Fifteen years in the past, Don Bellis needed to deliver the idea of wood-fired pizza to the west coast. A little bit homework with different enterprise homeowners instructed him that the brand new restaurant can be his life, and he’d doubtless spend extra time on the restaurant than at residence through the oncoming years.
So he determined to create a restaurant round a theme that appealed to him and his enterprise companion, Jay Gigandet: traditional rock.
Starting with creating the menu for Rock Wooden Fired Pizza round traditional rock songs, additionally they embraced a décor that would in all probability greatest be described as industrial salvage stylish. Suppose flames painted onto toilet stalls. A crumbling brick wall in a eating room. Rusted metal beams overhead within the bar space. And, in some eating places, classic autos.
The theme is generally a mirrored image of the homeowners’ sense of favor. They’ve merely dreamed up options they’d wish to see in eating places and added within the parts as they constructed. It’s price them however what it has introduced them is native notoriety and, in the long run, paying prospects.
However, Bellis notes, any restaurant that embraces a theme wants to verify it has the meals to deliver prospects again. Nobody will eat dangerous meals simply to have a look at a cool room.
“Environment and theme will solely get you to this point,” Bellis says. “In the event you don’t have high quality meals to again it up, you’ll by no means make it. We will get them within the door with our theme, however as soon as they’ve the meals, they’re hooked for all times.”
Others agree. Randy White, CEO of White Hutchinson Leisure & Studying Group, a restaurant consulting fi rm primarily based in Kansas Metropolis, notes that meals has to return first. “Everyone thinks a theme will create an expertise, nevertheless it doesn’t actually,” White says. “The downfall of the themed restaurant prior to now was the themes raised the development value they usually needed to elevate the worth.”
Themes will be as delicate as selecting colours and textures for the inside of a restaurant, White says. He factors to Panera Bread as a efficiently themed restaurant, largely as a result of it feels comfy and brings patrons in with its mixture of impartial colours and informal textures. It’s comfy and homey, and prospects really feel they’ll sit and keep, which is what the restaurant operators need. “The reality of it’s, with nice theming, generally individuals don’t discover it,” White says.
To decide on a theme, first select your meals, then determine the worth level you’d wish to hit. If you wish to draw households with kids, use vivid colours and resilient furnishings and finishes that may face up to powerful site visitors. In case your restaurant is designed to attract a extra high-dollar diner, contemplate darkish wooden, brass, marble finishes and extra reserved colours.
One of many strongest parts that may assist decide the theme and temper of the restaurant is lighting, in addition to acoustics. White says these two items are uncared for in lots of restaurant plans, they usually would possibly decide if a restaurant will get repeat enterprise greater than some other factor. “There may be an artwork to doing lighting appropriately,” White says. “Similar for acoustics, and lots of eating places completely ignore acoustics. Loud environments induce stress in individuals. I’ve been in eating places the place the wait individual has to stoop down to listen to you.”
Most themes today have a tendency in direction of informal, White says, because the American urge for food is swinging in direction of affordability. “You don’t see as a lot excessive finish,” White says. “The value factors are extra reasonably priced, particularly in case you are focusing on households.”
For Billy Lane, proprietor of Pizza Lane in Sumter, South Carolina, making a theme was a method to distinguish his restaurant from all the different pizza eating places round. Lane was working as a Pizza Inn franchise, and when he reached the 20-year anniversary with Pizza Inn, he determined in opposition to signing a brand new franchise settlement. He needed to create a spot that honored the native historical past of his city and capitalize on his personal love of antiques. Over the previous 15 years, he has added numerous parts to the restaurant that come from a few of Sumter’s long-time companies and remind patrons of years previous. For the youthful crowd, it may be an schooling within the historical past of their hometown.
“Every part within the restaurant, together with the architectural items, and drug shops, service stations, barber store, every part I may get that was legit memorabilia, I’ve it,” Lane says. “The entire individuals on this city love to return in and reminisce.”
The primary room within the restaurant incorporates previous teller home windows from a financial institution. Two different rooms borrow their theme from native theaters that after operated within the city, whereas the final is styled as an previous filling station.
“I feel if I might have stored my identical décor, which was run of the mill Pizza Inn décor, I don’t suppose I’d be in enterprise at the moment,” Lane says. “Once you stroll into our restaurant, it’s like coming right into a carnival. It’s unimaginable. It modified every part. Folks wish to are available due to it.” ?
Suggestions for making a themed eating room
It’s not so simple as scattering sports activities memorabilia round. A theme wants to think about each side of your restaurant. Listed below are some fundamental ideas for profitable theming from designer Randy White:
? Begin with the meals. The kind of meals ought to have a big half in setting the décor.
? Decide a value level. Bear in mind, customized particulars price, and may drive up the price of building and, finally, the worth factors on the menu. Watch out that your décor isn’t so costly that it causes you to boost prices.
? Choose informal particulars for household pleasant, lower cost factors. Brilliant lighting is one factor that may assist set that temper.
? Choose upscale supplies for a high-end menu. Impartial colours, darkish wooden, brass and marble, in addition to low lighting, sign the next value level.
Robyn Davis Sekula is a contract author residing in New Albany, Indiana.
