CHICAGO, March 19, 2026 - After hearing from a panel of teens about what attracts them to a restaurant, COEX attendees learned how readily older fans can be turned off by accommodations to the times.
Though hailing from different segments, Freddy’s Custard and Steakburgers and Perkins Restaurant & Bakery both offered accounts of how they lost silver-haired patrons through well-intentioned efforts to help the brands and their franchisees. Their cautionary tales came during a mainstage session on the do’s and don’ts for boosting restaurant traffic.
Freddy’s lesson was an unexpected side effect of an effort undertaken about four years ago to boost unit profitability. The fast-casual chain’s specialty is a half-pound burger made with two patties. At the time, it was also offering the Single, a smaller alternative sporting only a single patty. It was particularly popular among patrons aged 55 and up.
"We did a pricing study, and based on that, the Single was removed from our menu," Freddy’s CMO Erin Walter recounted. “We said, 'Okay, we know we’re going to lose X amount of traffic for that, and that’s okay. We’re making room on the menu for more profitable items.’
“Then we listened,” she continued. “People were not happy, and we lost our seniors. So we added it back to the menu permanently.”
It was touted as a meal for patrons aged 55 and up, but anyone can order it. “We don’t check people’s licenses or ask to see an ID,” said Walter.
The immediate acceptance, coupled with the voiced relief from franchisees, verified the item’s return. “Day One, I was like, ‘Oh, we did the right thing,” said Martin.
Perkins’ learning experience came as part of a broad effort to rejuvenate the brand so it could grow again.
“So we took one location and did an exercise,” recounted Perkins President Matt Carpenter. “We took a Perkins and said, ‘What could it become?’ Very aspirational.
“We moved it a long way from where it is, both in terms of exterior image, interior image, the menu, and the service style,” he continued. “We went away from the traditional family-dining cashier. We elevated the bakery experience. We did a wish list of everything we could possibly do with the brand.
“And it didn’t work. We moved it too far.”
Customers even pushed back on a change in staff members' uniforms.
“We moved our service staff to denim jeans and a T-shirt,” said Carpenter. “That was too casual and offensive to some of our core customers. Candidly, we ran off some of our existing guests. We didn’t attract enough new guests to fill that vacuum.”
The home office didn’t dare ask franchisees to invest capital in changes that looked good on paper and to the eye but did nothing to bolster sales or traffic. Instead, the board changed the chain’s management, bringing in Carpenter from the franchise community about three months ago to serve as brand president. His franchise still operates about a third of the system.
Now, he recounted, Perkins is planning to make another run at an update.
“We’re taking a deep dive right now in research — soup to nuts on the menu," he continued. “What’s the size of it? How many panels? Right to left, or left to right? What items stay? What items go? What items do we modify?”
Units will be spruced up to the degree they need a refresh. Some might only need a fresh coat of paint, while others may have to renovate their rest rooms.
“Perkins may be the last brand that doesn’t have an app and a loyalty program, but there’s a workstream against that right now,” said Carpenter.
He and Walter spoke during the last session of COEX, a three-day event for all sectors of the food-away-from-home industry. The conference is presented by IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. More information on the event is available here.
Next year’s COEX is slated for March 7-9 in Orlando, Fla.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.