CSP Kitchen recently had the opportunity to visit fast-casual chain Corner Bakery’s corporate headquarters in Dallas, and we gleaned some ideas from the 178-store chain’s success from Ric Scicchitano, senior vice president of food and beverage.
- 1 + 1 = 3. The chain wanted to offer more grilled sandwiches, but it hit a roadblock with the cost of the required equipment. At the same time, it was looking to expand its breakfast menu. The realization that the same piece of equipment can make both grilled sandwiches and pancakes brought both ideas to fruition.
- For any new product you conceptualize, ask the question, “Does it build barriers to the competition?”
- While Corner Bakery’s customer base skews female, breakfast is big with the fellas. That was an “a-ha” moment for Scicchitano.
- Quoting former associate justice of the Supreme Court Potter Stewart, who once said while he couldn’t define pornography, “I know it when I see it”: While defining a brand can be difficult, you should understand what your brand stands for deep in your gut, said Scicchatino. That will guide every evolutionary decision.
- Corner Bakery buys just as much produce as it does protein; it’s that important to the menu and customer.
- For Corner Bakery and its competitors in the fast-casual segment, “unless you’re living in a cave, you better have kale and quinoa on your menu.”
- The No. 1 selling panini? Chicken Pomodori: roasted chicken, fresh basil and spinach, oven-roasted tomatoes and provolone with a pesto mayo, all on sourdough.
- Its raisin pecan sweet crisps were born from a waste-reducing solution for leftover raisin-pecan bread. It’s now a signature item.
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