Five Guys' Brilliant Marketing Move
We took A. to hear some jazz outdoors last evening, then took her to "that piggy store," meaning the The Q Shack, for dinner. Rude as it might be, I slipped next door to snag a burger from Five Guys—something I've been craving for weeks. Little Burger (meaning one patty) with fried onions, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and—this is the key part—fresh jalapenos.
Uh HUH.
While I was waiting (only a few minutes, I might add, not bad for a fresh-cooked burger), I noticed a whiteboard with a hand-written note:
"Today's potatoes come from [something, I forget] Ridge, Idaho."
Nice touch, I thought. Today's consumers are more and more concerned about buying locally, for many good reasons. And when you can't buy local, a quick note like that one at least makes you feel like the ingredients were local to SOMEplace, even if it wasn't close to you—like it came from real farmers and real dirt.
What a brilliant, and inexpensive, marketing move. For the cost of a white board and a minute's time, it gives customers the feeling their food came from a place, not a black box, and that's a feeling all chain restaurants would do well to foster. Parents care, more and more.
Is your family trying to buy more local ingredients? Would you like to see more locally sourced ingredients in the restaurants where you take your family?
Before you comment, check out the amazing simplicity of the Five Guys menu. THIS is why it works:
