Chester's Grill undergoes image makeover
Chester's Grill, a quick-service restaurant unit of the Charoen Pokphand Group, is refreshing its brand in a move to strengthen its bond with its core customers.
The target customers are teenage students and working people aged 15-30. The brand refreshment will include store renovations to create a modern and trendy look, modernisation of all store fittings, decorations and staff uniforms and the launch of new culinary innovations. Its latest product, the Grilled Chicken Burger, was designed for young consumers with a quick-eating lifestyle, both teenagers and first-jobbers. It was launched last Friday and goes for Bt55 at all Chester's Grill outlets. Earlier this year, the company launched Bulgogi Korean-style grilled chicken with rice. It will unveil two more new products later this year. Chester's Grill includes about 15 dishes on its menu. The launch of new dishes will create greater variety. "We'll focus on two key strategies: new outlets and the launch of new products," said Suwat Songphatanayothin, assistant vice president for operations for Chester's Food. The company operates 130 Chester's Grill restaurants locally, of which about 60 per cent are franchised. "We want to increase the number of restaurants to 150 this year and maintain the proportion of franchised outlets at 60 per cent. At least 10 existing stores will be renovated to have a trendy and modern look that will attract people with modern lifestyles," said Suwat. About 30 per cent of the new outlets will be upcountry, including branches for Udon Thani, Nong Khai, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Samui. Assistant vice president for marketing Amnat Kunlayakunawut said an internal survey showed Chester's Grill was recognised by consumers as a quick-service restaurant specialising in grilled chicken but that many felt some branches needed renovating for a more modern look. He said Chester's Grill had set an optimistic target for sales to grow 25 per cent this year, following on from last year's 23-per-cent growth. Suwat said fast-food restaurants had suffered little impact from the economic situation, because they required less spending per transaction compared with full-service restaurants. However, the industry had been hit by negative factors, including the September 19 coup and New Year's Eve bombs in Bangkok. These affected consumer confidence, causing spending to fall off. But Suwat added that spending had improved significantly since last month.
Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn
The Nation
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