Case Study
Restaurant Group Increases Sales and Profits During Unprecedented Challenges
OVERVIEW:
Edley’s Restaurant Group is a growing restaurant company in the metro-Nashville, Tennessee area with seven locations and 400 team members. Edley’s is growing by 50% in the next 12 months with rapid growth opportunities through franchising.
PROBLEM:
Growth without strategy was the biggest issue. Edley’s had great people but lacked consistency and a systemized way to deliver on the experience they wanted. They aspired to differentiate themselves from the competition in terms of customer service.
SOLUTION:
Partnered with The DiJulius Group to focus on creating service standards to be executed consistently in each and every location.
- Service Action Statement, Pillars, Never & Always
- Day in the Life video
- Customer Experience Cycle
Consistent manager and team training was vital to the success of the program launch. The training repeated weekly in pre-shift huddles.
RESULTS:
The restaurant industry has been faced with many challenges beyond its control since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Roughly 80,000 restaurants have temporarily or permanently closed, according to estimates from the National Restaurant Association, down from 110,000 at the peak of the pandemic.
Despite this bleak outlook in the industry, Edley’s CX focus allowed them to achieve the following results:
- Sales increase of 8% in 2021
- Profit increase of 6% in 2021
- Team member turnover of 58% in an industry with triple digit turnover
- Manager turnover of 14% in an industry with 40%
- Zero voluntary GM turnover in 3 years
“We were not broken. We had a strong presence and following in our space. Some very loyal guests. However, internally we recognized that our service, and training, did not match the quality of our food and vibe. We believe, if we can become known for great service and how we make people feel, we can really become a company that makes their world a better place.”
— Chris Beckler, VP of Operations
