If you were fortunate enough to be at The University of Georgia just a year or so after Herschel, you knew about Guthrie’s. Situated on Baxter Street just a short walk from the large freshmen dorms, Guthrie’s was in the regular rotation of off-campus “fine dining”.
They served one main item surrounded by three different sides. Chicken fingers, french fries, cole slaw, and toast.
You could order the main course a couple of different ways. As a plate (or Gut Box as it was called given it was served in a styrofoam self-closing box) – which included all of the above – or as a sandwich with fries, which was basically the same fingers but with two pieces of toast. And of course, the “sauce” was an out-of-this-world tasty mixture of ketchup, mayonnaise, salt and pepper. You could get extra sauce too.
Guthrie’s allowed you to “customize” your Gut Box, as many were oft to do. “Yes – I’ll have that with extra fries and no slaw. And I’ll take a Coke with that.” And if you needed a refill on your Coke, you simply walked behind the counter and served yourself. They even had a “Customer of the Week” sign on a portable marquee where someone related to yours truly may have achieved that honor.
Guthrie’s has been long gone from its Baxter Street location for many years. Ironically, another purveyor of chicken fingers stands there today – Raising Cane’s. The Cane’s formula is very similar to the Guthrie’s formula. Serve one main item with delicious sides … and offer it in a number of combinations to satisfy the size of every customer’s appetite.
But here’s what’s interesting. Raising Cane’s is a well-known national brand and every location always generates lines out the door and cars backed up in the street. Guthrie’s – the FIRST to build this market and still very much around – is somewhat a distant third in the race for the chicken finger crowd, as another large brand in Zaxby’s now claims 2nd place.
Why is that? Simple. It’s called marketing.
Guthrie’s seemed content with letting word-of-mouth awareness and repeat customers to grow its business. Maybe they had a lack of capital to expand, or lack of interest, or both. It worked fine … for a while.
Then along came Zaxby’s. Founded in 1990, Zaxby’s took the same chicken fingers concept and offered a broader menu. It continues to work well and the company grows through franchising and targeted promotions and sponsorships.
Then, in 1996, Raising Cane’s entered the mix. With hands-on experience from having worked at Guthrie’s, Founder and CEO Todd Graves has simply willed his company to be the front-runner in the chicken finger fast casual arena. How? A strong business plan combined with an unwavering commitment to a simple, manageable menu, and … marketing. Raising Cane’s leverages practically every modern marketing tactic in its arsenal, including social media, influencer marketing, local partnerships, philanthropic sponsorships, tactical promotions, and much more. Their menu is simple by design and they execute flawlessly.
And the result? They are ranked third in annual sales for quick-serve chicken, standing only behind Chick-fil-A and Popeye’s.
Marketing matters. Ignore it and you can still thrive for a little while. Embrace it, and you build something really big that spans generations.
