IHOP 2011 Annual Report Download - page 15

status, while meeting our strict requirements.
Our scorecard system is one of many strategies
we use to continually drive improvement.
We are working with our franchisees to
identify ways to upgrade our service, speed
and value, to ultimately boost IHOP same-
restaurant sales. In September 2011, we shared
the results of a comprehensive traffic study
with our franchisees, and together developed a
plan to improve the guest experiences in these
key areas. The service and value initiatives that
emerged from this study have become a top
priority for IHOP. These initiatives include
service enhancements that ensure that we’re
more focused on guests in the dining room,
streamlining ordering and checkout processes,
and accelerating the experience at the table by
allowing guests to order drinks and meals at the
same time and more. By focusing on basics like
service, convenience and value, we’re positioning
IHOP as a relevant choice for new generations.
We’re evolving our marketing strategies.
In the intensely competitive casual dining category,
success is determined by much more than the ability
to make a delicious burger. Today, it has become
increasingly challenging to design a guest experience
that represents a brand in a real, positive way — and
deliver it across every single touch point. We believe
that the capacity to consistently provide a meaningful
guest experience is nothing less than what’s necessary
for long-term success.
At Applebee’s, our ability to create an authentic
neighborhood feeling is what separates this brand
from the pack. With a highly recognized brand like
Applebee’s, we know that television is the most
efficient way to reach and stay connected with a
large, loyal base of guests. We’re also leveraging
technology to forge more targeted connections
with our guests, and help expand the ways in which
they interact with the Applebee’s brand. In 2011,
we entered into an arrangement with Facebook, and
currently we have more than two million fans. Looking
forward, we will continue to harness social and digital
media to establish meaningful, neighborhood-based
connections with our guests.
At IHOP, it is our strategic priority to play to our
strengths by leveraging the brand’s heritage and
championing the breakfast occasion. We are
invigorating the brand
with a new, focused and
compelling positioning
that highlights our brand
promise and builds upon
the strong emotional
connection that
generations of guests have
had with the IHOP brand
— and we’re doing so in a
relevant way. We will
achieve our objective through a holistic brand
approach that surrounds IHOP guests in a variety of
ways. In addition to our measures to evolve the guest
experience, key pillars of this mix include a new menu
system, new advertising and public relations efforts,
along with digital and social media campaigns.
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