MRM EXCLUSIVE: How to Win Over the Millennial Market

Millennials love chain restaurants. In fact, the latest EquiTrend Report found that they prefer chain and franchise restaurants more than older generations do. Ranking Five Guys as their favorite burger restaurant and Chick-fil-A as No. 1 in the chicken restaurant category, they also included Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, and Papa John’s as top picks.

For specific brands named by Millennials, this report is great news. Even those that don’t make the list, though, should see a silver lining: The possibility of reaching and capitalizing on this influential group of consumers certainly exists; businesses just need to tailor their marketing in order to do so.

What do Millennials look for and value when choosing to dine at a particular franchise restaurant? It’s a good start to reach this audience by becoming more mobile-centric through programs like mobile check-ins that allow customers to share their locations and restaurants of choice on social media. But businesses can engage this…