Hungry Jack's CEO shares three lessons learned in adapting to the pandemic
He offers details on how the Whopper-making business moved to survive and thrive.
Agility, making swift decisions and embracing technology were the game-changing lessons for Hungry Jack’s chief executive in the past months, as the quick-serve industry continues to respond to challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic.
“You almost had to throw your plan out the window and start again and get really, really focused. For me, it was the restaurants and customers,” Chris Green said in an interview during the QSR Media Conference & Awards.
“I found that we just had to operate at speed and almost operate in a different way. But what I found was people were just happy that a decision was made that they could go execute.”
Green admitted the Whopper-making chain had resisted work-from-home arrangements in the past but said the technology is now available for them to “make it work.”
The executive also downplayed the rise of traditional retailers in competing with QSR chains, saying the latter will always have advantage in delivering convenience.”
“They are starting to get organised,” he said. “They do a better job of ready-to-heat versus ready-to-eat. I think that traditional QSRs will always have that advantage of fresher ingredients made closer to when the customer orders it.”
Speaking on their plant-based outlook, Green said their Rebel Whopper definitively introduced new customers whilst increasing the frequency of orders from existing customers. He also gave an update on Jack’s Cafe, saying they will roll out the barista-made coffee concept nationally in two years.
(Want to hear more insights from Chris Green? Rewatch our Q&A with him on qsr.webcastcloud.com)
