Look around. Ask yourself this crucial question: Are you happy with your restaurant? Or are you still enjoying the golden times gone by making you comfortable and set in your ways?
Next, ask question two: Even more important...are your customers still pleased with your food, service and ambiance? Look for warning signs that new customers are not coming in as frequently and that your customer base is eroding. If the answer to either question or both is "NO," then you may be ready for an upgrade immediately.
You may hear that your competitors have "remodeled." That doesn't mean they have upgraded. You can steal their thunder by upgrading in contrast to their remodeling. Remodeling is changing the physical appearance of the establishment. Upgrading is much more: it is the bettering of the food and menu served, improving the speed, consistency and attentiveness of the service as well as improving the ambiance.
If you are a wise operator, concerned with your own self-interest, you will take steps to prevent conceptual obsolescence before it is too late. You will not just remodel, but you will UPGRADE!
An upgrade requires all of these remedies:- A physical improvement of the facility to make it better looking and to improve its efficiency.
- Revision of the menu to keep it fresh and in a tune with today's market.
- Re-motivate your workers and rekindle enthusiasm because of the things being done with the facility and the menu.
- Take steps to get more customers by targeting new markets which may include raiding competitors' clientele.
- Upgrading can require not only the services of designers, architects and contractors, but the talents of experts in food and menu trends as well.
- Also needed are, marketeers to focus on what your target market seeks from a restaurant in your location.
- Finally, you should use the expertise of a concept consultant who will work with you to create a fresh and topical concept to establish your new image.
Ultimately, the success of your upgrade rests primarily with you. If you have not taken the time to study and evaluate the conditions existing in your restaurant and in the competitive marketplace, you may well squander dollars on remodeling when what you really need is an upgrade.
Mr. Lloyd M. Gordon, President of GEC Consultants, Inc. has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has concepted more than 390 restaurants and has been consulting for over 44 years. He helps people enter the restaurant industry, points the way to profitability, and helps keep them successful. To discuss "Is It Time to Upgrade Your Restaurant?" he can be reached at 847-674-6310.© Copyright GEC Consultants, Inc. 2007
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