Pancake House CRIB: Community Relations Innovation Bootcamp
CIA Bootleg Manila partnered with Pancake House to design and execute CRIB (Community Relations Innovation Bootcamp)—a first-of-its-kind insighting and ideation journey crafted to reimagine what community relations could mean for a restaurant chain rooted in nostalgia, warmth, and Filipino comfort food. This wasn’t a typical brand workshop. CRIB became the platform for defining Pancake House’s community identity, co-creating real touchpoints, and launching a nationwide field immersion across 45 branches and 40 community hubs.
Project Champions
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Project Manager for Project A
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Overview
Pancake House wanted to answer a powerful question:
"How can we be more than a restaurant—and become a true community hub?"
Their aspiration: To be top of mind as a community brand that champions feel-good moments through local marketing efforts and community engagement.
Bootleg responded with CRIB—a full-spectrum innovation bootcamp anchored on community psychology, sociology, and strategy-by-doing. We designed CRIB as a rigorous program that blended field immersions, psychological interviews, ideation sprints, and creative prototyping.
Our Solution
CRIB unfolded over 3 months and 5 major phases:
🧠 INSIGHTING
• 322 hours of ethnographic immersions in 45 branches
• 80+ interviews with customers and staff
• 40 visits to local community hubs (barangays, stores, centers)
• Psychological interviews with loyalists, staff, and community leaders using Bootleg’s 4 Layers of Needs
🧪 TESTING & INCUBATION
• Innovation objectives tested with 24 customer and staff interviewees
• Iterative idea development across 5 cross-regional teams
🎯 IDEATION & STRATEGY
• Sprint workshops to build PH’s new community framework
• Finalized via integration and synthesis by Bootleg strategists
The Output
Together, we created the Pancake House Community Circle—a strategic framework anchored on feel-good moments and elevated community connection.
The 5 Pillars of the Community Circle:
1. Pancake Perks — Personalized Guest Experiences
2. Community Corner — Engagement & Empowerment
3. Home Harmony — Inclusive, Comfortable Dining Spaces
4. Moments Maker — Innovation in Product & Service
5. Our House — Employee Growth and Well-being
Each pillar includes a full suite of ready-to-test initiatives inspired by deep research and the lived insights of the field teams.
The Impact
CRIB gave Pancake House more than a framework—it gave them a movement.
A movement powered by insights, collaboration, and a renewed purpose to make every guest feel good, every community feel seen, and every team member feel valued.
What We Did
Bootleg delivered the full CRIB program, including:
• Co-design of the full immersion and ideation roadmap
• Field mentoring in ethnographic and psychological techniques
• Framework development and strategic synthesis
• Strategic playbook and action-ready concept bank
• Nationwide upskilling of 50+ PH team members across 5 regional squads
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