SMBs versus Giants: The Street Fight Escalates

When Street Fight was founded about 12 years ago, the fight was defined as the battle between small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) and big multi-location (MULO) brands.

Technology and location finding were still in their early stages, and consumers were just beginning to use their smartphones to find “near me” businesses at which to spend.

FAT Brands and Twin Hospitality Group announced this week that the popular sports bar Twin Peaks has gone public. Ringing the opening bell at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, the brand is the first restaurant brand to go public in 2025.

According to a recent press release, Twin Peaks (founded in 2005 in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville) now has 115 locations in the U.S. and Mexico. Growth plans include converting Smokey Bones locations to the Twin Peaks brand.

So, how can bold moves like this one ultimately impact the mom-and-pop location or restaurants with just a few storefronts?

The reality is that the outcome of the “Street Fight” for a share of consumer’s stomach and wallet will ultimately be decided by the diner. Here’s why:

• We have already discovered that small brands often have more bandwidth to focus on hyper-local search and maybe crushing larger chains on local discovery.
• Consumers continuously seek new experiences and old favorites and may still be inclined to support local one-unit operations rather than large brands.
• Service is critically important to shoppers and diners these days and, although all brands today are challenged by talent issues, building a consistent company culture and managing negative reviews can be way more difficult for MULO brands than for mom-and-pops.
• The MULO brands have a distinct advantage in terms of marketing. They can afford to run a wide range of marketing campaigns (both conventional and digital) and hire creative agencies to build their brands and sophisticated digital loyalty programs. But smaller brands have the ability to build one-on-one customer relationships as part of their “arsenal.”

The reality is that today’s consumers will likely choose a combination of MULO experiences (where they are familiar with the brand wherever they go) and unique boutique moments.

Perhaps the only “fight” that’s really going on these days is the battle to deliver the best possible food experience at just the right time and place for the consumer.

But, if that consumer can’t find your locations or reads multiple negative reviews, the Street Fight outcome has been determined before that diner leaves the small screen.

Huge and small brands alike should view that screen through the consumer’s eyes and know that the experience begins before someone even puts a napkin on their lap!