Starting with the basic premise that independent operators, by and large, do not have the resources available to capture current industry trends and consumer demands, while oftentimes losing ground to chains' aggressive expansion, Jeff Kelly, senior director of marketing and supplier development for Harker's, Le Mars, Iowa, set out to redefine a distributor's relationship with its street accounts. Kelly decided that for the company's plan to succeed he would have to infuse the word "partnership" with life and credible meaning.
Thus emerged the Power of 4 program (that's read: P to the fourth power or P4) that has boosted sales for its independent restaurant owners, its vendor-partners and the distributorship.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here. MultimediaExclusive ContentFinancing Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to ChipotleThe Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges. Operations Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family diningReality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles. Financing The Tijuana Flats bankruptcy highlights the dangers of menu miscuesThe Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain’s problems following new menu debuts in 2021 and 2022 show that adding new items isn’t always the right idea. |