Thanksgiving Marks 'Biggest Week of the Year' -- Boston Market CEO
Thanksgiving is the "Super Bowl" of the food industry, and Boston Market starts preparing for the big day almost a full year in advance, said the company's CEO, George Michel.
"We plan and get all our suppliers behind us," said Michel, who will be working alongside his employees in the company's restaurants on Thanksgiving. "Our employees are so excited because that's our biggest week of the year during Thanksgiving."
Boston Market serves more than a million guests during the Thanksgiving holiday, approximately 400% higher than a normal Thursday. Michel said he expects this Thursday to be the largest sales day in the company's history. Boston Market sold more than 41,000 whole turkeys to consumers in November and December last year.
Last winter's bird flu will likely have grocery store turkeys costing more this Thanksgiving. Michel said Boston Market tried to keep the price of a Thanksgiving meal down, but is raising prices slightly.
"Turkey prices have gone up around 30 cents a pound, so we adjusted our pricing by about 7%," said Michel.
Same-store sales at Boston Market have increased by 25% over a three-year period, according to Michel. He said his restaurants, unlike many retailers, are benefiting from lower gas prices.
"Consumers have more discretionary income, so they are going out to eat more," said Michel. "We are excited that people have more money in their pockets to eat at our restaurants."
Boston Market, which now has 453 restaurants nationwide, plans to open over a dozen new restaurants in the coming year, including several in the New York City area. Michel said the company is also opening restaurants in non-traditional locations like mall food courts and on military bases via a new partnership with the Army and Air Force Exchange.
Finally, Michel said he is focused on Thanksgiving and growing the business at this point, rather than taking the company, which is now owned by private equity shop Sun Capital Partners, public.
"At this point we are really focused on growing the business and growing our same-store sales," said Michel. "That's what's really important for us."