Old Country Buffet has a new CEO. His name is Anthony Wedo. You may have seen him recently on a series of commercials currently airing on the Twin Cities stations and last fall on the Denver stations.
Wedo opens these commercials by introducing himself as the new CEO. He talks about the new Old Country Buffet and promises that viewers will like the changes. He ends with his guarantee that “You will have a great experience, or we will make it right.”
In December 2012 Wedo became head of Old Country Buffet’s parent company Buffets. The company filed Chapter 11 twice in the last six years and cut the number of locations from 626 in 2008 to 343 today. He has a vision for the stores he calls “fresh-for-you.” He wants “to invite new, modern, and young families” into the stores. With that in mind, the stores are moving from bulk to individualized portions and adding smaller servings. Wedo also updated the stores with a video game room and hospitality manager to ensure a great dining experience.
He is creating a fresh start for Old Country Buffet stores.
The first market to experience the fresh start was Denver which responded to the new TV ads with a fifty percent increase in sales. After the ads stopped, the Denver stores had a thirty-five percent increase. Wedo spent $500,000 on each of the twelve Twin Cities locations remodeling, changing operations, and creating a new commercial.
Industry expert Allan Hickok states that although customers of buffets have increasing choices of where they eat today buffets have a chance to survive by offering good food at a fixed price. He notes that the price increase at Old Country Buffet to $11.99 is not a problem since they “modernized their stores, changed their menu, and delivered operational excellence.”
The old adage says that you only get one chance to make a first good impression. Actually, in business you have multiple chances, but they only occur under certain circumstances. The most opportune is new management. Wedo seized this opportunity and exercised it wisely. Rather than using fancy words to present the same old situation in a different light, he implemented true changes. He legitimately revamped Old Country Buffet to appeal to the target market. Then he put himself front and center as spokesperson for the “new” Old Country Buffet. He topped this off with a guarantee.
Wedo planned, delivered, and communicated a fresh start very well.
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What example of a fresh start have you experienced? E-mail me your answer.
Click here to listen to this week’s Profitable Marketing Podcast.
Wedo opens these commercials by introducing himself as the new CEO. He talks about the new Old Country Buffet and promises that viewers will like the changes. He ends with his guarantee that “You will have a great experience, or we will make it right.”
In December 2012 Wedo became head of Old Country Buffet’s parent company Buffets. The company filed Chapter 11 twice in the last six years and cut the number of locations from 626 in 2008 to 343 today. He has a vision for the stores he calls “fresh-for-you.” He wants “to invite new, modern, and young families” into the stores. With that in mind, the stores are moving from bulk to individualized portions and adding smaller servings. Wedo also updated the stores with a video game room and hospitality manager to ensure a great dining experience.
He is creating a fresh start for Old Country Buffet stores.
The first market to experience the fresh start was Denver which responded to the new TV ads with a fifty percent increase in sales. After the ads stopped, the Denver stores had a thirty-five percent increase. Wedo spent $500,000 on each of the twelve Twin Cities locations remodeling, changing operations, and creating a new commercial.
Industry expert Allan Hickok states that although customers of buffets have increasing choices of where they eat today buffets have a chance to survive by offering good food at a fixed price. He notes that the price increase at Old Country Buffet to $11.99 is not a problem since they “modernized their stores, changed their menu, and delivered operational excellence.”
The old adage says that you only get one chance to make a first good impression. Actually, in business you have multiple chances, but they only occur under certain circumstances. The most opportune is new management. Wedo seized this opportunity and exercised it wisely. Rather than using fancy words to present the same old situation in a different light, he implemented true changes. He legitimately revamped Old Country Buffet to appeal to the target market. Then he put himself front and center as spokesperson for the “new” Old Country Buffet. He topped this off with a guarantee.
Wedo planned, delivered, and communicated a fresh start very well.
This week's marketing trivia challenge is What example of a fresh start have you experienced? E-mail me your answer.
Click here to listen to this week’s Profitable Marketing Podcast.
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