Business Improvements
Applebee’s management gained clearer business insight by collecting and analyzing detailed data in near real time using an enterprise data warehouse. Regional managers can now select the best menu offerings and operate more efficiently. The company uses detailed sales data and data from customer satisfaction surveys to identify regional preferences, predict product demand, and build financial models that indicate which products are strong performers on the menu and which are not. By linking customer satisfaction ratings to specific menu items, Applebee’s can determine which items are doing well, which ones taste good, and which food arrangements on the plates look most appetizing. With detailed, near real-time data, Applebee’s International improved its customers’ experience, satisfaction, and loyalty—and increased the company’s earnings. For the third quarter of 2007, total system-wide sales increased by 3.9 percent over the prior year, and Applebee’s opened 16 new restaurants.