35 percent of satisfaction is gained from the food itself, and the rest is based on the right value for money. "In the fast food sector, the motto is therefore: We're in the entertainment business, and by the way there is something to eat." After all, McDonald's also sells entertainment, says the CEO. He acquired this expertise at Tricon, which invested a lot of money in extensive studies. He planned the modular C'n'M system to be correspondingly flexible and efficient in order to deal with fluctuations better than other restaurant systems.
Technically and spatially, the absence of a large kitchen represents a significant advantage in terms of location, implementation and costs, which allows for high market penetration. C'n'M compensates for the mediocre frequencies that are possible in Switzerland in an international comparison and, in contrast, the high fixed costs - real estate and personnel - with a smaller space and personnel requirement. Not only that: "We have entered the market with a product that is in the higher price segment, partly because purchasing power is the only way to compensate for these frequency disadvantages," says Cornaz.
He sees the real trump card of his chain in its multiplicability. And as the people business factor comes into play with this restaurant model, he is convinced that C'n'M will benefit from the appeal of a dynamic, expansive brand. This applies to employees as well as suppliers, partners and stakeholders of all kinds.
The expansion plan was drawn up from the west and concentrated on smaller and medium-sized cities. Only with impressive volumes would it be possible to operate in more competitive markets such as Zurich. Under no circumstances did he want to cross-finance a store in a prime location with the cash flow from a few branches. So - the downer at the end - we will probably have to be a little patient until the first Zurich C'n'M restaurant opens its doors.
