Restaurant

TOP

Add Healthy Options to Your Restaurant Menu

May 12
Posted by Daniel in Booths, Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant seating, restaurant tips and advice

More and more people are choosing to go the healthy route, and that means that they might not be eating out as much as they once did. Does this sound like a frightening prospect for you and your restaurant?

It shouldn’t.

You can take advantage of this new trend and start adding healthier menu options to drive your business back up.

When you are making these changes to your menu, consider just how much you want to change. Are you going to make sweeping changes to your menu, or are you only going to add a few healthier choices?

You may only want to add a few different options here and there and slowly overtake your menu with healthier choices. The way you do it is up to you. You might want to have a separate menu so that you don’t have to change the layout of your old one that your customers are familiar with. The cost to print these additional menus shouldn’t be too high.

As you make the change and start adding these healthier choices to the menu, you need to make sure that you advertise the changes that you are making. Send out a press release to the papers as well as online. Tie it in with the rising trend of health problems and obesity and tell everyone what you are doing to help combat that. Promote these healthier changes on your blog and anywhere else that you do your advertising so you can be sure that everyone is going to see them.

Changing just the menu might not be enough to start enticing new customers to your establishment. You might also want to make some cosmetic changes to your restaurant. They don’t have to be drastic, but a few décor changes and even buying new restaurant booths, chairs and tables can give your place a new look that matches in with the new theme of your menu. As always, you want to make sure that the restaurant furniture is comfortable and that the seating arrangements work.

How long will this healthy trend last? No one can tell for sure, but it certainly looks as though it is here to stay. With so many people wanting to get into shape and live a better, health conscious lifestyle, there will always be a large segment of the population that wants to have healthy options at their local eatery. Remember, even if your menu isn’t the healthiest around, adding an option for the health enthusiasts can only increase your clientele base. So don’t leave them out.

Read More
Tags: , , , , ,
Comments (1)
TOP

Get Your Restaurant Customers to Come Back on Slow Months

Apr 20
Posted by Daniel in bar tips and advice, fun, Restaurant, restaurant tips and advice

If you have been in the restaurant game for any length of time, you know that you have some months that are just busier than others. You should be looking for ways to increase your business before those slow months occur and the bounce back idea is one that works wonders. Best of all, it is very easy to implement and you don’t have to spend very much money to do it.

The first thing that you want to do is buy a large quantity of small envelopes. You will place special deals inside those envelopes, all of which are redeemable in the coming month that has been slow for you in the past. You will want to have some envelopes that offer a discount with the guest’s next meal, perhaps some that are 10% off and a few that are 20% off. You can have some of the envelopes contain free dessert or drink vouchers. Others can have a free entrée. You may even want to have one or two that are actually gift certificates for a certain amount that you deem appropriate.

Stuff the envelopes with the deals and place them in a large fishbowl or a tumbler. When the guests leave the restaurant, let them reach into the bowl and pick out one of the envelopes. Since the vouchers are valid for the following month, which is one of your slow months, you can be sure that quite a few people are going to be making return visits. Everyone likes to save a little bit of money, and this is a great way to boost the number of guests that visit during the slow period. (more…)

Read More
Tags: , , ,
Comments (1)
TOP

Celebrate or Commiserate the Home Team at Your Sports Bar

Mar 30
Posted by Daniel in bar tips and advice, Restaurant, restaurant tips and advice

bar stools

Lately we’ve been busy furnishing some new sports bars and that gave us the idea to write a few posts with tips and ideas directed specifically at sport bar owners. This doesn’t mean that if you don’t have a sports bar you can’t get anything out of reading these ideas. Actually, if you use your imagination and change the theme so as to match your own venue you will be able to use the tips here to your advantage as well.

So, let’s start:

Your hometown team won the big game, now what are you going to do?

As a bar owner, you need to capitalize on the success of your team right away. Chances are that a large number of your regulars and some new blood came into the bar to watch the game. They came, they watched, they drank, and they celebrated. Does that mean that the next day it’s back to business as usual? No it does not. In fact, you can capitalize of your team’s win for quite a while, and here’s how you can do it.

You know how they have the t-shirts and hats printed that say “Super Bowl Champions” for both teams prior to the game even being played, just so they can hand the shirts to the winners the minute they walk off the field? You should do the same thing with your promotions. Have a few flyers and online ads ready to post. (more…)

Read More
Tags: ,
Comments (1)
TOP

Managing Your Restaurant Blog (part 1)

Mar 21
Posted by Daniel in bar tips and advice, Restaurant, restaurant layout, restaurant tips and advice


Photo taken by "Clix"

Everyone is blogging today, even us, our 10-year-old nephew talking about the latest video games and our elderly aunt that blogs about the cozy mysteries she reads.

If you are a bar or a restaurant owner, you might not think that you would ever need to have a blog of your own. After all, what would you talk about in your blog? How do you even start one?

Today, we’ll show you why you need to start blogging for your bar or restaurant right now. In our next post (Part 2), we’ll talk about the things that you can post to keep reader interest high.

Is Blogging Important?

You might think that because you have website for your restaurant or bar that you don’t need to have a blog too. People will just be able to look you up by using your website, right? While a website is certainly a tool that you are going to need in your arsenal of digital promotion, it certainly isn’t the only web presence you are going to want. Your website is likely a static page that has information about your location, your phone number, the food or drinks that you have, and perhaps a few pictures of your restaurant layout and furniture. This is a good start, but you need to do more, and blogging is the answer. (more…)

Read More
Tags: , , ,
Comments (1)
TOP

The Modern Sports Bar: (Part 1)

Mar 03
Posted by Daniel in fun, Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant tips and advice

Everyone has their own preconceived notion of what should be in a sports bar, and you might be surprised to find out that those notions are often the same across the board. If you run a sports bar, or you are considering opening one, there are a few things that you simply need to have.

Set the Stage with the Right Décor

The minute someone walks into your bar, they are judging it. The first impression they get is very important, and it is going to play a part in whether or not they become a return visitor. The interior “look and feel” of your bar is important.

If you haven’t given much thought to what you are going to use as the décor in your bar, now is the time to consider it. Sports memorabilia is a nice touch for any sports bar. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a sports bar that doesn’t have signed photos, jerseys, pucks, balls, and other gear on the walls. (more…)

Read More
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Comments (1)
TOP

Feng Shui and Restaurant Furniture

Feb 17
Posted by Daniel in Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant layout, restaurant seating, Restaurant Seating Design, restaurant tips and advice

This is the last part of our Feng Shui Tips (for now) and this time the main focus is on the restaurant furniture and their placement.

Basically, using Feng Shui can make your restaurant more inviting, welcoming, and pleasant for customers to dine in useing both the laws of Heaven and Earth to help improve life and atmosphere by receiving positive Qi which means “life energy”. Furniture are an integral part of Feng Shui. Colors, materials, and furniture are all going to change the dining experience in your restaurant.

The entrance to your restaurant is considered the Mouth of Qi. What you have near the restaurant entrance and what is visible by the entrance will affect your Feng Shui. The entrance should be vibrant and easy to find and access. The style of your restaurant needs to match the energy of your cuisine and the dining experience you’re offering. The signage and menus should use colors and styles that convey that to your customers.

Tables should not be near doorways or between access routes to the restrooms, kitchen, or back areas. This makes moving about difficult and dampens the experience. Toilets and restrooms should not be visible from the entrance way. You must think of the visual clues customers expect when they first walk into your restaurant. The restrooms are not one of them.

For your restaurant seating layouts, find a way to maximize comfort, mobility, and capacity. Your restaurant seating should mix different items like booths, bar stools, and tables to create an atmosphere of versatility and comfort. When placing chairs and tables, take care to notice the distance between a chair and the next table. There should be enough room for two people to pass by without bumping into furniture. A person should also be able to sit without being grazed by other customers walking past. (more…)

Read More
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments (1)