Popeye's 2011 Annual Report Download - page 9

Lynne Zappone joined us in April in
the newly created role of Chief Talent
Offi cer. She is responsible for making
sure we have the right people doing the
right things in the right places to deliver
our strategic plan. What will ultimately
differentiate Popeyes will be the results
we accomplish and how our people go
about accomplishing them.
Our purpose, and my personal passion,
is to develop a deep bench of service-
focused leaders who deliver superior
results, building on our accomplishments
to date.
Serving up strategy
All we’ve accomplished springs from a
strategy that capitalizes on the strengths
of our business model as a highly
franchised restaurant system. This model
provides diverse and reliable earnings,
with steady cash fl ow and low capital
spending requirements.
Our Strategic Road Map for Results has
proven its value by performing well for
investors, for franchisees, and for guests
who have developed a passion for our
Louisiana-inspired cuisine and culture.
It is built on four pillars that we believe
make a great restaurant company: build
a distinctive brand; run great restaurants;
grow restaurant profi ts; accelerate quality
restaurant openings.
Our singular focus on executing these
pillars is responsible for making Popeyes
a competitive brand that’s capturing
market share and accelerating long-term
growth prospects. We’ve always been
passionate about our food, and, for the
past four years, we’ve brought that same
passion to building a stronger foundation
for performance.
Serving up mindshare
What makes Popeyes a distinctive
and relevant brand is its Louisiana
heritage. Even as we began our brand
transformation, we continued to embrace
and celebrate this distinguishing
characteristic. Today, it drives everything
from our menu and the look of our new
restaurants to promotions and advertising.
It’s even infused in our beverage strategy,
with both Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea and
Flavoriety™ quenching our guests’ thirst
in a big way while delivering double-digit
growth in 2011 beverage volume.
Our TV spokesperson Annie adds
authenticity and knowledge, mixed with a
lot of charisma, to the Popeyes Louisiana
Kitchen brand. In 2011, we added a sixth
cycle of national advertising to our media
plans, and we saw the results with more
guest traffi c coming through our doors.
Our message platform positions
Popeyes as slow-cooked, Louisiana-
inspired home cooking for a fast-paced
life: we’re Louisiana Fast™. In the past
four years, we’ve re-energized the brand.
Now we’re extending a new look and
feel to the bricks and mortar of Popeyes
restaurants. Beginning in late 2011, we
introduced a stunning new design in
select markets that visually reinforces
our heritage and premium-quality food,
imparting a contemporary feel. In 2012,
we are targeting 600 restaurants to
adopt the new look.
Serving up the future
Through our philanthropic arm, The
Popeyes Foundation, Inc., we are
working to engage the next generation
of passionate foodies and Popeyes
restaurateurs by partnering with
ProStart®, a program of the National
Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation. This nationwide two-year
high school program introduces students
and teachers to careers in the restaurant
industry through mentoring, internships,
and training opportunities.
It is immensely rewarding to look back
at the last four years and mark how
well our strategy has molded Popeyes
into a global brand that is outpacing
the competition. As we like to say, “You
ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” Few 40-year-old
brands have such growth opportunities in
both domestic and international markets.
Even fewer can cite the level of quality
openings, with average unit volumes
of new domestic restaurants about
40 percent above our system average.
As we celebrate our 40th anniversary
throughout 2012, our thoughts will be on
the next 40 or 50 or 100 years. We know
we have to win over our guests every
single time they come through the door,
which is something our franchisees,
restaurant managers, and crews do
really well. Through steady, consistent
improvements, they give guests – and, by
extension, AFCE investors – more reasons
to trust us with their hard-earned dollars.
The entire Popeyes team remains
committed to delivering fl avorful food and
a distinctive experience to our guests…
with a festival feeling of Louisiana that’s
unique to our restaurants.
Sincerely,
Cheryl A. Bachelder
CEO, AFC Enterprises, Inc.
We have outpaced our competitors
in chicken quick-service restaurants
(QSR) for the past 15 quarters.
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2011 ANNUAL REPORT 7