Story
From Hooters waitress to president of Cinnabon's parent company
Shaan recaps guest Cat Cole's path: she started as a Hooters waitress in college, climbed Hooters corporate to GM of Hooters America, then became president of Cinnabon and ultimately president of its parent company Focus Brands.
“She basically started as a Hooters waitress, while she was in college and then like was, you know, good as a waitress and like got into Hooters corporate as kind of like low-level corporate and then like worked her way up Hooters corporate and became eventually like head of Hooters America, like GM of Hooters America. And then like transitioned over as president of Cinnabon”
Number
Focus Brands: $4-5B in sales across 7 food brands
Kat Cole runs Focus Brands as president and COO: $4-5 billion in global consumer product sales, nearly 7,000 units in 60 countries, across 7 brands including Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Jamba Juice, Moe's, McAllister's, and Schlotzsky's.
$4500M
Annual global consumer product sales · USD/year
“$4 to $5 billion in global consumer product sales, just under 7,000 units, 60 countries, 7 food brands that people know and love: Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Jamba Juice, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAllister's, and Schlotzsky's.”
Tactic
Co-brand growth hack: ride a sister brand's search on Uber Eats
Because Focus Brands co-locates multiple brands in one kitchen, an Uber Eats listing must have a lead brand — but searching for the secondary brand (e.g. Cinnabon) still surfaces the Auntie Anne's listing with the Cinnabon menu item, capturing both brands' search demand from one location.
“So it shows up as an Auntie Anne's location. But right when you pull up the menu, it says— that's the problem is it's got to have a lead location. But because it— because the brand shows up in the menu, it does show up in the search. So if you search Cinnabon, but Cinnabon's actually co-branded with what was first an Auntie Anteans. You search Cinnabon, it pops up, it says Anteans, but then it shows you the Cinnabon menu item.”
Steal thisCo-locate complementary brands in one kitchen so each brand's menu items capture search demand on delivery platforms from a single listing.