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Assume brand-building is all about logos and hashtags? Diane Hund from US Meals would argue it is far more private than that.
The chief advertising officer of US Meals shared how individuals, from drivers to gross sales reps and specialists, convey the model to life daily.
“We do not have a product on a retail shelf with our identify on it,” Hund tells Shawn Walchef, host of Restaurant Influencers. “Our model is our individuals, and the way we present up for you each single day.”
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It is a philosophy that resonates with US Meals’ huge community of over 250,000 restaurant and meals operator companions nationwide. Each interplay counts, from a driver making a supply to a rep answering a late-night name.
These US Meals vehicles you see on the street are greater than rolling billboards. “After we went public, we rewrapped each single truck,” Hund says. “It is about consistency and delight. Each time you see one in all our vehicles, it is a reminder of who we’re and what we stand for.”
Hund believes that true model consistency begins on the within, with each affiliate representing the model. “It is about constructing belief and accountability from the bottom up,” she says.
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AI within the meals service house
No trendy model can ignore the digital panorama, and Hund is a giant believer in assembly operators the place they’re. “Digital is the place it is obtained to be,” she says. “Our operators are spending time on-line, and we have to be there with them on Meta, Instagram, YouTube and wherever they’re in search of options.”
US Meals is investing in AI-powered instruments that assist restaurant operators sustain with altering buyer expectations. From dynamic menu design to on-brand visuals, Hund’s workforce helps eating places create advertising supplies that really feel genuine and interesting.
“We have been making menus for years,” she says. “However now, with AI, we may help you design one thing that is really reflective of your model, even when you do not have time for a photoshoot.”
Hund additionally talked concerning the 2025 US Meals Meals Fanatic occasion in Las Vegas, which has two days of schooling, inspiration and options tailor-made for restaurant operators. “We’re bringing operators from throughout the nation collectively,” she says. “It is about extra than simply merchandise. It is about serving to them run higher eating places.”
Relating to management, Hund’s focus is on ardour, experience and a workforce that understands each meals and advertising. “Whenever you convey these two collectively, you are able to do some fairly unbelievable issues,” she says.
She’s additionally optimistic about girls’s alternatives within the trade. “It is simpler than ever for ladies to succeed,” she says. “And if leaders like me and Kelly Esten at Toast may help open doorways, that is what we’re right here to do.”
Hund’s message to restaurant operators is obvious: Model consistency, human contact and digital innovation usually are not optionally available. They’re the recipe for thriving in immediately’s aggressive panorama.
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About Restaurant Influencers
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Assume brand-building is all about logos and hashtags? Diane Hund from US Meals would argue it is far more private than that.
The chief advertising officer of US Meals shared how individuals, from drivers to gross sales reps and specialists, convey the model to life daily.
“We do not have a product on a retail shelf with our identify on it,” Hund tells Shawn Walchef, host of Restaurant Influencers. “Our model is our individuals, and the way we present up for you each single day.”
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