Week 2 Part B - Business Research

Healthy Creations Cafe

1. https://healthycreationscafe.com/

2. Healthy Creations was founded in 2007 with the intention to present the San Diego community with an opportunity for affordable, organic, healthy food.  Nestled in Encinitas, Healthy Creations is a growing small business. They have a website with a digital menu and online orders. There is no visible social media links. I did a research online and I did find a link to then on Facebook, Yelp and TripAdvisor.

3. Facebook: they have around 1.600 followers, with an average rating of 4.6/5.0 and 162 reviews. Their last post was in March 2020. Yelp: they have an average rating of 4.5 stars and 484 reviews. A healthy score of 93 out of 100. 388 published photos and their last review was on Dec. 22, 2022.

4. Very limited use of Social Media. It seems that most customer relationship is conducted on in person visits to the store. There is definitely some opportunities to explore social media platforms to increase customer audience and repeated visits and orders.

Choice Juicery

1. https://www.choicejuicery.com/

2. Considered as the largest vegan restaurant chain in San Diego County with 6 store locations. Choice Juicery was founded in 2014 in Carlsbad Village. They are most famous for their superfood smoothies and bowls. They have a website with a digital menu, store locator and online orders. There are links to their Facebook and Instagram pages. My online research also showed links to Yelp, TripAdvisor and the most used food delivery platforms.

3. Instagram: 12.2K followers; 2.300 posts, with at least 2 new ones every week. Facebook: 4.5K followers; it seems a very active account and new posts are placed simultaneously with Instagram. Rating 4.3 and 386 reviews. Yelp: they have an average rating of 4.5 stars and 147 reviews. An excellent healthy score of 96 out of 100. 160 published photos and their last review was on Sep. 07, 2022.

4. The use of social media is adequate to the restaurant size and locations. It seems that many posts are designed to bring customer to their stores. The restaurant’s goal is to create an amazing experience with every guest who walks through its doors.

Plant Power Fast Food

1. https://www.plantpowerfastfood.com/

2. One of the first plant-based fast-food contenders, Plant Power was founded in 2016. A vegan version of traditional fast-food drive-thru brands. The concept was first launched in San Diego. The company now owns or franchises 11 restaurants and a food truck operating throughout California. They have a website with a digital menu, store locator and online orders. There are links to their Instagram, Twitter and Spotify pages. My online research also showed links to Yelp, the main food delivery platforms and many vegan food websites.

3. Instagram: 113K followers; 925 posts, with at least 1 new post every week. Their post seems to attract the interest of followers with many positive comments. Facebook: 23.7K followers; it seems a very active account and new posts are placed simultaneously with Instagram. Rating 4.8 and 427 reviews. There is a link to their website for online orders. Twitter: 1.6K followers - not active and frequent as Instagram. Last post was in July 2021. Yelp: they have an average rating of 4.5 stars and 1090 reviews. A healthy score of 95 out of 100. 983 published photos and their last review was on Dec. 01, 2022.

4. They have accounts and pages on some of the most popular social media platforms. I personally, think that their website design, images and description deserve some improvement. Their customer reviews are generally positive.

Einstein Bros Bagels

1. https://www.einsteinbros.com/

2. Einstein Bros is part of Panera Brands, one of the nation's largest fast casual restaurant companies. It offers freshly baked bagels, breakfast sandwiches, lunch sandwiches, coffee, and catering services. It has 684 stores in 44 states in the U.S. They have a website with a digital menu, store locator and online orders. There are links to their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages. My online research also showed links to Yelp and the main food delivery platforms.

3. Instagram: 36.1K followers; 754 posts, with at least 2 or 3 new post every week. Facebook: 663.9K followers; it seems a very active account and new posts are placed simultaneously with Instagram. Rating 3.9 and 301 reviews. There is a link to their website for online orders. Twitter: 10.1K followers – very active with almost daily posts. Yelp: reviews are based on each store location. Their store in Rancho Bernardo, for example, has a medium average rating of 2.5 stars and 238 reviews. A healthy score of 94 out of 100. 158 published photos and their last review was on Jan. 01, 2023.

4. They have a thoughtful and comprehensive fast-food restaurant website. It covers a wide range of features and information including food menu and nutrition, store locations, online orders, reward program, contacts and FAQ. The company maintains active social networking on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The company has a paid page on YouTube, and mobile apps on Apple and Android. I can’t think of anything else that could be done in this case.

Subway

1. https://www.subway.com/en-us

2. Subway is an American multinational fast food restaurant franchise that specializes in submarine sandwiches (subs), wraps, salads and drinks. It has over 41.000 stores in 104 different countries. Their U.S website is built with excellence in terms of product descriptions and image, easy navigation and all necessary information to provide a good user experience. There are links to their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages. My online research also showed links to Yelp and the main food delivery platforms.

3. Instagram: 1.3 followers; 790 posts, with at least 2 or 3 new post every week. Facebook: 22,612.4K followers; it seems a very active account and new posts are placed simultaneously with Instagram.

Twitter: 29.1K followers – very active with almost daily posts. There is a link to their website for online orders. Yelp: reviews are based on each store location. Their store in Downtown, San Diego, for example, has a medium average rating of 2.5 stars and 86 reviews. A healthy score of 95 out of 100. 24 published photos and their last review was on Jan. 04, 2023.

4. A Multinational with a professionally designed and maintained web and social media presence.

Summary

Nowadays, every business has some web presence, in the form of a website and accounts/pages in social media platforms. The depth of such presence varies according to the size of the business and the financial resources available to invest.

The maintenance of online channels require money, people and time to support a continuous communication with clients and potential customers. It is evident that large corporation such as Einstein Bros (Panera Brands) and Subway have the resources to invest in marketing and customer relationship. The use of online resources such as a website and social media platforms are well-developed tools and their interaction with customers is constant and proportional to their reach of operations.

Not withstand, smaller operations are capable to provide more authentic food experiences to their customers. They offer better healthy dining alternative, which reflects in their higher ratings and customer reviews, when compared to the traditional large national and multinational fast food chains.