Dive Brief:
- Perkins will unveil its flagship restaurant in Orlando, Florida, on March 19, according to a press release.
- The flagship restaurant serves a new menu that is a modernization of its classic Americana menu, Perkins President Toni Ronayne said. Perkins updated dishes to keep abreast of consumer tastes and new categories, like boba drinks and cocktails.
- Since rebranding last year, Perkins has focused on bringing its brand image, menu and store layouts into the 21st century, including the debut of a fast casual concept Griddle & Go to access more real estate possibilities as the brand pursues expansion.
Dive Insight:
At the brand’s new, 3,500-square-foot flagship location, modernization looks like this: contemporary aesthetics, an outdoor patio, bright lighting, and “chic design elements.” Franchisees have responded positively to this redesign.
“The upscale design has resonated well with our target market,” Ronayne wrote in an email to Restaurant Dive. “Franchisees are eager to replicate this model, which indicates strong demand for more Perkins locations of this caliber.”
The store is the foundation for Perkins' efforts to rethink its brand overall, Ronayne said.
“The coming months will be critical to unlocking how we can bring these changes to our new and existing restaurants while remaining connected to our legacy,” Ronayne wrote.
The culinary side of this remake was spearheaded by Mindy Armstrong, the brand’s vice president of menu innovation. The flagship serves core elements of Perkins’ prior menus “including omelets, bennys & toasts, Build-Your-Own-Breakfast, Fresh Cracked Classics, and specialty Griddle Greats,” alongside new additions like “shareable appetizers, a lighter eats section, burgers & handhelds and Perkins plates,” according to the press release.
Ronayne wrote that the menu synthesized Perkins’ historic brand identity with evolving consumer preferences.
The brand also expanded its drinks menu, adding “Boba Chillers, Craft Refreshers, Signature Cocktails, Bakery Inspirations, Kids Beverages, and Cold Coffee,” Ronayne wrote. This was part of an attempt to ensure all demographics had something appealing to drink, and elevate the menu for the brunch and dinner dayparts.
Perkins has offered wine, beer and mimosas at some locations for a while, but new cocktails — including frozen margaritas, mojitos and an Irish coffee freeze — are a step up for the brand.
“Alcohol is something that our guests have been asking for,” Ronayne said. “As we considered building the future of Perkins, it was a natural next step to look to expand our beverage menu to include alcohol and premium beverage offerings.”
Casual and family dining chains broadly took a beating in 2024. Denny’s closed 88 stores and saw same-store sales tick down 0.2%. Dine Brands sacked one in every 11 of its corporate staff and opened the first dual-branded U.S. IHOP/Applebee’s restaurant in a bid to reverse the stagnant sales at both brands. First Watch, another full-service, breakfast-heavy concept, saw its same-store sales erode by 1.9% in Q3, according to the chain’s 10-Q, while traffic fell 4.4%.
Perkins is privately owned, and so does not disclose same-store sales growth to the same extent as its publicly traded competitors. A menu remake and aggressive overhaul could help the brand take some share while competing systems struggle.
