To accommodate the change, Best-O-Burger looked at a variety of new numbering systems to deliver orders to the correct table.

“Ultimately we didn’t change our number-calling system,” he says. “No table markers, no two sets of numbers, no names; we just call out the number in the seating area and guests raise their hand or say ‘over here.’  It actually creates a kind of fun relaxed familiarity with our guests that they enjoy and so do we.”

The operational changes weren’t limited to the new seating area, though.

Best-O-Burger had only bagged orders before, so it had to find a place behind the counter to do the plating.

“Adding kitchen space was not an option for us, so we needed to make the bagging space work for plating and doubling our business all at once,” Weber says. “We moved our pick-up station around until we found the space.”

As a result of all of the operational changes, Weber says he and his partner extended staff schedules, requesting that crew members come in one hour before opening and stay one hour after closing. In addition, Weber brought in extra staff members during the lunch rush.

“We’re designing our next two locations differently,” he says. “We’ve learned.”

Marketing

Even after operators open their fast-casual concepts and customers are enjoying the changes, marketing challenges still exist.

“You can’t just say you want to call yourself fast casual,” Paul says. “It is viewed by the consumer differently. It’s better fast food in a better atmosphere and a perception of better quality.”

And as Captain D’s knows all too well, brands can renovate their menus, update their looks, and upgrade their services, but it can still be difficult to get customers to view a brand differently than they have in the past.

Of the four chains QSR examined, Captain D’s is the furthest along in its transition. In 2006, after a new management team took over, it added higher quality menu items and changed its look to cater to changing customer tastes.

As part of the upgrade, Captain D’s changed its marketing plan, as well.

“We’ve re-evaluated every part of our marketing mix,” says Sandy Smith, senior vice president of marketing for Captain D’s. The company hired a new advertising agency two years ago—one chosen specifically for its different outlook.

“We really try and incorporate the message of the quality of the food and the value in everything we do,” Smith says. “We talk about it in our TV ads, I think it’s communicated everywhere—even the exterior of our restaurants and our signage.”

In addition to its traditional marketing efforts, Captain D’s started to dabble in new media. The company has an e-mail list, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account, all of which convey the chain’s new message.

Throughout all of its efforts, Captain D’s emphasizes a “friends serving friends” mentality, Smith says. “What we want is for our restaurants to be really the go-to place for people to turn to for a casual, everyday seafood restaurant. By casual I don’t mean casual dining. I mean a place you would feel comfortable going to after church or after a softball game.”

But as the company continues to evolve, it is still known best for its hallmark menu offering—batter-dipped fish.

“It remains our bestselling product,” Smith says. “Research tells us there are many people that still think of Captain D’s as the place for great fried fish. We are a 40-year-old chain, so it will take a while to change people’s perception of the brand.”

Part of the issue, Paul says, might be that, although the new menu is offered at every Captain D’s location, the new look isn’t. Since sales in renovated stores have gone up, the customers in nonrenovated markets will need to see the change themselves to register that Captain D’s isn’t the same brand they’ve always known.

“I think marketing can play only a small role,” he says. “The consumer’s going to react to the experience and the product in the store.”