Wednesday, August 20, 2008

THE HUNT FOR THE NEXT 'CRAVEABLE': Do you remember, like, a year ago, when we talked about IHOP taking over Applebee's and Bill discussed his dreams for the former? ("Steve Jobs buys IHOP, changes name to iHop, and reduces the number of items. Even though the pancakes are smaller and more expensive, no one minds because they're tastier and shiny. No one can explain why a shiny pancake is a good thing, but people are standing in line to get one.")

Well, today's NYT sits down with Applebee's new CEO to talk about distinguishing the brand from TGI Friday's, Chili's et al, now that she's already tweaked IHOP with additions like cream-cheese stuffed French toast: “Don’t get me started on the mozzarella stick. Can we get rid of them entirely? Probably not. All I know is we can do better in appetizers. Maybe it’s a panko breaded calamari. Maybe a baked wing.”

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