Your restaurant’s concept must be built on a viable business model. You should read on to explore some elements on how your restaurant will create a brand, attract customers and make enough money to survive. When starting a restaurant business, studying the steps to help you guide your choices, and even some restaurant concept examples will greatly help you. Instead of just choosing a style of cuisine, concept development should be given priority too. In planning restaurant themes and designs, competitive challenges, researching market demographics, and development of your financial strategy are very important.
Your concept must explore different restaurant cuisines and culinary trends and should cover a wide array of elements with cohesive mood and tone. This can range from your restaurant’s name which gives your customers the idea of the kind of food you serve up to the paint color of your restaurant’s walls. The point here is to make sure that every detail contributes to the overall concept.
Restaurant Concept Definition
A restaurant concept is the overall idea or theme that defines your restaurant business. It must be memorable, simple, and most importantly, authentic. The concept includes names of the menu dishes, style of service, decor and of course the style of food being served.
There are restaurant owners that take inspiration from their location, signature dish, or even from a family member who inspires them. You can choose whether you want to focus on upscale, casual or fast food concepts.
Elements of a Restaurant Concept
There are a lot of interconnected elements needed such as vision, value proposition and differentiation point to come up with a great concept. Industry research and innovation, design, branding and marketing, teams should work together when developing your restaurant concept.
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Restaurant Name
When choosing a restaurant name, it should leave an impression to customers and has deeper meaning that resonates. There’s a restaurant business database online you can use to check if the restaurant’s name is still available for use in your state. If so, then you can proceed with a name reservation request form to register for ownership.
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Draft a Menu
The descriptions should be short, vivid and enticing enough to ignite customers’ senses. Menu and recipe cost should be balanced too. Placing dollar signs are not advised. For dishes that have varying levels of profitability and popularity, menu engineering will help you increase your profits.
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Restaurant Types
Before choosing a restaurant type, ask yourself: “Who’s your customer?” “What is your price range?” “Are you into formal or casual dining?”
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Interior Design
You have to hire a restaurant interior designer for they know how to create ideal environment for customers. Employees should be taken into consideration too while studying the interior design proposal. Once the interior layout has been finalized, securing an interior design contract is next.
Choosing a Restaurant Concept
As an aspiring restaurateur, you probably have an idea of what your restaurant concept will be. You only have to keep these important tips in mind.
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Know your Service Style
Customer service equals communication and genuine attention to your customers. According to Harvard School of Business, customer satisfaction has a huge impact on your revenue. On the contrary, the same study says that the number one reason why customers abandon restaurants is due to poor quality of service. Knowing your style means doing it right from the start.
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Develop your Target Audience
You are setting yourself up for failure if you think that your target customers include everyone, If you want to be successful in your restaurant business, you need to define who are most likely to buy your products and focus your concept to appeal to that target audience.
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Consider your Theme
Your theme influences customers’ first impressions, so it’s better to be certain that your theme doesn’t conflict with other elements of functionality or aesthetic value of your restaurant. The theme of any restaurant should represent the atmosphere it intends to create and deliver a tangible experience. Whether taking your customers on a journey or making them feel right at home, your theme is the metaphorical foundation of your vision.
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Study the Competition
Your restaurant’s competitive analysis should have a list of your main competitors and their strengths and weaknesses. You have to regularly get updated to catch changes in the marketplace and in the competition. You need to understand the landscape before you begin.
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Decide How Much to Spend on a Restaurant Concept
You know it’s great to dream big when you’re into a new restaurant concept, but starting small is a wise decision. You have to save the priciest equipment and food costs when you already have established your restaurant’s sales and have a solid customer base.
Different Quality Restaurant Concepts
The most successful restaurant concept is the one that provides customers with an experience they’ll never forget. So we’ve put together some restaurant concepts to help you get your creative juices flowing.
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Fast Casual
This is a mash-up of fast food and casual dining. The menu offers better quality ingredients than that of fast food establishments.
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Family Style
Family style restaurants often serve on platters and customers serve themselves. It can be described as a family-friendly or casual restaurant. The difference between casual dining and family style is that there are no alcoholic beverages served.
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Fine Dining
Today’s fancy dining is not about crisp tablecloth or violins playing in the background but all about fresh, local food prepared in unique ways and served in an atmosphere that is different from any other restaurant
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Fast Food
Fast food restaurants are typically food chains. If you are thinking of a fast food franchise, the initial costs of franchise is more expensive than opening your own restaurant. They continue to attract customers for its speed and convenience.
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Food Truck
Low start-up costs, low labor costs, and little overhead, these are some of the popular reasons why food trucks are popular. One of its trademarks is making use of the social media to announce where the truck is parked each day.
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Restaurant Buffet
Here, customers pay a single price for the entire meal and make their selection from the dishes or cuisines offered. There is a buffet cost tracking template available to help you plan and manage your buffets.
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Pop up Restaurant
Pop-up restaurants serve different purposes.Pop-ups are also used by community groups as fundraisers. Others use pop-ups as a test run for new restaurateurs wanting to open their own restaurant.
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Franchise
Also known as “quick service” restaurants. A franchise style restaurant allows customers to buy food that is already made, and after an oder, customers have the option to dine in or dine out. A franchise proposal and franchise marketing plan are needed to see how the franchise will perform in terms of profitability.
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Ethnic
Cultural geographer Wilbur Zelinsky in 1985 said, “ethnic restaurants succeed best in locations where the larger local population is receptive to them. Mainstream acceptance of a novel ethnic cuisine requires restaurateurs to meet customers halfway with food and experiences that are easy for them to assimilate”.
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Catering
Catering offers unlimited styles that are only limited by your imagination and creativity. When a person proposes to undertake a catering service, the catering proposal comes into the picture. The number of guest count is standard in catering contracts.
Paul Sarlas, a restaurant developer with several years’ experience explained that each restaurant concept or style offers unique challenges and opportunities to restaurant owners. All these factors help you choose a concept that fits your wants and needs as a restaurant owner.