Piccolo Me co-founder: Our main goal is to never let another lockdown shut down another kitchen in Australia again
Charlie Hachem expresses his enthusiasm in talking about their new virtual brand company Go Dark at the upcoming QSR Media Sandhurst Conference & Awards.
For Piccolo Me co-founder Charlie Hachem, COVID-19 related restrictions became an opportunity to improve our systems and create multiple revenue streams.
Enter Go Dark, their new virtual brand company which they hope would revolutionise the industry.
Hachem joins the QSR Media Sandhurst Conference & Awards as part of the event’s first-ever Virtual Brands panel to talk about the new concept.
Check out a quick Q&A with Hachem below:
QSR Media: What’s your assessment of how the QSR/fast casual restaurant industry handled the challenges dealt by COVID-19?
Hachem: The brands that equipped themselves with lessons learnt from the first major lockdowns, have flourished and expanded into new territories & capitalized on new business opportunities. It's more important than ever to spend money on marketing and to get the message out that you are open.
We made a promise to ourselves straight after the first lockdown, that we would not let business be this vulnerable again. We have taken the shut down as an opportunity to improve our systems and to start using data collected to enhance our business model and menu. We have also increased investment in creating multiple revenue streams for our venues, through our virtual brand company Go Dark.
From your perspective, what are some key lessons/insights/trends that brands have learned/further understood/need to know as we approach a post-pandemic industry?
A crisis is not the right time to cut down your marketing budget, be clear and keep your message simple. A big trend towards delivery and takeaway & staying profitable on this platform. The importance of data collection in making critical business decisions, when you have limited capacities and customers a big focus should be increasing your ATV and the promotion of your highest grossing items. You can not keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.
What are you excited to do at this year's virtual QSR Media Conference & Awards?
To talk about my love of the virtual market, I can sit in front of my computer and watch the sales and data all day. To me, they tell a story & I love breaking records. I can't wait to talk about our newly founded company called Go Dark, that we hope will revolutionize the industry.
We have curated virtual brands with souls and we are scouting the location for our first fully functional dark kitchen. Our main goal is to never let another lockdown shut down another kitchen in Australia again. We want to give the power of digital & virtual brands to anyone that can cook in a commercial kitchen. We are sick of seeing small business owners suffer and want to do our part to see everyone stand tall.
Discover what awaits for virtual brands by joining Australia’s top QSR event! Register at the QSR Media Sandhurst Conference & Awards by clicking here.
