When undergoing a restaurant fit out, there are multiple factors that should be considered before work is begun; helping to determine the success of your refurbishment. A restaurant fit out can be a significant investment that should not be taken carelessly. Refurbishments can be expensive, time-consuming, and alter how your brand is perceived by your target audience.
If considering a restaurant fit out for your business, here are some things that you should keep in mind.
Does your Current Interior Reflect your Vision?
One of the most vital factors to consider when taking on a restaurant refurbishment is if your envisioned results align with all other aspects of the establishment, all the way down to what you serve on your menu. Consistency can greatly improve customer experience. If your menu is adorned with modern and sophisticated dishes, but accompanied by an out-dated and stale interior, this may be a sign that your restaurant is not operating as a whole. This gives new and potential customers a false impression of what your business has to offer, making them less likely to become valuable patrons. The food and services that you offer could be flawless, but this will, more often than not, go unnoticed if your interior doesn’t match up.
When approaching your fit out, consider designs that follow the themes of your menu, helping to reinforce your brand and offer a visual that’s in-sync with the experience you provide.
Does your Restaurant Function Well?
It’s rare that business owners get to plan the exact layout of their space down to the smallest detail, especially within such a fast-paced industry. However, this is a necessary process if you wish for your restaurant to run as efficiently as possible. You may have noticed certain aspects of your establishment that could be improved to make overall operations run more smoothly; now is the perfect time to combat this.
So, if service isn’t running quick enough, the workflow of your kitchen feels chaotic and disorganised, or staff are hindered from getting place to place, it may be time to refurbish the area in which you work.
What are your Customers Saying?
The most priceless resource you have before a renovation is your clients. Prior to even thinking about hiring a contractor, ask your patrons for their honest opinions of your establishment, and what they would like to see improved.
Checking over your social media feed is a simple yet effective way to start this process. Learn what your customers are saying about your business online, and look out for any remarks that offer up constructive criticism about your establishment. Make a note and bring it up in your initial meeting with your contractor if consumers are complaining about the poor lighting or the way the walls are painted.
There are additional ways to gather information from your customers. Try asking for feedback via comment cards, suggestion boxes, email campaigns, or even in-restaurant chats during regular business hours to gather a variety of viewpoints.
See how visitors are using the area. Are they having trouble moving around? Does anyone appear to be typically unhappy? Involve your customers to learn what, if anything, they would like to see in a renovation.
When was your Last Refurbishment?
Ideally, restaurants should look into updating their design on a fairly regular basis as to make a space feel well maintained and thoughtfully designed. Visual aesthetics often tend to play quite a major role in the overall experience of your customers, so if out-dated or in a state of disrepair, the design of your restaurant could actually be causing you more harm than good; impacting your abilities to attract new customers and generate a loyal clientele. Small changes as to keep accessories and furniture updated may help somewhat, but a major restaurant refurbishment could alter the success of your establishment entirely.
Is Now the Right Time?
Time is crucial. Waiting till your list of repairs fills several pages is not a good idea. To stay current and continue drawing patrons, restaurants typically need a facelift every five years.
If your restaurant has a “slow season,” you might want to think about remodelling during that time to avoid losing too much business. You can arrange to have the majority of the contracting work done at night, outside of normal business hours, if your restaurant doesn’t have a down season. By doing this, you lessen the chance that any renovations will be noisy or dirty and maintain the efficiency of your business.
Re-designing your restaurant can do wonders for your business; however, it is important that the results of such are reflective of the services that you have to offer and in line with all other aspects of your establishment. If you’re undergoing a refurbishment for your business, Lake Contracts are here to help with our restaurant fit-out service. We’ll see your project through from start to finish, on schedule and on budget.