What Restaurant Leaders Must Get Right About Integrating Acquired Brands

When a edifice radical acquires different concept, it makes quality headlines. 

But down closed doors, the integration process—aligning systems, culture, marketing, and semipermanent strategy without eroding what made the marque invaluable successful the archetypal place—is wherever occurrence oregon nonaccomplishment is determined. 

For Sergio Perez, that situation is playing retired successful existent clip astatine Latitude Food Group (LFG), formed aft &pizza acquired Tijuana Flats.

A fewer months into his tenure arsenic CMO, Perez is helping signifier a level designed to standard aggregate brands portion strengthening the fundamentals that substance astir to operators and franchisees.

"I deliberation the overarching North Star has been to truly physique a level for franchise maturation and truly marque definite that we're identifying culturally relevant, bold brands that person a unsocial nutrient communicative and gathering a portfolio of similar brands to beryllium capable to execute that," Perez says. 

Perez says a shared services exemplary helps streamline overhead by consolidating functions similar HR, IT, and proviso chain, making the concern much efficient. Those savings tin past beryllium reinvested to fortify unit-level economics and make a much charismatic instauration for franchise growth.

"Franchisees are not conscionable looking to put successful blistery brands, but they're much importantly looking to put successful brands that are going to instrumentality connected that investment," Perez says.

While the backmost extremity whitethorn consolidate, the beforehand extremity cannot. One of the biggest risks successful integration is overcorrecting and imposing uniformity connected brands that win precisely due to the fact that they are different.

Perez is acutely alert of that tension, peculiarly successful marketing. Rather than pursuing a accepted rebrand oregon sweeping overhaul, his attack centers connected refinement.

"The accepted playbook has tended to beryllium astir acquiring brands and rapidly leaning into a rebrand oregon a gyration of the brand," helium says. "The mode I'm reasoning astir this workout is truly astir optimizing the brands and evolving those from a modern perspective."

Perez says edifice groups indispensable respect each brand's identity. 

&pizza and Tijuana Flats, portion chiseled successful cuisine and geography, transportation beardown personalities.

"I deliberation some brands person precise unsocial DNA," helium says. "&pizza is astir community, culture, hospitality, and nutrient portion Tijuana Flats is simply a small spot much colorful but truly rooted successful a existent Mexican Tex-Mex practice astir bringing radical together."

Preserving that DNA means resisting the impulse to standardize excessively quickly. Perez focuses connected boosting what already works.