This article was published on RestaurantNews on 1/28/21.
After a year that put restaurant brands into survival mode, Twin Peaks is expanding on successful 2020 initiatives to carry its strong momentum throughout the new year. According to Knapp-Track, Twin Peaks has been in the Top 10 in Casual Dining for the last seven months – June through December 2020.
When states were mandating restrictions but allowing restaurants to operate under some capacity, Twin Peaks acted quickly to extend its premises with outdoor tents and patio enhancements along with restaurant technology upgrades.
“After dining rooms were forced to close, we immediately put a new business plan in place,” said Twin Peaks CEO Joe Hummel. “The first step in our strategy was upgrading technology, then extending premise and leaning into serving our guests off-premise. Doing what’s best for our customers and team members has always been our top priority. When we were planning how to reopen, we wanted to reinforce our commitment to cleanliness and change the dining experience at Twin Peaks to focus on safety, quality and guest engagement.”
In 2020, Twin Peaks introduced its acclaimed sports viewing experience to Latin America when the brand made its debut in Mexico City. In addition, Twin Peaks finished the year by opening a new sports lodge in Hollywood, Florida. The brand has 12-15 new locations set to open in 2021.
On the development side, Twin Peaks unveiled its first-ever franchise incentive program in August due to the current real estate market climate. The aggressive new franchise relief program waives franchise royalties during the first year of opening a new Twin Peaks restaurant.* This program is available to all qualified developers that meet Twin Peaks’ then-current criteria at the time of execution of an Area Development Agreement.
Twin Peaks will continue to lean heavily on maximizing its conversion strategy with their refined conversion program that takes available real estate with a kitchen and looks for cost-effective solutions to rebrand the building. Franchisees take on a lower cost of entry, as well as a lower build-out cost when converting a building into a Twin Peaks, as opposed to building from the ground up.
Twin Peaks remained committed to menu innovation in 2020 with the launch of additional smoked in-house items like its Smoked Brisket Tacos, The Smokestack Burger topped with pulled pork and smoked mozzarella and the Smoked Half-Chicken. Continuing menu innovation into 2021, Twin Peaks plans to enhance several different areas of its beverage menu to include the Tequila Cocktail and Classic Whiskey Cocktail categories. Food innovation remains top of mind for Twin Peaks, with several food tests coming down the pipeline to include some unique flavors like meatballs, street tacos and more.
“Twin Peaks has so much in store for 2021, including more digital enhancements, new locations and even a virtual concept,” Hummel said. “We have what works and a huge part of our brand success is our passionate, raving fans.”
*This franchise incentive program is available at the time of this publication but is subject to change or termination.