HOP Vietnamese:
Food Strategy & Menu Development
Project Overview
This project was the latest in a long-standing relationship between Egg Soldiers and HOP, with the restaurant brand seeking guidance and support on flexible menu strategy and new dish development to coincide with its latest expansion plans.
Due to the size and scope of the project, Egg Soldiers was given licence to work as part of the HOP food team and freely develop innovative concepts and products as part of a business retainer, enabling us to actively drive HOP's move towards 'all-day' dining menu offers across both current and future categories, differentiated between sites.
Due to the size and scope of the project, Egg Soldiers was given licence to work as part of the HOP food team and freely develop innovative concepts and products as part of a business retainer, enabling us to actively drive HOP's move towards 'all-day' dining menu offers across both current and future categories, differentiated between sites.
Egg Soldiers x HOP Vietnamese:
Our Approach
Our Approach
Business Immersion & Vietnam Safari
We began with a comprehensive deep-dive into the business. This included in-depth competitor research, food and customer experience trend immersion, and existing menu analysis.
Egg Soldiers and HOP then embarked on a 10-day Vietnamese food tour across both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to discover the latest in all-day eating and drinking trends in the north and the south of Vietnam, inspiring the development of new menu options.
Egg Soldiers and HOP then embarked on a 10-day Vietnamese food tour across both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to discover the latest in all-day eating and drinking trends in the north and the south of Vietnam, inspiring the development of new menu options.
Menu Planning & Development
The Egg Soldiers team hosted collaborative workshops on food strategy, brainstorming new dish introductions across categories, co-creating 'all-day' dining menu architecture for both new and existing sites, and establishing LTO and refresh timelines.
Our retainer setup allowed us to think big with new ideas and concepts, with multiple menu expansions set to coincide with site launches in both London and Manchester.
We then worked directly with the HOP food team to develop all new dishes and recipes, with a new breakfast range and expanded drinks menus among the initial focus areas.
Our retainer setup allowed us to think big with new ideas and concepts, with multiple menu expansions set to coincide with site launches in both London and Manchester.
We then worked directly with the HOP food team to develop all new dishes and recipes, with a new breakfast range and expanded drinks menus among the initial focus areas.
Concept Launch & Support
Following 'quick win' launches across sites in January 2023; Egg Soldiers supported HOP in the launch of almost 20 newly-developed menu additions in March, including new soups, salads, baguettes, and seven more styles of its signature 'HOP box' lunch options.
That summer, HOP expanded its dessert and sides ranges, and also introduced our co-developed Vietnamese iced coffee styles, bubble tea options, and signature lemonades to coincide with the opening of two new HOP locations - in London's Bond Street, and Trafford in Manchester.
A new 'late night' menu is also set to launch as part of our co-created 'all-day' menu direction, as well as a dedicated kids' menu at its Manchester outpost, with Egg Soliders establishing a pipeline of launches across new categories for the future.
That summer, HOP expanded its dessert and sides ranges, and also introduced our co-developed Vietnamese iced coffee styles, bubble tea options, and signature lemonades to coincide with the opening of two new HOP locations - in London's Bond Street, and Trafford in Manchester.
A new 'late night' menu is also set to launch as part of our co-created 'all-day' menu direction, as well as a dedicated kids' menu at its Manchester outpost, with Egg Soliders establishing a pipeline of launches across new categories for the future.
Client Feedback
- Paul Hopper, Founder“As a fast-growing brand with evolving development needs, we made the decision to have Egg Soldiers act as an extension of our food team for this key step in the HOP journey.
"They have unique experience across the industry, and it comes together to great effect. The team worked closely with us through every project stage, and together we’ve created a food strategy to help us succeed both in the short and long term.
"We now have brilliant new menu items and refined operational capabilities across our sites, and we’ve also launched brand-new menu categories. And we've seen instant impact. Drink sales at our new Bond Street site, for example, now make up 25% of transactions!
"This was a big project for us, and I was very glad to have had Egg Soldiers on board from the start.“
Read more: HOP Vietnamese x Egg Soldiers