Ever since COVID, the coffee category has been hot, witnessing continuous growth. This growth has been spurred by chains such as Black Rock Coffee Bar, Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, PJ’s Coffee, Ziggi’s Coffee, and others. This article focuses on Black Rock Coffee Bar (a chain founded in Portland, Oregon, with over 150 locations).
To capitalize on the coffee category growth trend and to better compete against its key competitors, Black Rock’s leadership team realized the brand’s digital menuboard communications needed to be optimized. As such, a comprehensive, multi-phase strategic plan was developed and implemented. The new menuboard communications were launched across Black Rock Coffee Bar’s entire system in late-2024. To date, sales are up in key categories versus a year ago.
So, how did Black Rock Coffee Bar do it in 2024’s challenging marketplace, and what can we learn from them?
Black Rock Coffee Bar Digital Menuboard Optimization Process
Conducting a Menu Strategy Development Workshop. The process started with a full-day strategic planning workshop with key members of the leadership team (including the founder and owner of the brand, marketing, and analytics). The objectives were as follows:
- To obtain management’s vision, insights, strengths, and weaknesses regarding Black Rock Coffee Bar’s current and future menu strategies and menuboard communications.
- To utilize the vision and insights from the workshop to develop and publish a menu communications strategy that would lead to the development of an optimized menuboard architecture and design.
- To develop a range of preliminary menuboard architecture layouts to guide the development of several menuboard strategies that would first be evaluated using quantitative consumer surveys. And with the “winning” strategy and new design to be implemented in Black Rock Coffee Bar’s stores.
Assessing Black Rock Coffee Bar’s Current Digital Menuboard. The team then turned their attention to Black Rock Coffee Bar’s current and historical menuboards, discussing strengths and weaknesses and identifying specific opportunities for improvement.
Establishing Business Objectives. The Black Rock team established critical business objectives for the optimized digital menuboard communications. It was against these objectives that the new menu communications would be measured. The new menu communications must.
- Grow the Percentage of Food Sales
- Grow Fuel Energy Category
Prioritizing Categories and Menu Items. Not all menu categories and individual menu items are of equal importance. Some are more profitable than others. Some sell better than others. Some are unique to the brand. Some are critical to achieving the new business objectives. Considering these realities, the Black Rock team prioritized menu categories and the items within each category to guide the organization and architecture of the new menuboards.
Conducting a TURF Analysis. Following the menu strategy workshop, a TURF analysis was used to help simplify the menu, streamline the order process, speed throughput, and improve operational efficiencies.
Developing Architecture Layouts. The team developed numerous alternative strategies for Black Rock Coffee Bar’s new, optimized digital menuboards. These were then developed into black-and-white wireframe schematic layouts. The schematics served as a “blueprint” for how the optimized menuboard would be organized to achieve the business objectives established during the workshop.
Creating Visual Strategies for an Evaluation Survey. The two most strategically on-target wireframe schematics were then developed into color renderings visually illustrating each new menuboard strategy. Note that these were not final designs. There was just enough detail in the renderings (visuals, graphics, copy, colors) to conduct a quantitative consumer survey to quickly and efficiently assess the validity and strength of the new digital menuboard communication strategies before the optimized menuboards were placed in stores. The current digital menuboard was used as a control.
Consumer Evaluation Survey. Hundreds of surveys were conducted online. Consumers in Black Rock Coffee Bar’s existing and target growth markets were shown a rendering of one of the new digital communication strategies or shown a rendering of the current digital menuboard (the control). Respondents were asked a battery of questions about the visual strategy they were shown and asked to place an order from the menuboard. The data gathered clearly indicated that both new strategies outperformed the current digital menuboard on a number of critical KPI’s. In addition, one strategy was a standout winner in achieving the key business objectives established during the menu strategy workshop.
Design Development of the Most Promising Digital Menuboard Communications Strategy. With the survey findings, strategic refinements were made to the “winner,” and the menuboard design was finalized. The resulting digital menuboard was produced and rolled out to the Black Rock Coffee Bar system.
Optimized Menuboard Performance
Rolled out in December 2024, the optimized digital menuboards have performed well despite the restaurant industry’s drop in sales as a result of consumer traffic declines. The optimized menuboards have:
- Grown the Percentage of Food Sales (+300 BPS)
- Grown Fuel Energy Category: (+300 BPS)
“By following a structured, data-driven approach to optimizing our menuboard communications, we are able to ensure proper products are highlighted to align with our growth initiatives,” says Jessica Wegener-Beyer, CMO at Black Rock Coffee Bar.
Menuboard Communications Success Factors
All of this sounds like common sense, and it is. However, not many brands follow a structured and systematic approach like Black Rock Coffee Bar did. It’s a proven approach that works time and time again. It’s a data-driven methodology that any restaurant brand can benefit from when optimizing its menuboard communications.
In summary, there are four key elements to Black Rock Coffee Bar’s success:
- Black Rock Coffee Bar used a process driven by data, analytics, and consumer insights.
- Black Rock Coffee Bar senior leadership was directly involved in developing the menuboard communications strategy.
- Black Rock Coffee Bar’s menuboard communications strategy was tied to specific business objectives and communication tactics that would help realize these objectives.
- Black Rock Coffee Bar created an optimized layout, architecture, and digital menuboard communications that were faithful to the brand’s menu strategy and achieved the project’s key business objectives.
Tom Cook and Howland Blackiston are co-principals of King-Casey—a restaurant and foodservice business improvement firm. King-Casey provides strategic menu optimization advice and services to help clients manage overall food and beverage offerings, affecting their positioning, reputation, and business growth. For information, visit www.king-casey.com or contact Tom Cook at 203/571-1776 or tcook@king-casey.com.
