Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.
Assume brand-building is all about logos and hashtags? Diane Hund from US Meals would argue it is way more private than that.
The chief advertising officer of US Meals shared how folks, from drivers to gross sales reps and specialists, deliver the model to life day-after-day.
“We do not have a product on a retail shelf with our identify on it,” Hund tells Shawn Walchef, host of Restaurant Influencers. “Our model is our folks, and the way we present up for you each single day.”
Associated: These School Mates Wished to Promote Higher Meals. Now, Their Firm Is Publicly Traded.
It is a philosophy that resonates with US Meals’ huge community of over 250,000 restaurant and meals operator companions nationwide. Each interplay counts, from a driver making a supply to a rep answering a late-night name.
These US Meals vehicles you see on the highway are greater than rolling billboards. “Once we went public, we rewrapped each single truck,” Hund says. “It is about consistency and pleasure. Each time you see one in all our vehicles, it is a reminder of who we’re and what we stand for.”
Hund believes that true model consistency begins on the within, with each affiliate representing the model. “It is about constructing belief and accountability from the bottom up,” she says.
AI within the meals service area
No trendy model can ignore the digital panorama, and Hund is an enormous believer in assembly operators the place they’re. “Digital is the place it is bought to be,” she says. “Our operators are spending time on-line, and we have to be there with them on Meta, Instagram, YouTube and wherever they’re in search of options.”
US Meals is investing in AI-powered instruments that assist restaurant operators sustain with altering buyer expectations. From dynamic menu design to on-brand visuals, Hund’s workforce helps eating places create advertising supplies that really feel genuine and interesting.
“We have been making menus for years,” she says. “However now, with AI, we can assist you design one thing that is really reflective of your model, even when you do not have time for a photoshoot.”
Hund additionally talked concerning the 2025 US Meals Meals Fanatic occasion in Las Vegas, which has two days of training, inspiration and options tailor-made for restaurant operators. “We’re bringing operators from throughout the nation collectively,” she says. “It is about extra than simply merchandise. It is about serving to them run higher eating places.”
In relation to management, Hund’s focus is on ardour, experience and a workforce that understands each meals and advertising. “Whenever you deliver these two collectively, you are able to do some fairly unimaginable issues,” she says.
She’s additionally optimistic about girls’s alternatives within the trade. “It is simpler than ever for girls to succeed,” she says. “And if leaders like me and Kelly Esten at Toast can assist open doorways, that is what we’re right here to do.”
Hund’s message to restaurant operators is evident: Model consistency, human contact and digital innovation aren’t optionally available. They’re the recipe for thriving in immediately’s aggressive panorama.
Associated: His Bakery’s Window Received Smashed — However What He Did Subsequent Really Helped His Enterprise
About Restaurant Influencers
Restaurant Influencers is dropped at you by Toast, the highly effective restaurant point-of-sale and administration system that helps eating places enhance operations, improve gross sales and create a greater visitor expertise.
Toast — Powering Profitable Eating places. Study extra about Toast.
Restaurant Influencers can also be supported by NEXT INSURANCE. See why 600,000+ U.S. companies belief NEXT for insurance coverage.
Associated: Giada De Laurentiis’s Main Deal With Amazon Is a New Frontier for the Chef and Entrepreneur
Assume brand-building is all about logos and hashtags? Diane Hund from US Meals would argue it is way more private than that.
The chief advertising officer of US Meals shared how folks, from drivers to gross sales reps and specialists, deliver the model to life day-after-day.
“We do not have a product on a retail shelf with our identify on it,” Hund tells Shawn Walchef, host of Restaurant Influencers. “Our model is our folks, and the way we present up for you each single day.”
The remainder of this text is locked.
Be a part of Entrepreneur+ immediately for entry.
