The Industry Veteran Brings a Wealth of Restaurant and Marketing Experience to the Role
Another Broken Egg Cafe, a breakfast, brunch and lunch franchise, promoted Brandy Blackwell to vice president of marketing. Blackwell will oversee national and store-level marketing and menu development. She previously served as senior director of marketing. In addition to Blackwell’s promotion, Another Broken Egg Cafe recently announced Tom Robertson as Chief Operating Officer.
“I am looking forward to further building our reputation for cutting-edge menu innovation and technology by creating more tangible plans for the future,” she said “A primary focus for our team is figuring out how we’re going to navigate growth and develop tactics to scale with the new marketing support systems we’re implementing.” She is also excited to expand the brand’s digital media presence, allowing for more data-driven decisions based on feedback from customers.
Blackwell has always been a brunch fan. Before joining the Another Broken Egg Cafe team, she frequented the brand’s Orlando’s Winter Park area location. She was attracted to its depth of culinary innovation as well as its ability to make a pioneering impact on a full-service setting. She believes in the quality of Another Broken Egg Cafe and sees incredible growth potential.
Blackwell’s Franchising Background
Blackwell’s first experience in franchising came from her time with Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex. She has worked with franchise restaurants ever since, including McAlister’s Deli, Dunkin’ and Jimmy John’s. Her favorite aspect of franchising is the growth that it creates. She also likes working closely with franchisees to utilize their feedback which is a unique aspect of the industry. Through franchising, Blackwell has been able to connect the dots between marketing, profitability and what companies find valuable.
The Franchise Restaurant Industry
Blackwell acknowledges that the restaurant industry comes with its own unique challenges but believes prospective candidates should find the right brand before investing. In her view, the right brand is one that a candidate believes in and has the proper systems to support franchisees. Blackwell suggests asking the following questions when considering a franchise investment: Are there clear and robust support systems in place? Is the brand keeping up with consumer trends and technology through updated POS systems and labor tools?
To Blackwell, franchise brands need a cohesive, cross-functional leadership team that works together and pays attention to each other’s learnings. “Technology has made it so that marketing activations and campaigns cross all departments and require more in-depth integration from operations, marketing and other team members.”
Additionally, Blackwell knows that it’s crucial to be in front of the changing food industry. Getting out of your comfort zone and implementing new tools, media or technology will help the team to produce the best outcomes for franchise owners, she said.