To differentiate Applebee’s from other restaurant chains and to build customer loyalty (defined as return visits), management wanted guests to experience a good time while having a great meal at attractive prices. To achieve their strategic objectives,management had to be able to forecast demand accurately and to become familiar with customers’ experiences and
regional food preferences. For example, knowing which new items to add to the menu based on past food preferences helps motivate return visits. However, identifying regional preferences,
such as a strong demand for steaks in Texas but not in New England, by analyzing the relevant data was too time-consuming when it was done with the company’s spreadsheet software.