February 2006 - Sunday Business Post: McDonagh to reinvent Supermac's with expansion

Sunday Business Post
26 February 2006  
By Catherine O’Mahony

Supermac's, the home of coleslaw fries, is set to reinvent itself as it expands into new territory. Owner Pat McDonagh has brought in branding experts to evaluate the Supermac's offering and help create a more contemporary image for the restaurant chain.

The first revamps will be carried out this year at the chain’s flagship outlets in Galway’s Eyre Square and Dublin’s O’Connell Street, with an investment of €1 million on new colour schemes, seating and counters.

The revamp comes as McDonagh moves to make his Supermac's debut in Northern Ireland this year where he ultimately plans to add up to 15 new outlets to the Supermac's chain. The company has 60 restaurants across Ireland already.

“It’s a big job,” said Brian McGurk of Bradley McGurk, the company running the rebrand. ‘‘We’re talking about going from a family restaurant to one that works for young people.”

McDonagh said he planned to invest €1 million on the first two makeovers ‘‘and then see how the reaction goes’’.

‘‘We don’t want to lose our customer base, but if we can add new customers, that would be good,” he said.

‘‘Every five or six years, we have to take a look at ourselves and rejuvenate ourselves for the coming period. That involves looking at the brand, and what our consumers think of us.”

McDonagh said he saw a significant opportunity in Northern Ireland. The first Supermac's is likely to open in Belfast and there may be some modifications to the menu to adapt to local preferences, such as the addition of fresh, rather than frozen, chips.

It’s been nearly 30 years since McDonagh left teaching to set up a Ballinasloe takeaway, and his empire is flourishing.

Apart from Supermacs and a garage forecourt food business, he is shortly to open the third branch of pizza chain Papa Johns. He also has 18 pub-restaurants in the United States under the Claddagh Irish Pubs brand.

McGurk, who recently completed a brand audit of Supermac's, said the brand was associated in everyone’s mind with ‘‘real Irish country food’’.

It was widely admired as a business for standing up to the global giants of fast food and winning. Its Irishness was seen as endearing.

‘‘It’s incredibly deeply embedded in people’s minds,” McGurk said. ‘‘That gives it a very solid base, but it also brings a challenge with it for moving the brand on for relevance, from the point of view of an Ireland that’s urbanising.

‘‘The future’s about bringing tasty real food to young people in Ireland as a prime audience.

Of course, that’s inclusive of other consumers like mums and kids, but there is a prime audience.”

A further challenge for the rebranding will be to bring staff members along with the new concept.

‘‘In some senses there’s very little difference between what the company itself believes are its values and how others see it,” said McGurk. ‘‘It’s one thing having a new brand proposition, but what’s of vital importance is how the employees of the company deliver the brand experience.”

McGurk wants to see a new visual experience at Supermac's, with a more consistent look, more simplicity and personality in all stores.

He said people were mostly unaware of the scale of Supermacs’ business nationwide.

‘‘You have this rural brand identity which is a bit of a ball and chain when you want to roll the brand out beyond its natural hinterland of the west of Ireland. There’s a gap between what Supermac's can deliver to customers and how it is perceived. Our job’s to close that gap.”