When I drive down the street, I see the same thing over and over and over again: Fast food restaurants that look, more or less, the same. And for cost reasons, I understand why they do what they do.

But here’s an idea: spend a little more, and stand out. Be remarkable. What if Main Street in your town had a Jack in the Box that was a tribute to the area's famed historic architecture (image to the right)? Would that stand out from the McDonald's across the street or the Taco Bell next door?

I think so.

All of a sudden, rather than competing on who has the cheapest breakfast biscuit, you are suddenly competing on emotional values like an experience.

Look at Chipotle: With over 1,000 locations, no two Chipotle’s look the same. True story. The only thing that remains consistent is the experience and the delectable food. Oh, and the framed photograph of their original location prominently displayed where the customer orders (Yes, also true).

OK, OK, so I’m sure the CMO of Jack in the Box would laugh if she read this. Spend more for architecturally unique stores? You are out of your mind. 

Perfect! I at least got your attention with what would inevitably be a really cool concept design for a new Jack in the Box.

Now go ahead and call us here at Balihoo, so I can educate you about how we can enable that franchisee (the one with the unique restaurant) to be more effective with local store marketing. Because who am I kidding? Even with a ridiculously awesome structure, you still need to do some local advertising.