Perkins Searches for New Customers with Rebrand
A major restaurant chain known mainly for its breakfast and bakery items has undergone a rebrand.
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery changed its name to Perkins American Food Company in June.
“Which is very exciting for us,” said Mary Larson, the vice president of operations for Perkins during a recent interview in Maple Grove.
It’s exciting because it signals an evolution for the restaurant, and it’s one that customers will start seeing gradually.
“Eventually, we’ll be changing all our signage and we’ll be changing the interior and the exterior look,” Larson said. “You know, have a modern twist on it, not forgetting our heritage and where we came from.”
In other words, the breakfast and bakery will remain. But they’re hoping to lure in new faces with periodic menu changes.
“We’re always looking to elevate and enhance our menu,” she said.
Decked out double burgers are among the new items launched by Perkins American Food Co. during the rebrand.
For example, Perkins launched a new lineup of decked out double burgers this summer.
“We introduced a new one called the bacon avocado crunch burger, and then we doubled up on our breakfast burger, our Tangler burger and our classic cheeseburger,” she said.
For more context on the rebrand, CCX News spoke to University of Minnesota marketing professor George John.
“So what is a brand? A brand is nothing but a shorthand way of telling people who we are, what we are, and what we stand for,” said John.
He says that in many cases, a company changes its brand because the CEO wants a new image, but some of the challenges are getting the franchise owners to buy in to the changes, and trying to retain the old customers while attracting new ones.
“A lot of companies switch their brands and come out with a new menu and what have you,” said John. “They lose their old customers, but the new people, they’re still not sure these guys are actually legit. So those are the two challenges they face.”
If you talk to the folks at Perkins, they’ll tell you people shouldn’t be afraid of this change.
“We’re not looking to scare people away,” said Larson. “We’re just looking to enhance all of our flavors.”
The double burgers will remain on the Perkins menu through Sept. 2. After that, they’ll switch over to a lineup of melt sandwiches.
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