Research and development
New restaurants come and go every day, and if it were not for Mr. Potter’s unique research and development (R&D) initiatives, Eagle Boys may have never made it past that first store in Albury. Mr. Potter’s extensive experience in flour milling technology and his background in bakery was more conducive to opening a successful bakery, not a pizza restaurant. But it was this knowledge that he drew upon to make Eagle Boys an entirely new and unique concept. The first restaurant was set up like a bakery in the back and a pizza shop in the front. In the bakery section, Mr. Potter tapped into his bakery skills to create a variety of pizza dough made with a baker’s touch to be used as the basis for the store’s pizzas. From thin to multigrain pizzas, the “bakery in a pizza shop” idea was turning out products – all made with fresh ingredients – that were very different from what customers were accustomed to. Eagle Boys advertised their products as semi-gourmet pizzas that were much different than the larger chains, yet cheaper due to the high production output.
This successful idea caught on, and the first store in Albury was quickly turning a handsome profit. Within less than a year, Eagle Boys opened up two more stores in the neighboring cities of Wagga and Dubb in the state of New South Wales. As the company sustained its growth, it put a lot of energy into researching ways to meet consumer demands in different regions. With stores opening up in rural, suburban and urban areas throughout Australia, the company found that no two locations were alike and that one blanket business model could not be used. It therefore developed five different store models that would work in different locations, and which became the foundation of the company’s early growth.
One particularly successful model was the development of a drive-thru pizza store in 1999, a concept which was unheard of at the time. Australia’s first drive-thru pizza store proved immensely popular at specific Eagle Boys locations, as people could quickly grab a delicious and unique meal, that fit into their busy lifestyle no matter where they were headed. Expanding on this quick pizza delivery system, the company launched the Eagle Boys Pizza Express Store shortly thereafter, which was designed to provide quick service pizza out of a small location in highly populated foot traffic areas.
With this model, the company specialized in two minute “express” pizzas sold in four different varieties (which were the company’s most popular pizza varieties) between 5:30 and 8:00pm. Eagle Boys achieved this by constantly remaking these four varieties and keeping them in a warmer for sale up to eight minutes after they were made. This ensured that pizzas could be delivered quickly, but were also guaranteed to be fresh.
The first Express Store was opened in 2003 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, and similar stores opened at Brisbane’s domestic and international airports the following year. It proved to be very popular, and new locations started to spring up at airports, shopping malls and pedestrian malls throughout the country. The immense popularity of the Express Stores led to the launching of Eagle Express menu items at all Eagle Boys locations in 2005, and many locations were generating up to forty percent of their sales from these products.
The company refined the model further with the development of a six inch pizza baking system designed especially for Express Stores. This system allows the company to produce pizza bases off site with the highest level of consistency and quality. The pizza bases are snap-frozen (partially baked then rapidly chilled) for delivery to each store, and once thawed they are simply topped as required and baked in approximately four minutes and thirty seconds.
As the company started to experience increased competition, it had to do something to differentiate its express pizza service from other companies offering similar products. Eagle Boys went back to the drawing board, and in 2008 it developed a popular offshoot menu for Eagle Express stores: “Ready, Fresh Go!”. The menu was changed to offer only three pizza varieties – two of the company’s most popular and a manager’s special – and the name reflected the fact that while it is an express delivery system, the pizzas are made fresh and held in specially-designed slow-cook ovens that ensure their freshness. In 2009, the company evolved further by creating a “Ready-2-Go” line of pizzas, which was made available in select stores.
The company’s dedication to research and response to consumer trends and the development of new, quality products quality culminated in the largest revamp of the Eagle Boys menu in its history. Launched in early 2010, the new menu featured a multitude of new items. Apart from new pizzas, novel items such as a chocolate fudge mousse dessert, pasta dishes, additional side dishes and drinks were introduced. Customers have responded with a resounding satisfaction, and throughout 2010 Eagle Boys enjoyed one of its biggest increases in sales in company history. “This industry recognition is testament to our focus on responding to customers’ needs and developing a new menu which focuses on quality ingredients and unbeatable taste,” said Ms. Christine Hooper of the Executive Marketing division.
Creating innovative and unique products and business models is what has propelled the company to success, and it continues to be a mainstay of Eagle Boys’ activities. From ground-breaking drive-thru pizza to unique store models and ordering via the Internet, Eagle Boys continues to develop new and accessible ways for its customers to purchase pizza, no matter where they might be.
Invention
Eagle Boys’ innovation did not stop at developing different store models or menu items. The company is constantly involved in coming up with new ways that it can be the best pizza restaurant in Australia, and one particular standout was the development of an ingenious two-tiered pizza delivery box. The idea came out of a desire to find a way to fit two pizzas in one box, but without the box turning soft and thus negatively impacting the flavor of the pizzas. Many customers were taking advantage of Eagle Boys’ two-pizza deals, and finding an economical and practical way to fit two pizzas in one box became an important R&D challenge.
The company quickly developed the two-tiered pizza delivery box, which also turned out to have a few other important – yet not readily apparent – advantages. First, the heat generated from two pizzas in one box keeps them both piping hot for a longer period of time, which means that the box will also hold its structural integrity longer. Second, the use of recycled paper stock increased the box’s strength while being environmentally friendly. Lastly, because less material is used to manufacture boxes, the company enjoyed a twenty percent savings on box expenses.