The charcuterie has led to increased business and franchises at Graze Craze, which already has 34 stores. … [+]
Graze Craze, a primarily take-out restaurant that specializes in charcuterie and glaze-style dining, already has 34 locations in 18 states and is ambitious to open 30 new locations in 10 states next year. goals. All franchises. Four of the current outposts are company-owned and the rest are franchises.
We focus on off-premises dining, offering charcuterie boards and boxes for take-out and delivery for most guests, and are also available for events, parties, conferences, and special occasions. Its revenue is generated by 70% pickup and 30% delivery.
However, there is one location in Spokane Valley, Washington that acts as an outlier and offers couch/lounge style seating, and several locations have outdoor seating.
Charcuterie specializes in serving mainly cured meats with cheese, nuts or fruit. The most popular charcuterie meats include pepper salami, sweet coppa, prosciutto, ham and salami.
Founded in 2018 in Oklahoma by Air Force veteran Kerry Sylvester, former director of operations at Graze Craze, a multi-million dollar food distribution company based in West Palm Beach, Fla., now United Owned by Franchise Group (UFG). ), which owns various franchises.
And it’s expanding at a rapid, almost constant pace. “In December he opened seven new stores,” says Corey Hibbard, his brand president. “And we aim to more than double that by adding 30 new locations. Our goal is to have him over 60 by 2023,” he adds.
But for Graze Craze, franchising is a faster route to growth than running company-owned stores. “With franchises, we have partners who invest in the success of each location. They offer better solutions than brands,” he adds.
According to him, charcuterie has been around for hundreds of years, but has changed in fashion in recent times. Most of it is not fried in oil, so I feel safe eating clean,” notes Hibberd.
However, many customers may shy away from fatty processed meats such as salami and prosciutto. Hibbard said in a recent survey: Deli business U.S. deli meat and charcuterie sales are expected to reach $950 million in 2020, growing 10 percent annually, according to the magazine. He adds that some customers opt for portion control and choose smaller amounts.
However, on June 29, 2022 new york times
Unlike operating burger, pizza and taco chains, Graze Craze needs to educate new customers on the charcuterie concept. When opening new stores, he introduces them with “aggressive blitzkrieg from a brand perspective, including face marketing, numerous digital his marketing on social media, and distribution of flyers with physical coupons.”
United Franchise Group, which also operates the Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, was looking to launch a restaurant franchise that was “out of the box,” Hibbard said. Grey’s He says it’s because Crew’s attracts an “eclectic” clientele, which includes individuals, business guests, dinner he partyers, young and old.
Its grazing boards are customizable and made to order and include small boards for 6 people, medium boards for 8 people and large boards for 10 people. We also sell individual boards.
Because there’s no need to provide space to sit and eat, most locations have smaller footprints, lower rents and overheads, and can open in about 12 weeks, says Hibbard.
In the future, Hibberd envisions launching a bistro model where people can sit down to eat and order wine or beer to accompany their meal.
When hiring staff, no culinary prep experience is required, and they receive extensive training to learn the business and be able to arrange customizable charcuterie. “We want to guide our customers on their journey to what they’re looking for. Do they want seasonal boards or do they want something sweet and savory?” he says. increase.
While most quick-service restaurants aim to get customers to their drive-thru as quickly as possible, Graze Craze operates on a different cadence. “If you’re looking for a charcuterie board that feeds 8 to 12 people, it can be replaced in an hour,” he explains Hibbard.
When asked about the three keys to future success, Hibbard said: 2) Expand menus to meet changing customer needs 3) Continue innovation with new limited-time menus.
