restaurant tips and advice

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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…)

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Three Ways to Advertise Your Bar without Breaking the Bank

Mar 17
Posted by Daniel in bar stools, bar tips and advice, Commercial Seating, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant tips and advice

Spring is here (almost). And many people are glad to get out of the house and enjoy a nice evening outside that might, more often than not, end at a restaurant or bar.

As the owner, you love your bar, and you know that others would love it too if they just knew about it. Advertising and marketing is one of the most difficult things for businesses to understand.

The reason it is so difficult is that people really don’t know what does and doesn’t work with advertising. Some things you do are going to stick, and some won’t. The trick is to market as much as you can until you find what works for your bar. However, you can’t constantly spend thousands of dollars on advertising and not get results. You would go broke quickly.

The following are three simple ways that you can advertise without spending a fortune. Implement all of them and see what works the best for you.

First, look at your website. You do have one, right? If you don’t have a website, you need to put in the effort to set one up right away. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to do this. See if you have someone working for you that can set up a site and have them do it for you. It will be much more cost effective than hiring out. You might even want to choose a blog instead. You can set one up on your own in just minutes. You can have separate pages that have images of your bar furniture and interior design, of happy customers, drink specials and much more. Turn it into a community for you customers, a place where they can gather even when they aren’t at the bar. It is a good idea to keep your site updated and post on your blog at least once a week about what is happening at the bar. (more…)

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The Modern Sports Bar: (Part 2)

Mar 07
Posted by Daniel in bar stools, cheap restaurant furniture, Restaurant Barstools, restaurant seating

In The Modern Sports Bar: (Part 1), we looked at the importance of décor and people’s perceptions when they first walk into your bar. Now, we will examine some of the other things you are going to need to have the best sports bar in the city.

What’s On the Tube?

You need to have televisions and plenty of them. Choose high quality TVs from a reputable maker, such as Sony. They might be more expensive than some of the lower end televisions out there, but the picture quality is going to be better. You also need to spring for high definition. Since most people have HD in their homes and they already have large flat screens, you need to be able to compete.

You don’t want to focus on only one sport, and that’s why you need to have more than one television. You want to have as many as you can comfortably fit into the bar, and you need to make sure that you have satellite that works on all of the televisions so you can have them set to different stations and catch the most sports possible. This will help you appeal to a larger crowd. More sports equal more people.

Seating is Important Too

Something that many people don’t consider when they are creating their sports bar or renovating the one that they already own is the bar’s seating. Too often, they search online or through catalogs and choose the cheapest alternative for their tables, chairs, and bar stools.

This is a mistake. (more…)

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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…)

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Five Features of Kids Friendly Restaurants

Feb 28
Posted by Daniel in Booths, restaurant seating, restaurant tips and advice

Dining out with kids can be a fun experience for the whole family – or a total nightmare.  For restaurants, catering to families with children can be tricky.  However, there are a few features that make a big difference between a kid-friendly eatery and a horror story waiting to be told.

Whether you are a parent looking to find a great place to eat with your kids or a restaurant owner trying to appeal to families, the following are the five most important features in a kid-friendly eatery.

In a previous post we wrote about some aspects of a kids friendly restaurant. Now it’s time to expand on that post and elaborate a little on some of the most important points:

  1. A Real Kids Menu – We have all been to places whose kids menu consists of a choice between a hamburger and chicken nuggets.  However, truly family friendly restaurants offer a real kids menu which includes numerous entrée choices, kid-centric drink options, and even a few desserts.  The best restaurants go out of their way to make the kids menu healthy too, including options like fresh fruit and veggies and healthier dessert items to tempt kids and satisfy parents.  To satisfy customers of all ages, ensure that your menu has multiple choices for little ones, and don’t forget that children are often more sophisticated in their tastes than you may realize, so smaller portions of adult fare may go over well with your young clientele.
  2. Fast Service – While we all know that food in a busy restaurant takes a little longer to come out, many eateries miss the mark when it comes to getting food out quickly.  This doesn’t mean that you should serve families with kids before other customers, but look for ways to keep the kids happy while the food cooks.  In many cases, children are often hungry as soon as they get into their seats, so try to come up with ways to keep hungry tummies satisfied.  You may want to offer kid-friendly appetizers with kids meals (think veggies for dipping, fries, or some other finger-food).  This can keep kids busy and satisfied, preventing parents from becoming agitated and keeping kids calm and happy.  Not only is this great for preserving the atmosphere in your restaurant, it also creates a more pleasant experience for parents who are likely to come back.
  3. Kid Friendly Seating – The best seating for kids can be summed up in one word- booths.  Booth style seating is more comfortable and safer for kids.  Chairs, particularly taller “bar stool” types mean the danger of falling, can lead to tripping, and are more difficult for parents to manage.  Instead, dining booths mean that kids are able to sit comfortably, parents have room for coats and diaper bags, and children are unlikely to fall or to get in the way of other patrons or wait staff.  Parents, particularly those who dine out regularly, tend to choose restaurants that offer booth seating. (more…)
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Restaurant Safety Tips – Fire

Feb 24
Posted by Daniel in restaurant layout, restaurant tips and advice

No ire image - by Kriss Szkurlatowski

In previous posts we discussed the importance of design on the success of the restaurant. But there is another aspect that many people don’t think about too often: Safety.

We all want to think nothing bad will ever happen but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared for it in case it does. And we do hope it doesn’t.

So here is an important post about an unpleasant subject that we all need to keep in mind at all times, and even more so when restaurants are involved.

Restaurants are some of the most fire hazardous places in the world, especially in the kitchen. The fact that a restaurant is usually a busy place with many costumers makes it even more dangerous.  That’s why it’s very important to install fire extinguishing systems in all restaurants.

The importance of the restaurant seating layout in a case of a fire

If you’re a restaurant owner you must realize that the way you design your restaurant seating layout, as well as the placement of the other restaurant furniture, could be a matter of life and death. First of all, to ensure a safe way out if a fire starts, make absolutely sure that the path to the restaurant’s main door isn’t blocked by anything! You must realize that when a fire breaks loose and the fire alarm starts ringing, people usually panic and seek the way out of the burning structure. Therefore you must ensure a clear, safe path for them to do so!

Wood and Fire don’t mix (more…)

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