Good Morning! It’s almost officially Fall, y'all.🍁

There’s been a recent surge in CEO changes, and the new leaders are all about upping the customer experience to fuel growth.

(You’re receiving this newsletter as a “thank you” for engaging with ResQ. If you’re not feeling it, simply unsubscribe here. No hard feelings.🙏)

What’s on tap in this issue:

• What’s causing the CEO shake-up?
• PE firms buying into the future
• The secret sauce of customer experience

Headed to Nashville to experience city lights and country nights? We’ll be at Informa’s Create Event in October. Hit “Reply” to this email if you want to meet up while we’re in town. 👋

​​​​​Industry news

What’s cookin’ in the industry?

Restaurant industry news that puts you in the know. Because the ones who know are the ones who grow.🌱

The CEO shuffle: Same faces, new places

This year, the restaurant industry has seen a spike in CEO changes —  nearly a quarter of public restaurant companies have hired new chief executives.

What’s with the shakeup? Weak sales and shaky stock prices (median restaurant stocks down 12%) have pressured boards to make leadership changes.

• Starbucks recently lured Brian Niccol away from Chipotle to lead its comeback. With sales and stock prices cooling faster than a forgotten latte, Niccol has laid out his first 100-day plan — starting with winning back Gen Z and solving the mobile order madness.
• In a Tilt-a-Whirl of leadership changes, Wendy’s replaced CEO Todd Penegor with PepsiCo’s Kirk Tanner, and Shake Shack brought in Rob Lynch from Papa John’s. Papa John’s then filled its CEO spot by hiring Penegor.

A CX play from Chipotle to beat sales slumps: Create limited-time premium offers for menu items so you can increase foot traffic and focus on value instead of just increasing prices (thanks, inflation).

• Niccol helped introduce carne asada, chicken al pastor, and smoked brisket.​​​

Nabbing growth opportunities

In this economy???

Despite high inflation and industry volatility, some forward-thinking restaurant groups see now as the perfect time to plant seeds for the future.

John Lowe, former CEO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, launched Amok Consumer Growth Fund, a PE firm focused on helping early-stage restaurant and consumer goods companies scale up.

• ➡️ He’s looking 3-6 years down the road when interest rates are closer to historical norms and the market has stabilized.

Thrive just scooped up Modern Market Eatery from Butterfly Equity.

• Thrive, which has been franchising Modern Market since 2022, bought out the 29-unit fast-casual concept and is positioning it to become a leader in the healthy eating space.

​​​​​​Timely tips ​​​​​

Wade Allen, Costa Vida’s new president, is known for his strategic leadership and dedication to enhancing guest experience through operational excellence. Below are a few of his tips:

Streamlined operations + Innovative tech + High-level maintenance = Exceptional customer experience 🙌

✨Clean means you care. People want to eat in clean, well-maintained restaurants.

Guests notice the small details — dingy floors, odd smells, dirty windows…

• 💡The solution: Create a cleaning list (Floors, bathrooms, service areas, etc.) and train your staff on proper cleaning methods. Encourage them to take ownership by cleaning throughout their shifts if they have downtime.

💫 Experience is the secret sauce. Tasty food won’t save your customer experience from smudged silverware or sticky menus.

Today’s consumers have higher expectations because they have more options to get great food. (via Uber Eats, Doordash, etc.)

• 💡 The solution: Run a tight ship for your cleaning and maintenance schedule. Automate your facilities’ maintenance schedule and guarantee an unforgettable (the good kind) customer experience.

From the community​​​​​

Hai Hospitality: Spotless Facilities, Seamless Experiences

Hai Hospitality’s mission is to provide exceptional experiences, bar none. They’re focused on high-end hospitality and now have 4 concepts, with more locations opening.

Being a high-end restaurant means experience matters. Before ResQ, the Hai Hospitality team constantly dealt with inefficient vendor communications that delayed repairs and impacted the customer experience.

With ResQ, they've seamlessly integrated asset tags across all their equipment, making it a breeze for store teams to scan a QR code and create a work order to get a vendor on-site immediately.

ResQ gave them a simplified, scalable R&M solution that upgraded facility management operations and enhanced customer satisfaction.

"We know that ResQ is basically an extension of our team and has become part of our family as well."

Break time

You’d be surprised how much your customers expect smooth-flowing pipes

When you have to tell customers your bathroom is out-of-order, brace yourself.

— ResQ team

Know someone who’d gobble this info up? Forward this email to a peer!

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Subscribe to The Fix here.

Like this email? Reply and let us know what you think!

Shameless plug

What does ResQ do?

ResQ is the ONLY facilities management platform that streamlines restaurant R&M operations and enhances oversight.

ResQ helps you offer an exceptional customer experience by keeping your restaurant ship shape and your R&M up to date — efficiently track assets, create work orders quickly, and choose from a network of quality vendors.

Love free samples? We do, too. Schedule a FREE demo to see how ResQ can help you kick R&M chaos to the curb.