Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2016 | Page 19

ANATOMY OF A BRAND

Christine Specht
units would be viable sites for the next 10
years, and worked with our franchise partners to secure their commitment to reinvest
in both the remodel of their locations and
other strategic initiatives.
By taking the time to efficiently evaluate what changes had to be implemented,
and by taking the necessary steps, we were
able to strengthen our unit-level economics, create a stronger core of franchisee
partners, and solidify our future in existing markets by positioning ourselves as an
appealing investment to future multi-unit
franchisee prospects.
Welcome to the new Cousins
Legacy brands can often lack one key ingredient—consistency—and our brand fit
this category. To address this, we set out to
rebrand starting with updating our logo,
packaging, and uniforms to better communicate who Cousins Subs is to our guests.
The new logo package consists of a series
of marks, which allows more flexibility and
features the return of the brand’s original
iconic logo of the two original cousins.
Packaging concepts, which are still in development, will offer a minimalist and crisp
design, allowing for versatility in logo use,
and uniforms will take a more casual approach featuring an industrial, old-school
sub shop look.

A significant phase of our rebranding efforts includes remodeling all existing restaurants to unify the brand in look and feel. In
response to consumer demands, we created
a modern, inviting environment that delivers on our unique identity. This is achieved
through showcasing our history, Milwaukee
roots, personality, values, and cuisine philosophy in the new “Milwaukee Sub Shop”
restaurant design. Every element of our new
design reflects our Midwestern roots by incorporating timeless trend designs, such as
natural materials balanced by solid surfaces,
stone walls, wood floors, earth-toned color
palettes, industrial finishes, and the original
Cousins Subs logo. Aside from our consistent product across all our locations, the
remodels are our most obvious pursuit at
creating system-wide consistency.
As the fast casual space continues to
evolve, consumer trends indicate that guests
favor interaction with frontline staff while
they customize their sub and observe their
order being made. As a result, we’ve created
the “Project Henry” make line ordering process—a nod to Henry Ford’s assembly line.
All new Cousins Subs restaurants outside of
Wisconsin will feature both the Milwaukee
Sub Shop design and Project Henry make
line. Existing locations due for remodel
upon renewal and any new Wisconsin development will all feature the new design,
but only select locations will test the Project
Henry make line at this time.
We’ve also completed a new exterior
design package that will be rolled out and
carries through the earth-toned color palette,
wood features, and industrial finishes—reflective of what guests will experience once
inside the restaurant, further establishing
consistency.
Overall, through the rebrand our goal
is to showcase to guests how we’ve made

improvements in our store environment,
and how we’re better communicating our
story and what we value. Each facet of our
rebranding and remodeling efforts has set
the stage for expansion into additional markets—both corporate- and franchise-owned.

Our vow
I’m excited about the future of Cousins Subs
and the growth opportunities ahead. I absolutely believe we have the best sub sandwich
in the market, and that more people need
to enjoy what Milwaukeeans have enjoyed
for more than 40 years. We will bring our
brand to new regions and embed ourselves
in new communities. We will continue to set
the benchmark for what a high-quality sub
should taste like, and give our new guests a
taste of “better” and everything that stands
for. We will continue to stay focused on our
local communities and partner on initiatives
that are important to them. As the daughter of Bill Specht, founder and chairman, I
couldn’t be more connected or proud of the
brand and what we’ve achieved. n
Christine Specht is president and CEO
of Cousins Subs.

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