Muffin Break named 'Coffee Shop of the Year'
The brand was recognised for customer service at the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards 2016.
Muffin Break, owned by Foodco Group, has been declared Coffee Shop of the Year, beating competition from McCafe, Gloria Jeans, Coffee Club, Starbucks Coffee, Michel’s patisserie, Hudsons, and Donut King to cement itself as leader in its category.
The Roy Morgan 2016 annual Customer Satisfaction Awards ceremony, now in its sixth year is widely considered to be the most accurate, reliable measure of customer satisfaction in Australia. With over 75 years experience in collecting objective, independent information on consumers’,results were calculated using 12 months’ worth of responses to the Single Source surveys to determine which businesses have most impressed the Australian public and business sector with their excellence in customer satisfaction.
Consistently scoring higher than competitors every month of 2016, the latest award announcement reinforces Muffin Breaks emphasis on accredited training and customer care, which continues to bring a string of recognition from within the industry and marketplace. Muffin Break has contributed to the competitive food and beverage industry with accolades including the prestigious Golden Bean Award, a Women in Franchising Award and media accreditations for social media use and customer service representation.
Natalie Brennan, Muffin Break Head of Corporate Brand Support said, “We are thrilled to be recognised by such a trusted figure in the retail space and be recognised for our focus on customers’ needs in every part of our business. I believe much of our success lies in reflection of the investment into our new customer 360 Program, which includes ongoing store specific training both online and in-store, mystery shopping and staff incentives. This training combined with each of our bakerycafé owner’s passion to give their customers the best break possible would be the key factors to our recent acknowledgements. ”
Foodco Group, based in Sydney was founded in 1989, along with the Muffin Break brand, whichhas fast become one of Australasia’s leading food and coffee franchise business retailers. The Muffin Break brand now has over 300 retail outlets in three countries around the world.
2016 saw the introduction of a unique Centre of Retail Excellence (C.O.R.E), an innovative state of the art training facility open for all franchisees. Strengthening its unique training and development model the C.O.R.E facility consists of a retail outlet (open to the public) as well as a coffee training room, training kitchen and a classroom environment. Franchisees attend for three weeks as part of their initial induction to learn first hand practical skills of food preparation, coffee making and Foodco business systems to support in creating a profitable store.
The C.O.R.E program is a recognised accredited Certificate 3 in Hospitality so franchisees are able to gain a qualification on completion. This latest innovation in accredited training gives Foodco a leading edge in the café business franchising industry.
Serge Infanti, Managing Director of Foodco Group said, “We’re really proud of this award and would like to thank both Roy Morgan, and our loyal customers that we welcome back week after week. The award is a great endorsement of our staff and Muffin Break franchises nationwide. Customers, lessors and potential business partners alike value greatly the security that comes with proven longevity. However, it’s important to never become complacent. Competition is fierce and customer expectation in the cafe niche is increasing at a rapid rate, its critical we ensure we remain vigilant, adaptive and responsive. I’m confident that the strength of our support systems and infrastructure will ensure we bring the innovation and relevance necessary for us to remain a significant QSR player in the future. “
Plans for domestic growth for 2017 include 10 new stores in Australia and an additional two in New Zealand.
Infanti said,“Retail today is as competitive as I've seen in my 25 years in this industry. Through our state of the art training facility and programs, I'm absolutely committed to providing the tools necessary to enable our business partners to excel in their businesses and provide the very best customer experience.”
