Find out all about Hog's Australia's move into the mobile market
QSR Media sat down with the people behind Hog's Breath to talk about Hog's Express, their foray into the mobile market, and the direction it will take the brand.
Hog’s Australia’s Steakhouse announced its move into the mobile food industry with Hog's Express, taking to the road with food trucks, and popping up in shopping and service centres around the country.
CEO Ross Worth said the time was right to diversify the brand with a mobile offering as consumers are increasingly looking for quick, accessible and inexpensive options, and recent successful trials of Hog’s Express has given the rollout further momentum.
QSR Media: Can you tell us more about the decision to go mobile? How did it come about?
Evolution in the hospitality arena means that we have to be always willing to embrace new initiatives, and we have a great food offering that can be prepared in a quick service environment.
We’re also heavily involved in sports marketing and sponsorships and now have the ability to take our Hog’spitality on the road to support our valued sponsors and customer base. Our sponsorship with the Supercars team, DJR Penske, and the Broncos cheerleaders are great examples of this, and there are many others we’re hoping to work with in the future now that we have a mobile offering.
QSR Media: Can you tell us more about Hog's Express? What was the reaction?
Hog’s Express is a smaller footprint offering which is both mobile and static, which allows us to be far more versatile and have an offering where the set-up cost requires less capital than a 300 seat full service restaurant. Plus, we can take our great product to a wider audience.
The reaction has been fantastic, which is what gave us the impetus to roll it out wider beyond the initial trials. We served more than 500 people in under three hours at the Adele Concert at Domain Stadium, so there is definitely demand.
QSR Media: What can you say about drive-thrus?
This is a growing market for guest convenience and allows our loyal customers another Hogs proposition to call in for quality meals on the go. We’re looking at opening our first drive-thru at an old QSR facility in Maitland, so stay tuned for the launch.
QSR Media: What can you say about the recent trend in delivery today?
Due to busy lifestyles this area is becoming a huge part of society and growing in all areas, so we need to continue to evolve the Hogs brand and remain current and relevant to be in tune with today’s consumer demands. It’s an area that we’re exploring, and we’re in talks with a service provider in this area.
QSR Media: What would you like to tell the market about the direction of Hog's as a brand?
We continually ensure that we’re listening to our guests wants and needs, and we’re proving that even though we are a very successful 28 year old Australian business, we will continue to develop new strategies and evolve our brand to suit today’s consumer, both now and well into the future.
QSR Media: Any other plans for the year?
We’ll continue to work with our valued business owners and franchise partners to ensure continued growth of the Hog’s brand, and their investment. We’ll keep driving the introduction of new technology and improving the overall guest experience and take it to a new level. We’ll also focus on people development through national recognition and training programs, and continue to create great jobs for great people.
