Greetings!
Smart operators know they have to look beyond traditional streetside locations for opportunities. This includes not only the relatively well-established playing fields of such venues as airports, college and hospital “cafeterias,” and malls, but also public venues. That’s one reason why we have partnered with the market leader in bowling and other entertainment centers to offer a pair of turnkey foodservice startup packages, which you can read about in this newsletter-and expect to see more news about in the future.
We’re also taking a look at a couple of exciting QSR concepts that specialize in well-loved menu items like donuts and chicken wings in surprising and game-changing ways. And be sure you read our associate Margee Drews’s advice about working with an interior designer if you plan a new build or brand refresh.
To your success,
Dean and Danny
Dinner and a Movie… or a Few Frames
For savvy investors, sales opportunities through foodservice abound. That’s why Synergy Restaurant Consultants has partnered with QubicaAMF, the market leader in the bowling and entertainment industry, to offer foodservice start-up packages to QubicaAMF clients.
As part of the agreement, Synergy has developed a package of turnkey start-up services intended for two specific types of bar and restaurant operations: fast casual and casual dining, which are the most relevant for entertainment centers today.
Hotels and resorts, malls, and other retail developments have long understood the value of offering upgraded foodservice options—as both a consumer amenity and a source of traffic, sales and profits—often partnering with chains or locally prominent independent operators.
Now other types of venues are getting into the arena, including such entertainment options as bowling alleys, movie theaters, and so-called lifestyle centers, which are mixed-use commercial destinations that combine the traditional retail functions of a mall with leisure facilities oriented toward upscale consumers.
• Alamo Drafthouse is a small chain of hip movie houses that include chef-driven dining venues in each of its four markets. In Austin, for instance, the company’s flagship Ritz features executive chef Elijah Horton’s menu of movie-seat-friendly appetizers, pizzas (Wild Mushroom with Manchego, Asiago, Parmesan and Romano cheeses), sandwiches and burgers (the de rigueur Green Chile Cheeseburger), and milkshakes (strawberry-balsamic, anyone?), as well as wine, beer and craft cocktails.
Speaking of craft cocktails, the company has recently hired Austin cocktailian Bill Norris as its new beverage director, to develop beverage programs and oversee The Highball in-theater bars and the new tequila-focused satellite bar 400 Rabbits at Alamo Slaughter. In addition, Drafthouse has opened a new reservations-only craft cocktail bar called Midnight Cowboy on trendy East 6th Street in Austin.
Now Alamo is expanding to New York City, and most recently, founder Tim League has announced plans to revamp San Francisco’s historic New Mission Theater.
• In Portland, Maine, one of the hottest tables in town is at Bayside Bowl, where the upgraded menu features the likes of pulled pork sandwiches, burritos, and grilled steak salad, plus a full bar. Grilled pizzas and the signature mac-and-cheese share a pantryful of a la carte topping options, ranging from bacon and olives to broccoli and barbecue sauce—a smart way to cross-utilize ingredients. Bowling parties and catering are sources of additional revenue. The foodservice options have helped to attract leagues as well as walk-in bowlers at a time when the sport is growing in appeal to families and singles.
During the recession, many consumers were drawn to activities like movies and bowling because they represented good value for an evening’s entertainment. Now, with the economy on the upswing, investor interest in this sector is also increasing. Synergy’s relationship with QubicaAMF will help both parties take advantage of the opportunities.
“Restaurants are our core business,” says Danny Bendas, Managing Partner at Synergy Restaurant Consultants. “We have helped so many independent operators and restaurant chains over the last 25 years to reach a position of competitive advantage that we are now really excited to support bowling and entertainment investors with their food and beverage strategies
“We understand the importance of combining food with bowling and entertainment to provide guests with a unique experience, and are excited about this alliance and long term partnership with QubicaAMF.”
For more information on how to add foodservice to your facility, contact Synergy Restaurant Consultants.
One Dish Wonders
You’ve heard of meatball shops and mac-and-cheese merchants, but now the market seems poised to welcome a new generation of fast-casual single-item specialty concepts, from upscale doughnuts (which are beginning to look like the new cupcakes) to chicken wings and tater tots.
In many ways this is nothing new, of course—as anyone who was around in the era of TCBY (the frozen yogurt chain that debuted in 1981), Cinnabon (1985), and Auntie Annie’s pretzel bakeries (1988) already knows.
For that matter, the entire fast food industry is founded upon the notion of limited-menu options along the order of hamburgers, fries and a shake.
But this newest generation of pared-down-menu merchandisers sits squarely in the arena of the booming casual segment, offering such amenities as enhanced ambience, alcoholic beverages, and sometimes even table service. The place where all the action is anyway, in other words.
You can tell the whole story simply by focusing on one market: New York City, where the demographics, streetscape and economy are vibrant enough to support lots and lots of options. New York, in fact, has always been an enormous metropolis made up of little, five- or 10-block-square neighborhoods, each with the population to support multiple dry cleaners, grocery stores, pharmacies and a Starbucks or three. If you can make it here you can’t necessarily make it anywhere, but there are some pretty amazing concepts coming out of the Big Apple right now.
Pok Pok Wing. Andy Ricker has come to town, hoping to do for New York what he did for Portland, Oregon: Make Vietnamese/Thai food hip, trendy and contemporary. Pok Pok Wing takes a signature product from a full-service concept—Ricker’s addictive fish sauce-marinated chicken wings—and turns it into the linchpin for a wildly popular fast casual letter of introduction.
That Tot Spot. I’ve been tracking the trend of upscale housemade tater tots for a couple of years now, so it comes as no real surprise to see the opening a spot that specializes in them. Like Belgian frites, shop dispensing “Tater Tots, Sauces, Goodness” sounds like a good idea for a high-traffic pedestrian attraction like Brooklyn’s Artists & Fleas Market, where shoppers are inclined to grab a snack of fragrant fried potatoes with mix-and-match spices and sauces.
Bark Hot Dogs. No dirty-water dogs here, only artisanal tubesteaks custom-made to the chef-owners’ specifications by an upstate butcher, then fried in lard and served with a compendium of house condiments, plus local draft beers. People travel to Brooklyn to dine at Bark Hot Dogs, and they don’t mind waiting in line for them.
Doughnut Plant. Chestnut Cake, Crème Brulee and Lavender Glazed? Honey, you’re not at Dunkin’ Donuts anymore. At the Doughnut Plant, Mark Isreal’s high-end, $2.75 confections are made with seasonal fresh fruits and lots of loving care, in cake, yeast, and jam- and cream-filled formats… because life’s too short to have to decide.
The Role of Interior Design in Restaurant Success
By Margee Drews, Senior Design Associate
The ideation of a restaurant requires a team effort, whether it’s a new build or a refresh. Getting the interior designer involved early in the process is essential.
New Restaurants
The role of the interior designer begins with the inception of the restaurant concept. The designer must understand and participate in the development of a creative idea into a sound brand design. Development of a conceptual idea into a complete plan requires a clear understanding of the menu, brand differentiation, spatial objectives, and efficient maximum utilization of the space to achieve the highest sales per square foot with complete code compliance.
The designer’s artistic application begins at inception and continues to take shape as the floor plan and elevations are completed. The objective is to provide the best design to articulate the brand identity, with costs always in mind. The ability of the designer to collaborate with owners, operators, architects, kitchen designers, and builders and to provide design leadership is critical. A great designer visualizes the brand intent and brings it to fruition.
The laborious work comes with the selection of the many materials best suited for long life as well as seamless integration into the final product. The designer must understand the critical use of lighting (both natural and manufactured) and the impact it will have on ambience. The design ambience must fulfill the brand identity in a manner that provides sensual excitement from the moment of first seeing the exterior of the site to entering the building. A potential guest must immediately feel drawn into the design and be at a high level of excited comfort.
In general, the restaurant should be freshened within no more than five years.
Existing Restaurants
Existing restaurants are often more challenging, especially if a complete brand renewal is required. The scope of work will depend on the budget allowed, and it frequently requires leaps of the imagination to obtain the best results.
Updating an existing theme usually requires attention to visual cues with less emphasis on layout. Paint, upholstery, lighting, carpet, tabletop, and artwork can task a budget to freshen an existing successful brand. The designer will often need to incorporate as much of the existing detail as possible to fall within financial goals. A full renewal requires that the designer incorporate both exterior and interior surfaces into the design and may also require landscape and signage replacement. One objective is often to avoid changes that will require new code adherence.
Rebranding an existing restaurant typically is even more involved. Whether it is a change of concept or updating an old concept to renew guest enthusiasm and visitation, the changes must be significant. Older existing buildings may also require changes to meet new code requirements. This may involve major changes to the existing layout to accommodate disability access and so on. Successful rebranding should start with the same disciplines as required with any new brand.
Design at its best requires artistic visualization skills along with sound architectural knowledge, broad knowledge of surfaces and surface treatments and their technical properties, appropriate geographic elements, and current code requirements. Today it is also important to understand the environmental properties of all aspects involved in the design, from paint emissions, energy usage, and water usage as examples. Finally, a great designer will possess excellent communications skills and a highly organized mind.
Interested in finding out more about how Synergy can help you in the design process? Give Synergy Restaurant Consultants a call.
Tip of the Month
Those Who Can’t Do… Outsource
Linen, public relations, fresh bread – there are lots of things most restaurants cannot do themselves. As operations become more complex, here are other areas where you may want to consider seeking outside help:
* Human Resources
* Social Media
* Menu R&D
* Music
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