Perkins & Marie Callender's, LLC, parent company of Perkins Restaurant & Bakery announced that for the fiscal year ending December 27, 2015, Perkins Corporate restaurants saw a 4.5 percent increase in same-store sales and a 3 percent increase in guest counts; franchise locations posted same store sales gains of 2.3 percent. The company cites several key initiatives as primary drivers of Perkins' success, each of which, according to president and CEO, Jeff Warne, were "designed to elevate perceptions of the Perkins brand and increase its relevance among current and prospective guests." The initiatives include:
System-wide remodeling program: Offering guests a rejuvenating perspective on the Perkins brand, a system-wide remodeling initiative is currently underway, and 69 company-operated restaurants and 40 franchised locations have been remodeled to date with 24 of those having occurred in 2015.
Menu Reimaging: The more contemporary menu introduced in 2015 adds interest and excitement to Perkins by featuring higher-quality ingredients, more food innovation, and fresh product offerings specially designed to meet consumer preferences and facilitate better service and efficiency.
Marketing Excellence and Value Promotion: Perkins continues to deploy a full suite of traditional and digital strategy and creative, from television and print, to social, paid media and field marketing and in 2015, the company engaged the services of the Buntin Group to assist in the development and execution of these programs. Inside the restaurants, value oriented promotions such as "Great Plates $4 to $8" and "Pie Society Monday" have proven successful, driving increased traffic; various salesmanship efforts including Perkins beverage and pie bundles and the ever-popular Buy 3-Get 3 promotions helped raise bakery sales to 8 percent of total sales in 2015 versus 6.1 percent in 2014.
Warne adds, "[This past year] marks the second consecutive year of positive same store sales and guest counts for Perkins Restaurant & Bakery and the strategies currently in place are serving to reinvigorate the brand. In the coming year, we intend to continue the positive momentum as we focus on delivering memorable dining experiences featuring high quality product offerings at an outstanding value, served in attractive, welcoming and contemporary facilities."
