With careful strategies,
Spudbar fast food franchise has re-set the standard for Victorian fast food operations, and along the way has thrown itself headlong into supporting the goals of the International Year of the Potato. Melanie Ward reports on how the successful chain is doing it.
As part of International Year of the Potato celebrations, baked potato specialist Spudbar is encouraging customers to get their hands dirty for a good cause. The take away business recently built a giant potato patch at Federation Square in Melbourne for a ‘Dig Off’ which in turn became the springboard for another Spudbar initiative, ‘Buy a Spud for your Bud’ day on Friday 18 April.
The intention is to promote and encourage consumption of potatoes and help growers. ‘Buy a Spud for your Bud’ day encourages consumers to buy baked potatoes from Spudbar, with two dollars from each spud going to help growers in the northern highlands of Vietnam.
Spudbar
food and beverage franchise founder, Clay Thompson, is dedicated to supporting the potato industry and says that this event will increase the profile of the potato and assist growers. “The money raised will go towards funding the planting and management of several potato fields in Vietnam, feeding hungry people and establishing a regular stream of income for struggling growers,” he said. Spudbar will supply 15 tonnes of Atlantic seed to Vietnam as well as an agronomist to assist growers that need further education to develop their business.
The idea for Spudbar potatoes franchise began when Clay and his wife Laura decided to open a business that provided good quality and nutritious take away food in Melbourne. The first store opened in 2000 and since then the business has grown to include seven franchises. Spudbar stores attract over 1000 customers per week, use more than 35,000 spuds every month and give customers a choice of over 36 hot and cold toppings for their potatoes.
Clay credits the success of Spudbar food franchise to the “high customer loyalty due to the unprocessed, good, flavoursome and terrific value food”. The customers must agree, with recent research conducted by Spudbar showing that half of their customers eat a spud at least once a week, with another 80 per cent eating at the stores at least once a month. Clay attributes this affinity to the nutritional benefits of the spuds, their contribution to five serves of vegetables per day and the unique concept of Spudbar. “We are committed to providing an honest and transparent approach to food – what you see is what you get,” Clay said.
With the demand for spuds continuing to grow, Clay now receives his potatoes and other ingredients (such as corn and spring onions) from Frankie’s Fresh produce. The potatoes come direct from Harvest Moon in Tasmania, with the effectiveness of this operation due to the “exceptional service and checking of produce to make sure it is of acceptable quality”. The type of potato supplied varies according to season and availability but Spudbar uses a range of potatoes including Innovator, Royal Blue and Nicola.
Protecting the environment is a key factor in the design and operation of all Spudbar stores, with most of them part of the Origin green program. “Spudbar is carbon neutral, uses energy efficiently, offsets carbon emissions and uses bio-degradable packaging,” said Clay, who is dedicated to environmental and sustainability practices and their integration with the Spudbar concept. The company’s branding, the slogan, “Respect, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” is not only a strong reminder for Spudbar customers to care for the environment, but also reflects the wider potato industry’s commitment to these issues.
Spudbar take away franchise is somewhat of a rarity in the fast food business, providing consumers with their daily intake of vegetables all in one meal. In that respect, the company is facing the food cynics front on. The nutrition vision doesn’t stop there, though, as Clay hopes to add salads and smoothies to the menu as well as expand across Australia and internationally. He has started an agreement with Western Potatoes and is also excited about working alongside the organisation to open stores in Perth. It is a venture from which Clay believes the potato industry will benefit because “Western Potatoes have an incredible passion for the consumption of spuds”.
Spudbar also offers a unique opportunity for people to develop their own business through franchising. “The fresh quality and nature of the food we sell means that people contact us to be part of the Spudbar extended family,” Clay said.
Franchisees run their own store and use Spudbar’s intellectual property and guidance by paying a royalty and marketing levy. Clay believes the Spudbar franchise is popular because it is an innovative concept, yet relatively easy to operate in terms of investment cost and cooking, with no prior food experience necessary. “The simplicity of Spudbar appeals to people and the potential for the store to grow is unlimited,” he said.
31-Jul-2008