Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant Rachel Layton talks branding with Rumors Deli owner Annette Harris at the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s Community Luncheon Friday.

Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant started with humble roots, but today it’s a thriving business model and a destination for good food and a sense of community.

That story of success, branding and quality was the message Rachel Layton, the marketing force at work with Andy Marshall’s Puckett’s and other ventures, brought to the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s Community Luncheon Friday.

“A lot of people think branding is on marketing, but it’s actually every single interaction,” Layton said. “You have to define your brand. What are your customers’ needs? Look around and see who provides the best customer experience.”

When Marshall bought the original Puckett’s in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, he was following a dream to create a community gathering place with fresh food and entertainment. The plan was so successful that the operation expanded into other areas with an emphasis on high quality food and outstanding service, she said.

The restaurants rely on products grown locally to provide the best Southern cooking and freshness available. With the personal touch involved in each venture, Puckett’s made its customers the branding agents, posting photos to social media with their favorite food, from deep-fried brownies to a man squirting his favorites barbecue sauce into his mouth.

“People have taken on the brands they love,” Layton said. “People love to talk about it. So, it’s important to know in what way your customers are talking about you. You can also try new things and see the reactions, learn what works and doesn’t work.”

Layton said a key in the success has been consistency with Puckett’s

“If your customers aren’t happy, your brand doesn’t exist,” Layton said.

Recapping her talk, Layton encouraged business owners to:

define your brand

brand your customers

maintain a consistent tone

be innovative

guard authenticity