One brand, two moods

One brand, two moods

A fast-casual restaurant chain saw national sentiment holding steady at 72% positive and assumed all was well. Then an analyst split the same data by region instead of reading the average.

The West Coast sat at 81% positive. The Southeast had quietly slid to 54% — dragged down by 900 mentions about a new portion size that had only changed in those franchises. The national average had been hiding a fault line.

The chain rolled back the portion change in the affected region and replied to the loudest complainers with a free-side coupon. Within three weeks Southeast sentiment climbed back to 70%.

The rescued region represented 28% of revenue. The fix cost about $40,000 in coupons against a churn risk the analyst estimated at twenty times that.

The takeaway: a healthy average can be two unhealthy halves cancelling out. Segment before you celebrate.