OPERATIONS ONES TO WATCH FINANCE FRANCHISEE FORUM Handling Harassment Cava Mezze Grill McDonald’s v. Chipotle The Success Equation ® JANUARY 2015 / NO. 201 WWW.QSRMAGAZINE.COM International INVASION Why international brands like Giraf as, led by CEO João Barbosa, think now is the time for U.S. expansion PAGE 42 PLUS TIM HORTONS AT A CROSSROADS PAGE 50 NAFEM SHOW PREVIEW PAGE 56 INTERNATIONAL BRANDS International Adventurous menus, operational know-how, and cultured brand positioning INVASIONhave these 10 international brands poised for success in the U.S. market. BY TAMARA OMAZIC Le Pain Quotidien 42 JANUARY 2015 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com INTERNATIONAL BRANDS Nando’s NANDO’S hen it comes to global expansion, international operators are quick to point to the U.S. as the gateway to success. Foodservice here is booming, with expected restaurant industry sales in 2014 surpassing $680 Wbillion, according to the National Restaurant Association—and the limited-service sector accounts for about $230 billion of it. The rise of Millennials as tastemakers and an increasingly diverse population has led to global and ethnic flavors becoming more in demand than ever before, opening the door for international brands to grow explosively across the states. These 10 brands are likely to lead the charge. Giraffas GIRAFFAS Brioche Dorée Pret A Manger LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN BRIOCHE DORÉE PRET A MANGER www.qsrmagazine.com | QSR | JANUARY 2015 43 INTERNATIONAL BRANDS to self-serve, drip-brew coffee. The change, along with a menu that Pret A Manger borrows flavor profiles from various cultures, has resonated well with ENGLAND Pret’s target urban-consumer base. The team behind this London-based eatery hopped “They do really well with the across the pond in 2000, landing in Manhattan to open urban lunch crowd because every- their first U.S. unit just down the street from the iconic thing is prepackaged,” says Lauren New York Stock Exchange. Described on its website as a Hallow, associate editor of news cross between a good restaurant, an Italian coffee bar, and concept analysis for research firm Technomic. “But they really and a bullet train, the limited-service concept focuses MANGER A on fresh, pre-packaged fare to draw in on-the-go PRET let people know they use natural, consumers. Hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups, and pastries are made preservative-free ingredients, so the fresh factor is still there. They do have throughout the day, and unsold items are donated to local food pantries, says a higher price point, and I think that’s why they’re sticking to these urban Joseph Iazzetta, vice president of store development at Pret. “We carry our areas with affluent consumers.” culture of doing good all the way through our shop in terms of how we design Iazzetta echoes that sentiment, adding that for Pret to thrive in a market, it, how we operate it, how we believe in sourcing food, and our charity work.” there must be heavy pedestrian traffic. In the coming years, the eatery will Entering the U.S. market was a litmus test for success and the permis- focus on growing in its current markets of New York, Boston, Chicago, and sion it needed to go global, Iazzetta says. But the move was not without Washington, D.C., before expanding across the country, Iazzetta says. “We’re the expected challenges. The brand had to make some adjustments to in the process of developing a deep national marketing planning strategy to appeal more to the American consumer, the most notable being the shift provide us with a road map.” Caffebene Brioche Dorée SOUTH KOREA FRANCE As the largest coffee-shop brand in South Korea, Caffebene looked to the U.S. first when Though its roots may be French, Brioche Dorée’s menu draws from many beginning its international expansion. European food cultures, including Italian, Persian, and Greek. Since open- “The U.S. is the world’s biggest market, ing in the U.S. five years ago, the gourmet café brand has focused greatly on which is why we first wanted to enter the nontraditional venues like U.S. when we wanted to go global,” says Amy Inhee Park, airports, travel plazas, and marketing associate for the brand. “We lacked familiarity, even universities, thanks in but that was also a good thing for us because we had a part to a partnership with blank slate.” HMSHost. Of its 38 units in That blank slate allowed the U.S. team to develop a North America, 27 are non- robust food offering that would differentiate the coffee traditional locations, says Jeff chain from U.S. competitors. The menu includes lunch items DORÉE Drake, president of Brioche like a Ham and Egg Sandwich and a Teriyaki Chicken Sand- Dorée North America, in an wich, as well as Belgian waffles with various toppings and LEPPER/BRIOCHE DEREK email. Italian gelato. “We are looking to grow our nontraditional presence by 20 percent, and “We knew pastries and bread items were everyday go-to also to add four to six corporate storefront locations annually, and then [grow] items for American consumers, so we added more types of by 10–15 percent,” he says. Drake adds that corporate in-line restaurants will pastries so we could offer a wider variety of choices,” Inhee open in cities like Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Park says. “I think they could do well if they moved to an in-line or standalone loca- Its South Korean roots can be seen in items like the Red tion,” Hallow says, adding that the brand’s gourmet salads, which extend Bean Bingsu, a type of Korean shaved ice, and the Misuguru beyond traditional tossed salads, and French-inspired crepes would resonate latte, made with a traditional Chinese grain powder called well with the American fast-casual consumer. misu. “A lot of cafés in New York are more for the to-go guests, “The brand was founded in France nearly 40 years ago, [and] in that time, but for our locations, we want the customers to stay,” Inhee we’ve leveraged the history of who we are as a French concept. We’ve set it up Park says of a key point of differentiation for Caffebene. The as an urban bakery café—it appeals to people who live and work in the city,” bulk of the coffee chain’s growth will occur in the Big Apple, Drake says. A global brand, Brioche Dorée operates more than 500 restaurants with more than 40 openings planned across the city. in total across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. 44 JANUARY 2015 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com INTERNATIONAL BRANDS Beard Jollibee Papa’s PHILIPPINES JAPAN Dubbed by many of its fans as the While many U.S. concepts built McDonald’s of the around one dessert item, like fro- Philippines, Jollibee zen yogurt or cupcakes, have seen MONTADITOS 100 didn’t stray from its market saturation and fast-food decline, this Jap- model when anese chain of 100 Montaditos it made its U.S. debut in Daly cream puff stores SPAIN City, California, in 1989. Since continues to see then, the brand has grown to span robust growth. The montadito may be the fast-food answer to increas- Nevada, Texas, Washington, New “These guys are ingly popular Spanish tapas. These sharable, bite-sized York, New Jersey, Virginia, and definitely jumping on the indul- sandwiches are a culinary staple in Spain, the brand’s home Hawaii, with a total of 29 loca- gent trend, but they do well with the market in which they operate 285 units. With a blank canvas tions. But “the challenge with snacking trend because they have of baguette-like bread, 100 Montaditos tops its sandwiches them is that most of their stores some more savory options,” says with combinations like meatballs and bacon; shrimp, let- are located in areas with a high Technomic’s Hallow. “And they’re tuce, piquillo peppers, and ali oil; and Basque-style chorizo Filipino population,” says Hal- affordable.” known as chistorra and piparra pepper. Guests can choose low, adding that Jollibee’s comfort For about $2–$3, a guest can from 100 such combinations to build a platter of five. food could potentially resonate enjoy savory items like the sweet “It’s a very flexible style of eating, similar to the small with Americans in regions like the potato cream puff or sweet treats like plates trend,” Hallow says. “It’s meant for consumers to pick South and Southeast. the green tea and honey cream puff a few montaditos and create their own meal or go there The chain does indeed offer that alludes to the brand’s roots. And for something like an after-work happy hour or a situation some familiar comfort food they can get a glimpse at the whole where you can share.” An alcohol program featuring wines like burgers, buckets of fried baking process, too, thanks to what imported from Spain and various sangrias round out the chicken, and corned beef sand- Beard Papa’s calls its “eater-tain- authentic options. wiches, but it also offers items ment” operational model. Having Like most other international transplants, 100 Mon- specifically catered to Filipino celebrated 10 years in the U.S. in taditos—which boasts 20 U.S. units—grew first in urban consumers, including burger 2013, the brand recently made its markets like Miami and New York. But “they went to Iowa steaks, spaghetti topped with foray into Hollywood, growing its recently,” Hallow says. “They have shown that they have the sliced hot dogs, and frozen bev- total U.S.