Having acquired the fast casual chain Rusty Taco, Buffalo Wild Wings set out to understand what about the brand should be carried forward as it grew nationally. With that in mind, we developed a research plan with three main components: talking to current customers through in-store intercepts in Minneapolis and Dallas, conducting an internal company culture survey, and getting food critics to give us their take on the future of the category. It was through that work that we were able to put a finger on what guests thought was most differentiating and relevant about the Rusty Taco experience, how their perceptions compared to those held by the organization, and what guiderails should be kept in mind in terms of the menu, cultural context, and overall restaurant experience. After synthesizing those results, we developed several brand essence territories that we workshopped with the Buffalo Wild Wings team and then took through quantitative testing. Ultimately, the positionings that rose to the top helped give clarity and direction to how Rusty Taco could succeed as a national brand.
By far one of our best vendors this past year… the way PARAGRAPH presents insights and gets the whole team aligned is absolutely best in class.
VP Insights and Analytics, Buffalo Wild Wings