The conventional wisdom in restaurants has long been simple: bigger spaces mean bigger profits, breakfast spots serve breakfast, and the drive-thru is just a speaker box and a window. In a thought-provoking discussion moderated by Nicole Poole, VP of Hospitality + Entertainment at HFA-AE, three major restaurant chains challenged these assumptions, sharing innovations that are proving to be remarkably profitable.
Walk-On's Big Bet on Smaller Spaces
When Walk-On's Chief Development Officer Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling suggested shrinking their restaurants by nearly half, skeptics questioned whether they could maintain their famous game-day energy. But her team proved that bigger isn't always better. Their new 5,300-square-foot locations aren't just maintaining their $4.5 million AUV—they're delivering an even more electric atmosphere through clever acoustics and smart design choices. As she puts it, "Size isn't everything. It's what you do with the space that counts."
IHOP + Applebee's: An Unlikely Power Couple
When Dine Brands decided to combine IHOP and Applebee's under one roof, Vice President of Architecture & Design Don Roberts turned this ambitious vision into reality. The result was a genre-defying concept that proved breakfast cravings don't follow a clock. Through careful design and engineering, these hybrid locations are serving up double the sales with minimal kitchen modifications. It's a reminder that sometimes the best innovations come from mixing familiar ingredients in unexpected ways.
Drive-Thrus Getting Smarter
"Your usual spicy with extra biscuits?" Imagine pulling up to a drive-thru that knows your cravings before you speak. Dan Meretsky, VP of Restaurant Technology at Church's Chicken, isn't just imagining it—he's building it. His team has developed an AI system that remembers customer preferences and makes personalized suggestions, turning every visit into a VIP experience. It's not about replacing human connection; it's about enhancing it.
The Innovation Recipe
What's cooking in the kitchens of tomorrow? These leaders suggest three key ingredients:
- Your Best Consultants Wear Aprons
The most valuable insights don't come from PowerPoint presentations—they come from the team members working the fryer and flat top. As Pecoraro-Striepling notes, these front-line perspectives reveal challenges that even the most expensive consultant might miss.
- Break the Brand Box
Innovation isn't always about downsizing or speeding up. Sometimes, like Dine Brands discovered, it's about finding unexpected synergies between existing concepts that create entirely new opportunities for growth.
- Fix Before You Add
Before chasing the next big tech trend, focus on eliminating existing pain points. As Meretsky emphasizes, "Happy crews make happy customers. Everything else is just gravy."
Setting the Table for Tomorrow
The restaurant of the future won't be defined by robots or virtual reality dining experiences. Instead, it will be shaped by brands willing to challenge conventional wisdom while staying true to their core promise: delivering great food and memorable experiences. These leaders are showing us that sometimes the most powerful innovations aren't about reinventing the wheel—they're about making it roll more smoothly.
Watch the full discussion below: 👇
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