For a restaurant, nothing is more important than the foot traffic that walks through the doors of the restaurant. It is why one of the most critical decisions while planning a restaurant is the location that you wish to have it at. The site can be a significant factor that will decide the amount of business that you will be able to conduct. Having a property at a prime location like the downtown area will ensure that you will have constant foot traffic walking in through the gates and give you good business.
How to choose the right location?
A lot has to be considered while deciding the location of a restaurant, from the very basics to the much more complex psychological factors that drive traffic towards or away from your property. The accessibility, traffic patterns, visibility are just factors that scratch the surface of the factors that one has to consider that ensure the excellent business potential for a restaurant. Other aspects like the ambiance, the furniture, or something as necessary as the restaurant bar stools contribute to the decision of a potential patron when he/she is presented with an option. It is probably the most problematic factor to tackle, and you should dedicate most of your time and research to selecting this, while also not losing a grip on other equally important factors.
How to drive footfall to your restaurant?
It is not something that can be answered in a simple statement; one has to do extensive research to understand how human traffic flows work. Or you can hire an expert to do it for you and reap the benefits of the initial investment. Another way is to visit your competitors and find out what they are doing and implement, go to the big players in the game and see what gets them where they are and how you can do the same. When considering the footfall, do your research if you are in the right vicinity of your target audience and whether the population will be able to sustain your business.
Checkpoints that you should always consider.
You will also want to have enough space to be able to maintain standards; standards of hygiene, safety, and health standards. Factors like having enough waiting area for your customers and quickly being able to carry out the cleaning of equipment is another priority that you need to set straight as these are very important in the long run. Know that you will most likely expand, and take this into consideration as you do not want to be sending potential customers away from your doorsteps.
Below is a list of specific kitchen equipment you may need for a new restaurant fit-out. There may be items you don’t need or items that aren’t on this list that you do but this is a good base to get started:
- Chilled storage such as refrigerators, cold rooms or cool store rooms (usually needed at 5°C or less)
- Frozen storage (-15°C or less)
- Ovens and stoves
- Grills
- Hot food storage (60°C or above)
- Deep frying machines
- Food passes
- Storage racks, systems and cupboards
- Pots and pans
- Utensils – spatulas, tongs, prongs etc.
- Crockery (for different courses such as entree and desserts, as well as different types such as plates, side plates, bowls etc.)
- Cleaning equipment (cloths, buckets, mops, sanitizers)
- Safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets
How to enhance the experience of the restaurant visitors?
It becomes a vital part of your consideration to take into account the floor plans and the seating plans so that you utilize the available real estate to its maximum potential and not lose out.
The way visitors experience your restaurant is called the customer journey. The customary journey that one has to go through should be pleasant from the waiting till the time the desserts are savored, and the checks are cleared. As you walk in, what will you see, smell, hear, and taste? How long until you are seated? Once seated, what will you be presented with?
How will your staff and the environment, interact with customers at each point of this journey? Also consider the ambiance; from restaurant music (with research showing that different melodies can affect sales) to where you place families and lone diners and the type of lighting; all will have an effect on customer experience.
