CINCINNATI, Nov. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- GSR Brands, the parent organization of Gold Star Chili and Tom & Chee, is proud to announce it has been named a Goering Center for Family and Private Business 21st Annual Awards Honoree.
The mission of the Goering Center is to "nurture and educate family and private businesses to drive a vibrant economy." The annual awards provide businesses with a unique opportunity to showcase their successes and the impact they are making in the community.
This year's awards honor "the incredible stories of innovation, resilience, tenacity and compassion from the tristate business community." To be eligible for an award, businesses had to detail how they adapted their business during the COVID-19 crisis with specific attention paid to what strategies were employed by management and/or staff; or their biggest breakthrough that distinguished them in the past year, particularly one that had an impact on the community, business vision and experience of customers/engagement of their employees.
Roger David, president and CEO of GSR Brands, attributes the company's success to staying attuned to consumers' attitudes and behaviors throughout the shifting landscape of 2020. "We stayed on top of the rich research data we had, and have," David says, "and kept a finger on the pulse of consumer conversation and sentiment. We knew early on how important building consumer trust and confidence around 'safety' and 'protection' would and remains to be, and we have put a lot of operational and marketing energy into that."
Despite the myriad challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, GSR Brand's Gold Star Chili has bested sales for the same year-to-date period in 2019. David said: "Prior to the State of Ohio shutdown on March 15, our sales were up 9.7 percent above 2019. From March 15 through the month of April, we went from 9+ percent up to down -0.5 percent. That was the major impact from COVID-19."
With shelter-in-place and shutdown measures affecting all restaurant businesses, Gold Star Chili did experience the dip that was felt across the country. By pivoting to off-premise dining through drive-thru and carry-out options, as well as strategic partnerships with third-party delivery services and their newly launched online ordering platform, Gold Star was able to quickly pick up steam.
As David points out: "From the week ending May 3 through June 21, 2020, we have bounced back and are now up, surpassing last year's sales by 7.4 percent." He attributes the success of this period to the GSR Brands team's focus and determination, crediting his executive team, franchisees, and customers for tackling the challenges of the changing world head-on.
Bottom line, says David: "Our guests trusted us to do it right, and our marketing team communicated that very effectively." GSR Brands' well-established reputation over more than 50 years has instilled confidence for everyone involved and has allowed the business to strengthen during this challenging period.
About Gold Star Chili
Gold Star Chili, founded over 50 years ago, has developed an enormous following in the Cincinnati, Ohio, metropolitan area, serving comfort food with family-style hospitality. The brand stands poised to break out of its Cincinnati stronghold and expand across the Midwest, with its new streamlined menu, updated restaurant design, and a proven business model that allows our franchisees to thrive for decades.
To learn more about Gold Star Chili, visit http://www.goldstarchili.com.
For more information about Gold Star Chili franchising, visit http://www.goldstarchilifranchise.com.
SOURCE GSR Brands
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