Case Study: Focus Brands improves menu development and drives successful menu launches with Crimson Hexagon

How Focus Brands Used Consumer Insights to Improve its Restaurants’ Menus

FOCUS Brands, the Georgia-based operator of popular fast-casual chains, faced the common challenge of launching and refining new menu items: choosing the right flavors, perfecting recipes, and quickly understanding customer reaction. In 2016 two of its brands — McAlister’s Deli and Moe’s Southwest Grill — needed to validate a mango-flavored iced green tea and diagnose widespread complaints about a new carnitas pork offering.

Using Crimson Hexagon social media analytics, the teams dove into online conversations to validate demand for mango, shape launch messaging, and pinpoint that negative feedback on Moe’s pork was due to preparation (not the recipe). The mango iced green tea was a hit and remains popular, while targeted operational training and clearer cooking guidelines drove a 74% drop in conversation volume and a 15% decline in general dislike for the carnitas; both successes helped make social analytics a core tool for future menu decisions.

Focus Brands

Victoria Nielsen

Social Media Manager