Boston Market has experienced double-digit increases in guest counts and sales as a result of ongoing restaurant enhancements that have been rolled out to about 80 percent of its locations, the company said Tuesday.
Calling the revitalized format “America’s Kitchen Table,” Boston Market modeled the upgrades after a 10-store test in Florida that yielded increases of 25 percent in transactions and 20 percent in sales within five months. The chain began rolling out the revamp in October 2010.
On Tuesday, Golden, Colo.-based Boston Market said 400 of its 490 locations have instituted the changes, which include new menu items, the use of real plates and silverware for dine-in guests, upgraded foodservice stations, and an increase in staff to enhance the experience.
The upgrade is expected to reach the remaining 90 locations by this summer, the company said.
“We made a tremendous investment in physical upgrades, smallwares and hospitality training, and we’re very pleased by the positive reaction we’ve received from guests,” said Boston Market chief executive George Michel.
“We implemented more than 70 different changes in our restaurants, and we were able to transform more than 370 locations in less than three months,” he added. “This was by far the biggest undertaking we’ve attempted as a company in our 25-year history, and we couldn’t be happier about the results.”
Following are some of the changes included in the revamp:
• Increased staff: Boston Market has hired more than 3,000 new employees nationwide. Employee training in both hospitality and food preparation also has been upgraded. Food is delivered to guests and tables are bussed. Designated “dining room ambassadors” aim to enhance the service experience.
• New uniforms: Staffers now wear chefs’ whites, or uniform shirts and bib aprons for a “clean, crisp” look, the company said.
• Chef’s hot case: Rather than holding food in steam table pans, the revamped stores use colorful enameled pots that hold temperature well and communicate the food is made fresh.
• Plateware: Dine-in guests are served on real plates and with stainless silverware. The chain has reduced its disposable plate and cutlery usage by more than 15 percent, the company said.
• Food prepared to order: Rotisserie chicken and oven-roasted turkeys are carved in stations more visible to guests. Salads now are tossed fresh to order.
• New menu items: More healthful dishes have been added, including a Garlicky Lemon Spinach side and Mediterranean Green Beans. The chain’s signature rotisserie chicken contains 20-percent less sodium, and the amount of salt in the poultry gravy has been cut in half.
Other new items include loaded mashed potatoes, hand-carved chicken and turkey sandwiches; and entrée salads with rotisserie chicken. New sauces for the rotisserie chicken include Sweet Thai Chili Garlic, Zesty Barbecue, and Honey Habanero.
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].