Just four months after starting as brand president at Perkins, Toni Ronayne is leading the company into a new era. 

In late June, the casual chain changed its name. Later this year, it will roll out a new name, store designs and menu offerings — an ambitious set of initiatives that reflects not only the company’s history and legacy, but also a modern approach to dining aesthetics and current customer needs. 

“As part of my new appointment, it was an opportunity for me to come in and think about how we could evolve and grow the brand in new ways,” Ronayne said in an interview. “It was a no-brainer for me to join the company because there was such a great foundation of service and history and an incredible experience that has been consistent across the country.” 

Perkins joins a growing list of brands undergoing menu overhauls and updated strategic plans this year to streamline operations, improve the guest and employee experience and grow sales and traffic. Portillo’s, El Pollo Loco and Shake Shack are focusing on improving operations, while chains like Panera and Cracker Barrel are redoing their menus to bring back diners amid a slowing traffic environment. 

A new name and more efficient store design

This isn’t the first time the chain has changed its name. It started out as Perkins Pancake House in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1958. It became Perkins Cake and Steak in 1969 and was renamed shortly after to Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, according to the company’s website. Its new name, Perkins American Food Company, seeks to embody that decades-long history and is being showcased with new interior signage.

The company spent the past year doing consumer research and spent the last quarter and a half developing the Perkins American brand as its new identity, Ronayne said.

“What we heard from our guests was that they’re looking for an experience that takes you back, but at the same time, moves you forward,” Ronayne said. “We’re known for great service, great quality and value, but there was an opportunity for us to think about how we could take something so classic, so historic and evolve it in a way that felt really fresh and modern.” 

With its two new store concepts, Perkins has joined the trend of chains deploying smaller restaurant designs. The first concept, which it calls its “mainline aesthetic,” will be 3,000 to 3,500 square feet, about half the size of its current traditional 6,000- to 6,500-square-foot restaurant. That design will incorporate into stores more of Perkins’ green color that appears in its signage. 

“It’s a different green, so a little bit fresher, a little bit more modern,” Ronayne said. 

The design incorporates a wall of artwork that showcases Perkins' past, like old signs, advertisements and store photographs. The full-service concept will be available to develop as a standalone or inline location, she said. 

Perkins is expanding its bakery at the front of the house to emphasize that part of its identity. It will also add new bakery items to its menu, she said.

Other features of the new design include a smaller kitchen, streamlined back-of-house operations and smaller seating and square footage in the dining room, Ronayne said.

The first buildout of the mainline concept will open later this year in Orlando, Florida, and will be a company-owned location. It is too soon to estimate the cost savings of the new concepts, Ronayne said. 

Perkins is also working on a small 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot-unit that will function more like a fast casual restaurant, Ronayne said. The first location will open in Ontario, Canada, in a small town that’s unable to support a traditional restaurant. 

“Express will allow us to expand internationally and start to look at non-traditional business [like] colleges, universities, airports, any sort of transient food courts,” Ronayne said.

While other casual chains, like IHOP, have largely shuttered their experimental fast casual concepts, Ronayne said she thinks Perkins has the right formula in place for the smaller units to succeed. 

“I think what I’ve seen in the marketplace is probably too far of a departure [from] the original brand and that’s not what we’re doing here,” Ronayne said.  “We want to make sure Perkins Express feels like a Perkins.”

That means offering omelets and baked goods and other “tried and true best sellers,” she said. Everything will be made in-house just like a regular Perkins. 

“While this Perkins Express is going to offer that element of convenience… we’re certainly not getting away from family dining in terms of the service and the experience those guests are going to have,” Ronayne said.

Franchisees excited for the brand changes

Franchisees have been receptive to the changes at the chain, especially the smaller store footprints, Ronayne said. 

“Some of our largest franchisees, certainly as they look at their portfolios, we’ve opened up the opportunity for them to expand in towns that, frankly, they weren’t able to before,” Ronayne said. “I think they’re excited about the chance to be able to grow and expand their own portfolios.” 

Franchisees are interested not just in opening restaurants with the new design, but also seeing what the renovation strategy will look like. 

“I had franchisees … say to me, ‘I want to change my sign tomorrow. How can we make that happen?’” Ronayne said. 

A new franchise group that committed to 10 units in California plans to do a mix of Express and mainline locations, Ronayne said. About 50% of franchisees are really interested in developing the Express units, particularly internationally. The chain recently signed a three-restaurant international deal for Express locations. 

“There’s an opportunity for us to double down … and grow very, very quickly.,” Ronayne said. 

Perkins’ menu remake emphasizes dinner  

In an effort to boost its dinner offering, Perkins has updated its burger menu with what it calls its Decked Out Double platform, which launched July 2. There are four different flavors, including the new flavor of Double Bacon Avocado Crunch. The three other burgers consist of existing flavors like its BBQ Tangler Burger and Classic Cheeseburger. These burgers have new seasoning and contain two Angus Beef patties. The new Double Bacon Avocado Burger has toppings of fresh avocado, pickled onions, tater tots and cheese. 

“It’s very difficult to go on the journey of elevating and adapting the brand and then leaving the menu in isolation,” Ronayne said. “Taking the time to scrutinize and challenge ourselves and our status quo and also create a space for innovation to thrive within the family dining space is exactly what we need to be doing.” 

The casual chain has partnered with The Culinary Edge to do a full menu review and ensure that its menu meets guests’ needs, Ronayne said. Within the next six months, Perkins will roll out more changes to the menu, she said. 

“One of the conversations that we keep having is [asking], how do we bring the bakery and restaurant together?” Ronayne said.  “Rather than [customers] just grabbing a muffin on the way out, how can we incorporate some of these elements of our bakery into the food that we’re serving at the restaurant?” 

The chain also is leaning into value and assessing how it can ensure that it is giving the guest a full plate of food at an affordable price, she said. 

“You’ll definitely start to see some changes in our dinner offerings,” Ronayne said. “Dinner is a space that we believe that we can really play in and also showcase some great innovation and invite our guests back to be able to see those changes.” 

The Decked Out Doubles are part of that initial dinner platform revision, she said. Another rollout for its menu is expected to follow soon, and with a third and fourth revision in the winter, she said. 

“We want to be a lead innovator in the space and we believe that the work we’re doing is going to overall not just elevate Perkins, but elevate the family dining category,” Ronayne said.