Cicis Pizza’s Stephanie Hoppe on Creating Great Customer Experiences Through an Ops-First Mindset

On today’s episode of The QSR Experience Show, Bobby speaks with Stephanie Hoppe, Chief Marketing Officer at Cicis Pizza, a restaurant chain offering all-you-can-eat pizza buffets. They discuss how to create consistent experiences for customers across locations, and why simplifying operations plays a key role in bringing more value to customers. They also talk about how data can help drive customer initiatives like loyalty programs, why focusing on one concept is what leads to success, and how AI and automation will play a role in the future of the QSR industry. Topics discussed: How Cicis Pizza grew to 280 locations and what sets the brand apart in terms of service and value. How to create consistent experiences for customers across locations, and why taking an ops-first mindset for marketing will help achieve that goal. Why sometimes doing a deep dive into the data may hold you back from launching new marketing efforts and experiments. How the QSR industry is evolving, and how independent businesses, challenges to consistency, and concept focus are key trends. How technology can help you learn more about your customers and drive new initiatives like loyalty programs. Advice for QSRs that want to scale, including being wise about choosing your franchisees and why location is key. The role AI and automation will play in the future of QSR.