Make a statement

In a previous blog post, the question posed was "What is your restaurant's concept? Can you articulate it?" If not, take a moment and try.


Why is this important? Because when you know what you're selling, you can more easily sell it.


Newspapers, the Yellow Pages and search engines categorize restaurants by type. To slide into one of them enables potential customers to find you more easily. Is your food ethnic, eclectic, or vegetarian? Do you serve southern-style comfort food, deep-dish pizza, spicy wings or barbecue? Once you've established your basic menu, then you can include alternative options. A tea room may also sell coffee. A burger joint may also serve chicken. A wine bar might also sell beer. 


What you don't want to do is confuse your customers. They need a clear picture of what you have to offer, with one concept at the top. Restaurants fail when they try to be everything to everyone, and they also fail when they don't offer enough choices. The trick is to know how best to balance the two. 


Some concepts have inherent challenges. If you're  primarily selling ice cream in North Dakota, you might have to offset your offerings to include hot coffee. If you're trying to appeal to professionals with disposable incomes, you might not locate close to a college campus. If your demographic is strapped for cash, you're not likely to succeed with a steakhouse.


Once you have a clear concept, then you can build your menu and your décor around it. In fact, make everything related to your business a part of that concept in the same way that a company makes decisions while continually referring to its mission statement. Adjust your statement as need be, but make a point to stick to your plan. That way, you will never veer off course. 


~ GTB