The restaurant: Frustrated by what he saw as the lack of great sandwiches available in the quick service restaurant sector and "bored by the domination of burned-out brands," Jeff Sinelli --- founder of Genghis Grill, which he had recently sold --- set out to create a concept featuring hot sandwiches. There would be no soups or salads. His focus would be on selling the best possible sandwiches served in an edgy, yet inviting, environment. The result: Which Wich, which currently has 12 open locations and six more soon to come.
The opportunity: Despite its incredible importance to the quick-serve industry, packaging often doesn't get a lot of thought from operators. When it does, though, great things can happen. In this case, Sinelli was starting a concept from scratch, and he had the opportunity to use his packaging to implement a simple operations system that also created and became an integral part of the brand identity. And led to growth.
The solution: A bag. Guests arriving at Which Wich pick up a brown paper bag pre-printed with sandwich, bread, and condiment choices, and make their selections with a provided pen (or crayon, in the case of the kids meal). They write their name at the bottom of the bag and hand it to the cashier, who asks if they want chips and/or a soda. The bag is then clipped to a line, where it moves through prep. Finally, an expediter calls out the name and hands the order to the customer --- in the same bag they placed the order on.
Sinelli sees the benefits of the system as three-fold: cost-savings, interactivity, and uniqueness. It is operational genius in its simplicity and also builds a strong sense of brand.
The final verdict: Which Wich has grown from its initial location in 2004 to the current 12, with six more on the way and more franchise deals brewing. Certainly you can't attribute all growth to a bag, but it is an integral part of the operations and branding that set the concept apart.
The bag, and the ordering system it represents, has received industry recognition, being named a winner in both the 2004 and 2005 QSR/FPI Foodservice Packaging Awards. In the former, the judges felt the bag made operations "stupid easy" (that's a compliment). In the latter, the Kidswich bag was honored, with one of the judges --- a child --- saying simply, "Mommy, I want to go to that restaurant."
