Consumers in the north of the country have different expectations and demands to those in the south and concepts wanting to be successful in the regions must be aware of that, according to Jason Myers of Busaba Eathai speaking at the M&C Allegra Foodservice Marketing in Foodservice conference.
Ahead of national roll-out this year for the Thai restaurant concept, he said he is acutely aware of the different challenges a restaurant could face in the north of England - he hails from West Yorkshire - or regionally, compared to London.
“It is different and some things that work well in London won’t translate well to the regions,” Myers said.
He cited these differences as automatically including service charge in a bill as well as if the offering is suited to the demographic and the price point.
Last year Busaba Eathai embarked on a new digital strategy, including its custom app to allow diners to pay for meals and order takeaway through it as well as rewarding loyalty.
In nine months the app had more than 100,000 users and a 230% increase in numbers of users each month of whom 72% regularly use it; this has translated to a 2.4% average increase in spend.
