Established business owners sometimes feel that updating or renovating their restaurant space is an unnecessary expense. After all, if it’s not broken, why fix it? However, you could be losing business if it has been more than five or six years since you’ve changed up the customer experience at your restaurant. If you think you may be ready to give your space a face lift, ask yourself these four questions.
Does My Dining Area Speak to the Right Crowd?
While you may have no trouble getting repeat business from the Baby Boomers who have had their morning coffee at your place for the past twenty years, your restaurant could have a lot more potential than that. Do Gen Y and Millennials visit often? Or do you have a space that is family-oriented? If your dining area is no longer a good fit for the customers you are hoping to attract, it’s time to make some changes.
Are My Competitors Making Changes?
You can’t base all your business decisions on what the competition is doing, but if several restaurants in your area have updated their space, it’s probably time for you to do the same. After all, you don’t want your clients heading over to the burger joint down the street simply because it looks newer.
Is There Enough Space?
In just about every industry, minimalism is becoming more popular, requiring more spacious areas with fewer things in them. In other words, people expect to have more room. Elbow-to-elbow cafes and crowded diners are just not viable restaurant spaces anymore.
Do I Like Coming to Work?
You got into the restaurant business for a reason — because you love serving food to people who love to eat it, right? But if it feels like a drag to step into your restaurant, a renovation could give you the boost you need to love what you do again. They do say that a change is as good as a rest.
At TRG Restaurant Consulting, we are passionate about helping restaurant owners create an experience that they and their customers will love. Stay tuned for Part 2, where you can find out how to create the restaurant space of your dreams.
