NEWH - September 2004 - (Page 23)

your hotel restaurant… from bust to boom by: Richard Hendrie LINK Inc. • Figure out your target market…focus on your strengths and market to that clientele. • Are you looking to increase your alcohol sales? Then focus on a bar. • Try not to compete with your local restaurants. • Keep your prices competitive…hotel restaurants are generally perceived as overpriced so people tend to seek out other restaurants in the area. Don’t insult your patrons with high or unreasonable prices. • Interior designers that specialize in restaurant renovation work can give your space a face lift and refresh a tired looking space and that can save you a lot of money instead of trying to fund a complete renovation. • Understand your clientele and what they would be looking for in a restaurant in your hotel. You won’t find a McDonalds in the main floor of a W Hotel. • Entice them to use your premises. • A well designed restaurant/bar will have the look and feel of a brand name establishment. This adds credibility. • Match the design to your clientele. • Focus on what you do best. Play to your strengths. If you make a great burger focus on that…Great steak? Focus on that. • Reduce your menu size and focus on a theme of food. Don’t offer the world because you’ll never be able to execute it. Simplify it for profitability. • Have lunch or dinner, or drink specials to pep up your daily menu, and that will offer options for your regulars to keep them coming back. It is important to study your neighbourhood restaurant competition. Try not to compete with them…they are specialized….pick a theme that will not compete with them. • Create atmosphere is your restaurants…create a theme that suites your clientele. • Don’t scare potential patrons with a style that looks expensive if it really isn’t. Or don’t price your food too high if you don’t have a high-style establishment. • Can you draw business from local businesses? What would they be looking for? A better bar, an upscale restaurant, a casual dining experience, a great place for lunch? This can subsidize otherwise slow times of the day. • Interior designers can focus your spending and renovating needs. They know where to spend your money for maximum effect. • Consider money spent on your restaurant/bar as an investment. • Don’t try to be everything to all people. FOCUS. Branding is the new trend. Make it all work together as one experience...exterior of hotel, restaurant entrance, lobby , rooms, it should all be a common theme. • If your patrons have to pay a taxi fare to get to another restaurant in the area, a well priced menu may just keep them in your establishment…as well as a clean, good looking space with atmosphere…how could they pass it up. • They might just consider having a drink in your bar, even if they are still going out on the town for dinner…that adds to your bottom line. • With stricter drinking and driving laws, many patrons prefer not to have to venture out with their cars to seek another establishment. • Your have a captive audience so captivate them! • Dinner drinks and relaxation all under one roof….a home away from home. Engage them in an experience. YOUR experience. • Everyone enjoys a hotel with a great bar….it’s a meeting place. It should look great and have an attitude that is alcohol driven. This will increase liquor sales dramatically. There are good profit margins on alcohol…coffee too! • Market your restaurant and bars within your own hotel…and market it to local businesses. • Would a separate entrance off the street entice people that would generally just walk on by? • Look at your client base and build a strategy. • Focus on your target market. 23

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - September 2004

NEWH - September 2004
President’s Letter
Calendar of Events
Contents
From the Editor
Hospitality News
On the Road Again... HD Expo 2004
Cruise Ship of Elegance…Aboard the Queen Mary Ii
Cruise Lines Expand Options
Your Hotel Restaurant
Powerful Tools of the Trade
Education in Culinary Arts
The New Direction for Restaurants in Canada
Jamie Oliver Story
Lindsay Sharman Trainee Extraordinaire
Oh Canada, Oh Canada…The Fairmont Royal York
From Across the Pond

NEWH - September 2004