Franchise & Digital Marketing Case Study: Lime Fresh Mexican Grill
Lime Fresh Mexican Grill is a digital marketing powerhouse and the original inspiration for the Franchise & Digital Marketing Case Studies. Lime has a lively online personality matched by an enthusiastic atmosphere offline. I was impressed by Lime’s clever incorporation of social media awareness into every facet of the restaurant (QR codes on the table numbers, social media logos on the menus and window signage). Their response times to Twitter and Facebook comments were within minutes during business hours and weekend evening hours- very impressive!
Lime’s hometown is Miami Beach, Florida. Since franchising is all about branding and a predictable experience, I stopped by a Miami location when I was in town for the International Franchise Expo South to experience another location. The food, party atmosphere and superior customer service in Miami was spot on to what I had experienced at my local Lime.
Allison James is the Social Media and Marketing Manager (a.k.a Digital Marketing SUPERSTAR) at Lime Fresh Mexican Cantina. We share a fondness for Lime’s Baja Fish Tacos and 140 characters. I reached out to Allison and she generously agreed to a Q&A. Following Lime’s culture of community and communication, Allison was candid and shared her marketing point of view:
Q: Lime manages social media platforms from HQ without a lot of Franchisee participation. How do you balance having a national brand voice with local representation?
Franchise & Digital Marketing Case Study: Moe’s Original BBQ
It’s Super Bowl weekend and if you are thinking about eating chicken wings, I hope there is a Moe’s Original BBQ near your house! Moe’s is more than just a fast casual wings and BBQ restaurant. They have a strong brand with a loyal following mainly because they have stayed focused on their quality and character. Let’s take a closer look at Moe’s Original BBQ as a brand, franchise and their digital marketing presence.
I’ve always appreciated that Moe’s Original BBQ franchises, but franchising is not their focus. Their focus is their commitment to making their guests feel welcomed and providing quality food and service. With the strong foundation of doing what is right, their company website and franchise website match the offline culture of, in their words, “controlled chaos.” I applaud the founders, Mike Fernandez, Ben Gilbert and Jeff Kennedy for establishing and maintaining the character and quality for which Moe’s was originally celebrated. Even if someone has not experienced Moe’s in person, a visit to any one of their websites will give him or her a good feel for what they’re all about, including who their franchisees are: people who “enjoy music, sports, food and whisky.” Without a doubt, it is that strong foundation that allows their franchise partners and employees at the local level to passionately live the brand.
Moe’s Original BBQ started in Vail, Colorado in 2001 and has grown to 19 locations in four states. The 
location I visit (about three times a week- I love consistency and customer service!) does not come across as a cookie-cutter franchise. The atmosphere consists of regional décor, pictures of the owners, and feels like a genuine Alabama, “Southern Soul Food Revival” experience. It wasn’t until the drink cups listed their locations—and I started working in the franchise industry—that I took a closer look at the brand itself. The more I dug into Moe’s, the more I began to admire the company as made up of folks who hold true to what makes them unique.
Every Moe’s Original BBQ is distinctive, being established in such locations as bowling alleys, strip malls and refurbished old houses. (I LOVE that they embrace being unique even in site selections!) On the other hand, every social media presence per location is, although also singular, at times inconsistent. With the training and attention that goes into mastering how to smoke meat, building a solid operation, and customer service, I feel it would be beneficial to their brand to streamline their social marketing. They may consider social marketing training, creating a best practices hand book and have a designated digital marketing brand manager to assist their franchise partners.
With my personal fondness for franchising and digital marketing—I would submit the following related recommendations to Moe’s Original BBQ as they expand their BBQ footprint across the country:
Be A Jerk – Not A Yes Man
When I was in the dating world, I remember proclaiming that I did not understand why honesty and trust was such a novelty in relationships. Well guess what? Business is about relationships. Relationships are about trust and one element of trust is communication. I did not rest until I found an honest man and thankful everyday we have a true partnership built on trust. Just like finding a mate, finding a company and a network of professionals who are capable of trusting and being trusted can be an anomaly.
I was inspired to write this blog post after reading an inc.com article, Why Every Company Needs a Jerk, by Schuyler Brown. It is a great article about lessons one entrepreneur, Kirill Sheynkman, learned about failing, honesty, and not being surrounded by yes men. And… I probably liked the article because I am that jerk, if allowed. Read the article, it’s a good thing.
Sheynkman’s awareness and ability to admit his faults is commendable. The article is filled with insightful lessons, including Sheynkam’s advice, “You need to surround yourself with people who are empowered to be honest because it’s very difficult to be honest with yourself.”
Whether you are an entrepreneur, manager or co-worker, there is much to be learned from this article.
5 Takeaways:
- Be honest with yourself and admit when you are wrong.
- There is a place for a loyal jerk. Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions because you know you will hear an honest answer.
- Hire people you trust. It takes a village. If you don’t trust the people you see more than your family, you are destined to fail.
- Productive and positive corporate culture doesn’t come from force. It is organic and comes from leading by example.
- Build a solid foundation. Don’t play Jenga with your business.
Offensive + Delightful
My father sent me a card from Offensive + Delightful and it put a few things in perspective. One, I have an amazingly cool dad; two, that’s my blog! A week prior I attended FranCamp in Nashville and one of the discussion topics was blogging. For a couple years I have wanted to blog, but had to find my voice after saying goodbye to my business. My post-entrepreneur life has been interesting. After several learning experiences I have landed at a company and just celebrated my one year anniversary. When I interviewed for my current position the shrink (he calls himself that BTW) who interviewed me asked what motivated me to succeed. The only answer I could give him is that I am a Murnane. We don’t know any differently. My brother-in-law calls it the Murnanittude, some call us offensive. Either way, we are usually right and it just takes other people more time to figure out what we already know. Nevertheless, welcome to my blog. You will be reading about my take on business, brand management, design, customer service, franchising and the universal truths of the world. Don’t worry, if you find it offensive, eventually you will come around and find it quite delightful.
PS Special thanks to my FranCamp peeps for teaching me spelling errors are beautiful, social media doesn’t have to be perfect and to just have fun!