Agile Identities
A new approach to brand
From legacy brands to superfluid—Agile Identities is all about crafting flexible, ever-evolving concepts to reach many distinct audiences.
The Next Gen Operator is super flexible, ever-evolving, and above all else, relevant to the needs and tastes of the customer—even those with particular tastes or dietary restrictions.
Creating multiple identities in an attempt to rise to the top of third-party delivery apps, turning brands on and off based on the ingredients on-hand at any moment, creating flexible work hours that suit employees—the list goes on for how operators with this mindset respond to market demands.
Operators of the past were rooted in history with a rigid brand story, and now, Next Gen Operators must be nimble to navigate a digital frontier.
They’re not built to last; they’re built to bend.
A little imagination goes a long way, folks!
Restaurants, especially virtual ones, will need to adjust their brand to survive whenever the social appetite changes. This approach recognizes the brand isn’t personal at all; instead, a direct reflection of customer preferences, reshaped repeatedly.
This operator uses Agile Identities to target different customer groups. Dough, sauce, and cheese combine for the perfect family-friendly restaurant by day; by night, it’s recreated with fewer options and less attention to detail to serve a hungry 3 am to-go crowd. Serving both audiences used to be a harder sell, with way more labor involved. Today, the experiences can be distinctly branded yet operate out of the same kitchen. Thus, this operator wears many hats in keeping not only one but several brands and customers afloat and fed—at the end of the day they’ve got to be agile and quick on their feet.
They're the man or woman behind the curtain juggling it all and deliciously killing the game.
Now is the time to think less of how you’d like to be known and more of who you want to get to know.
Do you embrace your competition? Perhaps you’re not afraid to pop up a new concept or let go of one that isn’t working—this means Agile Identities comes naturally to you. Consider that you’re not the face of one restaurant but rather the architect of a flexible brand network.
Restaurants in vogue.
Where more is more, how does an equally demanding industry keep up with market needs?
Taking a page out of the fashion industry playbook, restaurants are cranking out more concepts to compete in the fast lane.
Traditional apparel brands are now debuting around 11 seasons a year, while fast fashion brands may issue as many as 52 weekly “micro-seasons” per year. Social media is accelerating this cycle. Shoppers act on that demand instantly, thanks to “See Now, Buy Now” tools on platforms like Instagram and Pinterest. Adept social media strategies translate to strong sales.
In a nutshell, Future Foods takes different kinds of offerings on a restaurant’s existing menu and markets them as separate restaurants; in a crowded delivery marketplace, there’s a better chance you’ll cut through the noise if you show up eight times instead of once.
Back to the mindset
“It’s not you who are failing, it’s your brand. You can change your brand if you’re willing to acknowledge it needs fixing. Swallow pride. It’s not about you—it’s about product and customers.”
– Steven, a virtual restaurant operator in Atlanta
Next (Gen) Mindset
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03 Agile Identites
04 Social Savvy →