The Chicken Wire
Zaxby's Newsletter

Firm: St. John & Partners -- Jacksonville
Client: Zaxby's
Specialty Area: Employee Relations
Date: 07/18/2005


Research/Situation Analysis: Zaxby’s is a southeast chain of quick casual restaurants specializing in chicken fingers and Buffalo wings. The 250 store chain is comprised of both corporately owned and franchised locations across 8 southeastern states. The company was experiencing rapid expansion, growing from 130 to over 200 in just over a year. Despite its rapid growth, the company is actively run by three founding partners and has effectively instilled a “family” spirit throughout its operations. In an effort to increase communications and information sharing with its corporate employees, licensees and restaurant managers, Zaxby’s charged St. John & Partners Advertising and Public Relations to develop a company newsletter.

The agency’s research was conducted on several fronts. First, the agency collected newsletters from a myriad of sources, both within the industry and outside, in an effort to mine for best practices, styles, and unique approaches. Second, the agency audited the client to determine what it wanted to accomplish and communicate through the newsletter. Finally, the agency spoke with several licensees to determine what information would best serve them and the managers of their stores.

The agency determined that the newsletter should have a colorful, entertaining look and style, but should be filled with informative and instructional information. Rather than focusing on profiles of people, pictures and articles of events and accomplishments, the newsletter should provide information that would help improve operations, review upcoming programs and motivate the reader to continued successes.

Objective: 1) Increase effective communications between corporate and department leadership and the licensee/managers of restaurants. 2) Reinforce messages delivered through other channels 3). Provide a forum to impart useful information instrumental to restaurant operations.

Implementation: St. John & Partners created “Chicken Wire,” a quarterly, four color, four page newsletter. The newsletter’s look and feel was consistent with the company’s brand, rich with color photography and the vibrant colors of other branding materials in the system. The agency audited the company’s department heads, offering each the opportunity to submit topics and information critical to the restaurant’s operations including IT, product development, sales analysis, marketing and promotions, finance and more. Given Zaxby’s strong leadership and “family” philosophy, the newsletter cover features a personal letter from one of the company’s founders. The letter was intended to be personal, motivational, and set the tone for the remainder of the newsletter’s content. The rest of the newsletter contained the latest news, new information and resources, breaking promotions and product development, and more. Several dissections of top sales and performance lists were interspersed throughout the newsletter. Research showed that the community viewed these as a badge of honor if they were included and a motivation to all operators to either get on a list or move up. Finally, the newsletter featured a “Best practices” section, highlighting a new, creative idea or program originated in the field by an individual licensee. This section helped show ingenuity and creative problem solving that could be beneficial to other licensees in the system.

Evaluation: The first edition received positive feedback from all recipients in the system. Licensees commented positively on the informative content, but also articulated it as an “enjoyable read.” The newsletter effectively struck a good balance between useful and entertaining. Corporate department heads were extremely pleased at the execution and the newsletter’s ability to deliver or reinforce key information out to the field. While corporate employees, licensees and managers benefit from ongoing communications and training, the newsletter provides the company an additional communication source that helps strengthen the brand, continues to build the ethos of the company, and reinforces or introduces information critical to the growth of the company.