As chief executive of the Neighborhood Marketing Institute, a consulting firm in Palm Beach, Fla., the former Burger King and McDonald's marketing executive has spent nearly two decades preaching the primacy of grassroots marketing. The decentralization of marketing at McDonald's and other chains is happening because corporations no longer can ignore the value of local efforts, Feltenstein argues. Getting the franchisers to cede control is not an easy process. Service is serving hot food hot, cold food cold, etc. But that's not hospitality.
Hospitality is a human equation.
You're selling a personal experience and you do that through interacting with your customers. You do that within the four walls of the restaurant and within a 3-mile radius of your restaurant, where most of your customers are. Feltenstein says chains are listening more closely now. And making changes.