Hungry for More

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Armed with a solid foundation and a quality product, Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs is primed for growth

Americans eat an estimated 300 million sandwiches every day, but not all sandwiches are equal. Ask any true sandwich connoisseur and they will tell you that what really sets a high-quality sandwich apart from its lesser brethren is the bread. Fortunately for the Kansas City-based sandwich franchise Goodcents, it bakes fresh bread best referred to as “pillowy soft” that serves as the perfect base for freshly-sliced meat and vegetables.

Goodcents president Mike O’Toole recognizes that a good deal of his company’s success is predicated on the quality product that its founder created 30 years ago and maintaining that quality is of immense importance as the company expands its footprint. “We’re out in Arizona and up in Minnesota, but we’re kind of a Midwest deal. We want to make sure the sandwich you get in Phoenix is the same as the one you get in Kansas City, where we started. So, consistency is key.”

Since O’Toole took over as president a year and a half ago, sandwich quality has not been the only area in which consistency had been emphasized. Goodcents focused on consistent values to drive company culture and a commitment to digital marketing that have lain a confident foundation for future growth.

O’Toole explains, “I believe you need four things to grow. First is an exceptional product, which our founder made in 1989. We, as a team, have been able to build the second aspect of growth, which is a system where there’s accountability and the ability to be consistent.” That system largely relies on Goodcents’ creation of the TROPIC Value System.

TROPIC Value System and Technology

A dedication to core values led to the creation of TROPIC (trust, respect, openness, personal growth, integrity, and collaboration). More than just words on the wall, each value has an accompanying statement — for example, “trust” is accompanied by, “We can be confident that we have each other’s best interests at heart. There is no sense of judgment, we back up and support one another.”

Such ideals have made it easy for team members to rally behind the cause, pitch in for one another, and share ideas. It was this environment which allowed Cole McMillian, the Senior Manager of Digital Strategy, to feel bold in suggesting asking reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes to appear in a commercial for Goodcents, a perceivably difficult feat given his popularity at the time. One thing led to another and the franchise had a superstar spokesman, an award-winning commercial, and a valuable partnership.

Technology has also contributed to consistency and expansion. Adopted tech works in conjunction with award-winning training solutions to assure that a Goodcents sandwich tastes the same whether it’s bought in Florida, Idaho, or anywhere in between — something that gave founder Joe Bisogno the confidence that the company could expand without sacrificing quality.

A Thriving Business 

“The third (aspect of growth) is that the system has to make money or else the business doesn’t thrive. And if you have the first three, you have the last — guest satisfaction and franchisee satisfaction,” O’Toole continues. Going “all in on digital” over the last three years has resulted in Goodcents having a significant digital presence that gets results and brings in the money to enable the third aspect of growth.

“The growth that we’re seeing right now is directly related to our confidence in who we are and what we do and our ability to market that message through some really scrappy, smart digital marketing strategies. And then we also need great execution, so over the past year we’ve developed a score card that tells us exactly where our restaurants are in execution and training. It allows us to pinpoint the needs of our franchisees and send direct assistance,” according to O’Toole.

By putting the four aspects of growth together, Goodcents franchisees are making more money than ever and the company experienced double-digit growth for the second time in its history.

Continued Growth

Not satisfied with just opening new franchise locations, Goodcents is also preparing for a nationwide launch of Goodcents to Go, a service offering full to-go meals ranging from Chicken Alfredo to Classic Pot Roast. The meals will be prepared at Goodcents locations where they can be picked up and taken home for a quick dinner or stashed in the office fridge for future lunches.

The program solves problems for customers who need a meal that tastes great and is convenient. This innovation opens a new revenue stream for the company. O’Toole discusses its origins, “We use technology in a lot of ways, we use it in our training department. We use it to market directly to customers. But we also use it to read consumer habits and spending habits. We know that customers are increasingly looking for more off-premise options and we wanted to make sure we were there to serve that need.”

Looking ahead to the next 30 years, it’s not hard to imagine Goodcents building on its solid foundation and expanding to even more markets. O’Toole finishes up, “When I look to the future, there’s this building momentum and we can do anything. We can grow from 72 current restaurants to thousands. We really feel like we can do that because of the foundation that’s set up to support growth, to execute, and to build a market anywhere in the country. And that foundation right there, it’s got us real confident.”

It’s got us confident, too.