I walk into restaurants every day that have one major problem – they don’t have a clear concept of their restaurant. I’m not talking about the KIND of food you serve. I’m talking about the entire atmosphere of your restaurant. What does your restaurant seek to do? There are some restaurants that cater to families and others cater to providing a romantic atmosphere. Everything you do within your restaurant should support your concept.
If you don’t have clarity when it comes to your concept, it can be difficult to provide a strong atmosphere to your customers. This means they may enjoy the food but may not feel comfortable in their surroundings. Not only do you have to establish your concept but your serving staff has to buy into it as well.
You need to take a good look at your restaurant. Think about the following areas in order to establish your concept:
• The type of food you serve
• The ambiance of your restaurant
• The type of service you offer
• The feeling you want to give your diners
All of these areas need to be addressed in order for you to truly have clarity of concept.
You might be asking yourself one very important question…why do I need a concept? Great food isn’t enough. If you ask any successful restaurant what their concept is, they will be able to tell you. If you ask any restaurant that has recently closed their doors due to failure what their concept is, they won’t be able to tell you. This alone should be reason enough to have some sort of concept within your restaurant.
Once you have a strong concept, you need to make sure everything you do – and everything your staff does – reinforces this. Your hosts and servers are a reflection of you and your restaurant. You may know what your concept is, but if they don’t, how are they going to provide the right kind of service? Your guests may not be getting the take-away you think they are – which can result in a lack of customers returning over and over again.
Don’t let your guests walk away empty-handed. A full belly is great, but will it be enough to have them return over and over again? You want to make sure they have something to talk about once they leave.
Watch Video for Restaurant Owners about the Importance of Concept to your Restaurant
