The BBQ franchise is finding new ways to support its restaurants’ communities during the COVID-19 crisis.
Since March 20, Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque has provided more than 1,000 free meals for medical professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. To be certain, this is not an easy time to be giving away free food—the foodservice industry has been hit especially hard by the social-distancing measures enacted to help contain the outbreak, and Mighty Quinn’s is no exception. Fortunately, we were able to adapt quickly and carve out a path for survival where so many other restaurant brands could not.
But our own survival is not enough right now. That’s why Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque is leveraging every resource we have to support not only healthcare workers but all of our restaurants’ local communities.
Early in March, as the full impact of the COVID-19 outbreak started to reveal itself, our team took a number of steps to ensure that Mighty Quinn’s would remain viable even as public dining rooms were ordered closed in states across the country.
Fortunately, we already had a robust suite of digital tools in place, including our mobile app, website and social media platforms, all of which we’ve been relying on to maintain communication with our customer base. Plus, because our food travels well, we’ve been able to capture our fair share of take-out and delivery spending. We’ve even seen a boost in sales through our mail-order platform, Goldbelly.
We have also made some simple but impactful adjustments to our menu offerings in order to streamline operations. For example, we’ve temporarily removed products geared toward business-lunch crowds, and increased inventory for menu items aimed at larger orders for families at home. To promote those family-oriented menu items, we’ve also rolled out a number of incentives, including discounted pricing on our Brontosaurus Ribs, which feed large groups.
Those measures and others have allowed us to continue serving customers and keep our business afloat during one of the most difficult chapters our industry has ever faced. That’s why we are working overtime to feed healthcare workers, and why we’re asking our customers to help.
Until the coronavirus outbreak has been contained and public life returns to normal — whatever normal might look like after this — Mighty Quinn’s is offering one free sandwich per day to any and all healthcare workers, whose jobs and lives have been upended by this crisis and who have too little time to think about, let alone prepare, a hot meal. We’re also leveraging our strong communications network and loyal customer base to ask customers to purchase gift cards in support of healthcare workers.
By staying open, supporting our healthcare workers and engaging with our customer base, we believe we are helping our communities retain a much-needed sense of normalcy in this decidedly abnormal time. So many restaurants have closed, and it is important that people still have access to the food they love. We’re reminding communities that we are all in this together and that simple things, like a great sandwich, can provide a profound morale-boost in times of distress.
Crucially, staying active throughout this crisis also allows us to keep our Mighty Quinn’s staff employed. So many people are hurting financially as unemployment numbers skyrocket, and we are doing everything in our power to protect the great people on our team.
We’re delighted that these efforts have not gone unnoticed. We have received effusive feedback online and seen a boost in digital sales as more customers learn about the work we’re doing.
That feedback is welcome reassurance that we’re on the right track, but the truth is that the measures we’ve taken to support our communities throughout this crisis are rooted in our core values. Everything we do at Mighty Quinn’s reflects our commitment to our communities. If we want to play a role in people’s lives during the best of times, we have a responsibility to be there for our community when times are tough.
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque is a small restaurant brand, but we can have a big impact by leveraging all of our resources and expertise to meet this crisis head on.
