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Gourmet Food Store reaches new customers
today the City of Dearborn is one of the most diverse in all of Michigan.
Unfortunately some merchants have not been able to bridge the cultural divide.
Middle-Easterners represent the fastest growing segment of Dearborn’s growth. The once English
only landscape of their downtown is now dominated by Arabic signage and motifs with the Arab-
American National Museum at its heart.
A nationally franchised chain of gourmet food stores had caught the eye of a longtime resident. She
reviewed operations of the chain throughout southeastern Michigan and saw the economic
indicators were ideal for a store in Dearborn.
Anticipated success was elusive as the business was unable to attract customers.
Contemplating closing the shop completely she turned to Max Impact’s MBC Global for help.
Studying the community and the store it was quite evident to the MBC Global experts the store needed to make some immediate and drastic changes if it would survive.
Modifications
This gourmet food store was the style where patrons would come into the store and prepare gourmet meals using the best ingredients. The store’s problems included:
In short, almost every aspect of the store needed some form of change!
Franchisers are very reluctant to allow a single outlet to stray from the corporate model in anyway. Because of this it was important to work closely with both franchiser
and franchisee to develop changes aligned with corporate philosophy and community needs.
International franchiser McDonald’s had already allowed for changes in the local menu. The changes were very subtle but significant enough to spell success for the
hamburger fryer. Less significant were the changes made by the family dining chain Ram’s Horn Restaurants. Their Dearborn outlet thrived with its supplemental menu
loaded with special cuts of meat and an understanding of Middle-Eastern food handling norms.
Fortunately the franchiser realized the need for the changes and allowed the local to “test” the new concept.
Success followed as the store turned the corner from red to black ink.
Contact us to learn how to duplicate this success story in your organization.
today the City of Dearborn is one of the most diverse in all of Michigan.
Unfortunately some merchants have not been able to bridge the cultural divide.
Middle-Easterners represent the fastest growing segment of Dearborn’s growth. The once English
only landscape of their downtown is now dominated by Arabic signage and motifs with the Arab-
American National Museum at its heart.
A nationally franchised chain of gourmet food stores had caught the eye of a longtime resident. She
reviewed operations of the chain throughout southeastern Michigan and saw the economic
indicators were ideal for a store in Dearborn.
Anticipated success was elusive as the business was unable to attract customers.
Contemplating closing the shop completely she turned to Max Impact’s MBC Global for help.
Studying the community and the store it was quite evident to the MBC Global experts the store needed to make some immediate and drastic changes if it would survive.
Modifications
This gourmet food store was the style where patrons would come into the store and prepare gourmet meals using the best ingredients. The store’s problems included:
- Signage
- Menu assortment
- Cleaning procedures
- Background music
- Ingredients
In short, almost every aspect of the store needed some form of change!
Franchisers are very reluctant to allow a single outlet to stray from the corporate model in anyway. Because of this it was important to work closely with both franchiser
and franchisee to develop changes aligned with corporate philosophy and community needs.
International franchiser McDonald’s had already allowed for changes in the local menu. The changes were very subtle but significant enough to spell success for the
hamburger fryer. Less significant were the changes made by the family dining chain Ram’s Horn Restaurants. Their Dearborn outlet thrived with its supplemental menu
loaded with special cuts of meat and an understanding of Middle-Eastern food handling norms.
Fortunately the franchiser realized the need for the changes and allowed the local to “test” the new concept.
Success followed as the store turned the corner from red to black ink.
Contact us to learn how to duplicate this success story in your organization.
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