Perkins, the 66-year-old breakfast restaurant chain, is evolving. Long a fixture near interstate exits, the chain aims to give customers new offerings that will inspire frequent pit stops.
The family-dining chain will now be known as Perkins American Food Co. and is spinning off a fast-casual restaurant. The smaller-format fast-casual will be a 1,500-sq.-ft. take on the concept with 70 seats, featuring breakfast staples like pancakes, along with new handheld items for lunch, reported Restaurant Business.
“The old American staple of cheap and cheerful family dining, in strip-mall-sized 6,000-square-foot units isn’t working anymore,” said Lotte Reford, communications lead at branding platform Atom.com. “Bringing down overheads with smaller premises that seat a realistic number of people makes sense.
“It also changes the feel of a dining experience – further getting away from the ‘80s to mid-2000s family dining norms Perkins is trying to distance itself from,” Reford told The Food Institute.
Perkins promises expanded value offerings, along with a loyalty program that will be unveiled soon. The first redesigned store is scheduled to open in Orlando, Florida, late this year.
Evolving Breakfast Category
“As we step into the future, the heart of the brand remains the same, while our evolution gains fantastic momentum,” Perkins President Toni Ronayne said in a press release.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the breakfast chain proved its ability to pivot with the creation of its off-premises Bakery by Perkins concept.
Perkins, currently owned by Ascent Hospitality Management, seems acutely aware of the challenges faced by family-dining restaurants in 2024.
The breakfast chain, which has nearly 300 locations, is “moving in the direction of what modern families might want rather than continuing to try the same old stuff under a new name or logo, or with a menu that just has a couple additional salads,” Reford said.
In both of Perkins’ new formats, bakeries will serve as the centerpiece. Perkins is focused on capturing more off-premises business, especially as competitors like Cracker Barrel and Denny’s undergo similar revamps, and daytime diners like First Watch gather momentum, as Restaurant Business noted.
Acting With Urgency
And, with other chains like Red Lobster and TGI Friday’s closing locations in recent months, a rebrand makes sense for a family eatery like Perkins, Reford said.
“It seems like established tradition just isn’t working anymore. The biggest challenge (Perkins) faces is keeping its original customer base while also appealing to a younger demographic – including Millennials, with and without families. But Perkins’ original customer base is undoubtedly shrinking, making this balance hard to strike,” she said.
The new, modernized Perkins American Family Food Co. design and logo will only be applied to the chain’s new locations first, providing it with a valuable testing ground. And, considering the business savvy Perkins has displayed over the past seven decades, the chain seems destined to rise again, Reford said.
“Although Perkins was bought by Huddle House after declaring bankruptcy in 2019, all their new acquisitions over the past year imply that they’re undertaking this rebranding initiative – or, rather their brand identify overhaul – from a position of strength rather than desperation,” Reford said. “This has allowed them to work with great design and advertising agencies that increase the chances of a successful rebrand.”
The Food Institute Podcast
Tom Hamill, a food and beverage senior analyst for RSM US LLP, joined The Food Institute Podcast to recap the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show. Hamill shares his thoughts on burgeoning trends from the show and how emerging specialty food brands can best navigate economic factors in the years to come.
