Ep 26: Sal Melilli, President and CEO of HOA Brands (Hooters)
Whether it’s to watch the game, go out with buddies, have a family meal, or simply pound beer and eat chicken wings, Hooters is the top choice for many. But even before the pandemic struck, consumer needs were changing. In response, Hooters began building out a fast-casual version of itself called Hoots Wings with a limited menu and food delivery capabilities. All of this happened thanks to the open mind and leadership of HOA Brands CEO and President Sal Melilli, and today he joins us on the show to talk about what these changes looked like from the perspective of marketing and operations. Sal’s career is unique in that he has worked for Hooters his whole life, having started as a dishwasher and slowly worked his way up until where he is today. He is a big believer in teamwork and often accredits the excellence of the company to the people that work for him, as well as the strength of the Hooters brand itself. We start our conversation hearing about the conditions that formed the initial thinking for Hoots Wings. From there Sal weighs in on their agile and customer-led approach to reinventing themselves, as well as the corporate structure behind the different Hooters companies and franchises. We talk about traditional versus digital marketing next, and Sal shares some techniques they are using to stay visible online and in the real world. Toward the end of the conversation, Sal speaks about what is in store for Hooters and Hoots Wings in the coming months and years. Tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
A brief window into Sal’s journey from dishwasher to CEO of Hooters.
How Hooters made a fast-casual version of themselves called Hoots Wings.
The thinking that went into the smaller menu offered by Hoots Wings.
An approach led by customer needs and iteration resulting in the current Hoots Wings offer.
How the Hoots Wings offer differs from competitors in the field.
The corporate structure behind Hoots Wings, Hooters Inc., Hooters of America, and HOA Brands.
How this group of separate companies under one name represent themselves online.
The Facebook marketing strategy for Hooters as a whole and then the separate franchises.
Whether there is a difference in marketing between corporate and franchisee-owned stores.
Misconceptions about Hooters; how they might be resolved by visiting a restaurant.
Hooters culture leading to former Hooters girls becoming successful businesspeople.
The mix of traditional and digital marketing at Hooters and what this looks like today.
Optimizations regarding Hoots Wings user experience around incentives, visibility, and seamlessness.
SEO strategies for Hoots Wings and their decision to partner with all the DSPs.
Where the tech stack at Hoots Wings sits compared to their competition.
Considering the influence of the pandemic on the limited menu food delivery model.
The different niches Hooters occupies from ‘sports bar’ to ‘casual dining’ and more.
The effect of COVID on Hooters and the role brand loyalty played in keeping them afloat.
Thoughts on the economic effects of pent up social desires once the pandemic ends.
Career advice from Sal around the importance of passion, making mistakes, and collaboration.
Tweetables:
“We thought, what if we did a fast-casual version of ourselves?” — Sal Melilli [0:06:00]
“When people come in, I think they're all pleasantly surprised that the Hooters girls are great, the game’s on TV, there are couples over here, there are families over there. And it's like every other restaurant.” — Sal Melilli [0:20:15]
“Some of the old tried and true things still work around our brand. And then we continue to evolve with the new to make sure that we're relevant in today's day and age.” — Sal Melilli [0:26:12]
“This brand is highly resilient.” — Sal Melilli [0:35:53]