“Restaurants are like groceries, fashion
or sport,” Sverre reasons. “Things move
fast. If something is lacking, you need to
implement it and get it on shelves or in
your store quickly. It’s very proactive.”
Sverre might enjoy the pace of the
industry, but he is also clearly a thoughtful
leader, pondering big picture issues such as
the environmental impact of food production,
the links between diet and quality of life
and even the emotional development of the
company’s young charges.
The QSR market has been in flux in
Norway recently, but Umoe has remained
more than competitive, even as waves of new
players have come onto the scene. Sverre
estimates there are now 8,000 restaurants in
the country, with 1,600 opening in the past
year and 1,300 shutting down. “That is a big
change because there is always someone who
is new and who is starting with a great idea
that is very much up-to-date.
“The biggest challenge is to keep
up-to-date and compete with the new
independent restaurants that are much faster
to adapt because they have smaller systems.
We have numerous advantages, but that is
the biggest challenge.”One of the secrets to remaining relevant
is having an extremely detailed understanding
of customer preferences. The company
provides feedback questionnaires for each
visitor and also runs focus groups and market
research exercises. The focus groups evaluate
management and kitchen staff, as well as
those who welcome visitors into the
restaurants. It’s an exhaustive process, Sverre
explains, with people from every age
group and different regions of Norway and
Sweden being surveyed to identify potential
areas for improvement.
He says it is important to get some
subjective feedback to complement the
objective information from sales figures.
“The only thing you find out from your sales
is what’s selling and what is not. You never
find out what you’re missing, so you need
a strong system for discussing that with
consumers and to pick up on their
expectations for what you should have.”SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS
An ongoing project at Umoe is ensuring
its operations are as sustainable as possible,
both in terms of reducing energy use and
for avoiding food production practices »54 | theceomagazine.com
INSPIRE | Interview