bake - April 2012 - 42

Chain News
Whether you wish to become a large chain operation or remain a smaller independent, retail bakeries can look to the large chains for ideas on how to generate revenue, capture a larger customer base and promote. While the chains have deeper pockets and access to resources that may not be available to the smaller retail shops, take the things that have led to their success and work them into applications that ﬁt your size and capabilities, and use them to your advantage. Tim Horton’s Cafe and Bake Shop Offering prizes not only rewards loyal customers and ensures their loyalty, but it also acts as an incentive for new customers to come in — and hopefully become loyal. Tim Horton’s Cafe and Bake Shop kicked off its 26th annual “RRRoll Up The Rim To Win” this year. What started out as a “thank you” to customers in 1986 has turned into an annual ritual having awarded millions of prizes. This year, the prize pool is set to exceed $58 million. “Our guests really look forward to this contest,” says Mike Meilleur, senior vice president of US operations for Tim Horton’s Cafe and Bake Shop. “RRRoll Up The Rim To Win is our way of saying thanks to Tim Horton’s coffee lovers, and our restaurant owners and team members genuinely love to see their customers win.” In addition to RRRoll Up The Rim To Win, Tim Horton’s began another annual tradition in 2011 that treated 5,100 guests to a free order to coincide with National Random Acts of Kindness Week. “We were in awe of the generosity and the signiﬁcant number of our guests who pay for another person’s order almost daily,” Meilleur says. “Their admirable kindness and generosity inspired us to do the same.” A customer who receives a free order will be given a sticker that reads, “I just received a Random Act of Kindness from Tim Horton’s,” along with a free coffee card to pass on to someone else and continue to spread the kindness. Bruegger’s Bagels On Feb. 9, Bruegger’s Bagels celebrated its two favorite days of Einstein Bros. Einstein Bros. offered a sweetheart deal to bagel lovers in Portland, OR, over Valentine’s day this year. At participating Portland locations, Einstein Bros. gave away free heart-shaped bagels. They were limited to one per customer while supplies lasted. “This Valentine’s day, we wanted to ﬁnd a special way to share our love of Einstein Bros. fresh-baked bagels with our Portland customers,” says Jeffrey O’Neill, CEO, Einstein Noah Restaurant Group. “Our loyal customers are the best birthday gift of all, and Birthday Bash is our way of saying thanks,” says Bruegger’s chief marketing officer Scott Colwell. “Last year, we gave away nearly a quarter-million of our freshly baked, authentic New York-style bagels.” Bruegger’s is the only national chain that bakes bagels fresh in each of its bakeries in the authentic New York-style using ﬁve basic ingredients. the year — National Bagel Day and Bruegger’s birthday — with its second annual Three Free Bagel Day Birthday Bash. Guests who brought in a coupon received three free bagels to share or enjoy all to themselves. Guests downloaded coupons from the Birthday Bash tab on Bruegger’s Facebook page, while members of Bruegger’s Fresh News email club received the coupon via email.
Tim Horton’s Cafe & Bakeshop continues its 26-year tradition of thanking customers with the annual “RRRoll Up The Rim To Win.”

42 < APR 2012 | bakemag.com

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bake - April 2012

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