Yurchak E. The brand management of restaurant network business

The thesis regards the theoretical foundations of the restaurant network business brand management; deals with the analysis of the main functional brand management systems in Kyiv’s restaurant network industry; offers directions for improvement of the restaurant network business brand management. The work reveals the meaning of the «restaurant network business brand management», provides the indicators of the commodity price identification of the restaurant network business brands and brand-oriented marketing communication strategies of the restaurant business networks. Based on the primary survey of the menus of the 680 enterprises in 7 price segments of the restaurant market in Kyiv, inter-segment and intra-segment figures were built to show the quantitative characteristics of the commodity price identification of the restaurant networks. The research on the relative pricing of the dishes and drinks in the restaurants of different price categories was done. Inter-segment and intra-segment correlation-regression models of the levels of commodity and brand image identification of restaurant business enterprises are constructed. As a brand commodity-image identifier of the restaurant business enterprise, the food and drinks price level of the enterprise was chosen. This is applied as an integrated index of ensuring profitability considering the company’s expenses for creating conditions for consumption of restaurant products offered to customers in accordance with the price category of the enterprise. The results of the statistical price analysis of restaurant products for the 6 drinks and 14 dishes of Ukrainian-European and foreign cuisine, that are made by portions and can be standardized for various types of enterprises of restaurant facilities, are presented. The statistical analysis of restaurant enterprises market allowed to reveal in every price segment of the restaurant business market the enterprises that: use optimally the inter-segment pricing «market line» at the optimum level of expense on marketing communications; have certain problems with attracting customers and use the area of loss of profitability due to the relatively low prices for products for their additional involvement; have no problems with attraction of the permanent segment of loyal paying customers and introduce a high level of brand margin on restaurant products and the high level expense on the maintenance and growth of its own brand. PEST-analysis of the influence of external factors of the macroeconomics of Ukraine on the dynamics of development of restaurant enterprises in 2014–2017 was conducted. The technique of histogram analysis is proposed to determine the «average check» of the consumer. It can be used as an effective tool for adjusting the demand and the offer in the restaurant market. A model-scheme «Barrier algorithm for the evolutionary scheme of the formation of a successful brand in the restaurant industry» is proposed to solve the problem. It was presented in 5 blocks, which reproduce the common scheme of the stages of brand management («planning» – «organization» – «leadership» – «control»). On the proposed model diagram the presence of the accumulation processes and analysis of data on the negative results of information barrier-filter and solvency barrier-filter, in contrast to existing models of brand management development, offers the opportunity to organize a system of feedback control. It also is the driving mechanism for the self-development processes of brand building and management of its evolutionary development from the stage of «product identity» to the stage of financial «successful brand-leader». Taking into account the trend of marketing communication tools development in the restaurant industry, the expediency and the basic ideas of the project «Electronic restaurant networks brand management» with the use of complex modern technologies and tools – «e-menu», mobile apps, etc. was suggested and explained. Unlike the already existing qualitative methods for evaluating the brand’s success, a quantitative methodology of a comprehensive assessment of the brand’s success was proposed to evaluate the current and future levels of brand success, based on the complex system of quantitative branding indicators developed by the author. A method for benchmarking comparative complex evaluation of the brand’s success was designed. That helps to reveal the influence of the main events of the restaurant business enterprise branding on the indicator of «brand’s success». That gives a measuring tool for brand management of restaurant business networks.