CEO shares plans for reviving Boston Market

NRF SmartBrief | 09/30/2009

Boston Market CEO Lane Cardwell says the chain has "been in a financial coma for years," but he plans to change that by expanding the concept to include chilled food. "Folks only come to us when they want to eat right now," he said. "People don't like to bring hot food home and heat it up hours later." The company also is debuting a "Two Kids Eat Free" program. USA TODAY (09/29)

Q: What's the best way to get people to think of Boston Market?

A: You have to come up with big ideas to let people know you're out there. We're introducing a "Two Kids Eat Free" program. Sure, we're in it to help ourselves, but we're also helping others. A single parent with two kids can buy a meal for six bucks, and they get two kids' meals free.

We may only break even on that, but it may be the only chance the family has to go out to eat that month. The only requirement is that you spend six bucks and bring both kids (14 and under) with you.

This is a huge, untapped market. Some 31% of households with kids are single-parent households.

Most kids-eat-free programs are not designed for them. They only give one free kids' meal for each adult-paid meal.