Think about the leading quick serve restaurant (QSR) brands around the world with the most locations. Subway, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell may come to mind… possibly Dunkin’, too. These popular brands are building or remodeling restaurants on just about every corner, and it can be a daunting task for each brand’s construction teams to keep up with challenging expectations while using outdated methods. As Dunkin’s supply chain membership co-op, National DCP has developed expertise in fulfilling new store openings and remodels for our favorite coffee brand – and wanted to present four useful tips to quickly transform your offerings in today’s world.

1. Determine Your “North Star”

You will go nowhere meaningful without a goal in mind, or—in other words—your “North Star.” It is imperative to decide: What are we looking to achieve? Where do we see this program by the end of the year… or in the next three years? Once you thoughtfully create your dream state, work backward to determine how that can be quickly accomplished. In our experience, the goal needs to be shared and understood across all levels in your company for change to actually happen. For NDCP, we knew our Dunkin’ members needed a better way to fulfill new store openings and remodels, which led us to develop our differentiated and consolidated New Store & Remodel Solution program.

2. Identify Your Audience

You may think it is a no-brainer to list your key stakeholders. However, take a step back to determine who your primary audience is and those who are truly secondary. Your organization’s processes should be built to serve your primary audience. For example, everything NDCP does is for our primary audience: our members, the Dunkin’ franchisees we serve. There are other audiences who may be impacted by the processes we have in place; however, it all comes down to our members and what would best serve them.

3. Think Outside of “The Way It’s Always Been”

The traditional methods of your organization may still be in place, but you can teach old dogs new tricks. While your leadership could be interested in implementing a new process, it is only going to be successful if you have the entire organization’s buy-in. Your team must understand the benefit of this new process for them. Once everyone is open to the idea of upgrading traditional methods, just watch to see the change happen in your organization and the trajectory of reaching your goals.

4. Be Open to Feedback

Those new processes your organization is implementing may not be the best solution to your audience, and that is fine. You must be willing to hear their input and be open to correcting course. It is important to offer a way for your audience to provide their feedback and a place for it to be recorded. As their insights are received, brainstorm ideas with your team on how to put these ideas into action and desired timeframes.

As the top-leading brands continue playing catch-up from pandemic-related development plan delays, it is necessary to quickly collaborate on ways to get the job done.  What it ultimately comes down to is your organization and its internal teams being on the same page. When you have a group of people who share the same goal, are clear about key stakeholders, are open to change and willing to hear different perspectives, real (and accelerated) change can happen.

Are you ready to revolutionize your approach to remodel projects? Your brand’s future awaits—take the first step towards better!