El Torito Restaurants

Service - Brand Positioning

Background - El Torito was a 25+ year old chain. Competition in Mexican food was fierce. Fresh Mex Concepts, Fast Casual intrusion, and Casual Dining brands adding classic Mexican favorites to their offerings. El Torito had lost it’s differentiation and it’s brand positioning needed to be defined.

Methodology - Focus groups were held using a laddering method of customers to understand what customers sought in their Mexican Casual dining experience. They did not recognize that El Torito was more authentic than many of the competitors. Foods from scratch, innovations of Mexican dishes they had come to know had been introduced at El Torito and they could do more.

Client Action - El Torito focused on the authenticity. They used their chef of 25 years as a legitimate spokesperson and a solid history for the brand to talk about. They introduced regional dishes from many parts of Mexico focusing on the “sauces and dishes from scratch.”