Emerging Restaurants in the Year 2011- Food Trends 2011

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The restaurant industry may be recovering from the recession slowly, but there is no safe way yet to say that we have recovered from it. In fact, there are still some restaurants that are suffering from the repercussions of the recession. As for those restaurants that are surviving the recession, they have thought out of the box and reinvented themselves to stay afloat.

My Restaurant Trend Prediction

It cannot be denied that launching new restaurants are not only labor intensive but also very expensive as well. With the financially-trying times happening and big first-class restaurant chains still recovering from the recession, opening new restaurants under the same brand have become quite difficult. For this reason, brand makeovers became quite the trend in the restaurant industry.

This year has seen the emergence of fast-casual brand extensions launched by some of the major full-service restaurants in the industry. An example of this is the Denny’s Café launched by Denny’s only a month ago as well as the Souplantation Express by Souplantation that will be launched in January 2011. However, restaurant brands were not the only industry that got interested in the popularity and success of fast-casual brand extensions because there were also some non-restaurant brands that joined the bandwagon.

According to what I read in the Internet, we are going to see more of this trend during the next year as more and more restaurants, businesses, and companies look into fast-casual brand extensions as an added source of revenue.

A Growing Trend

It is quite difficult to ignore the potentials of this growing trend. In fact, the emergence of this new type of restaurant has seen a very good turnover this year. It is doing better than its competitors, which are the quick-service restaurants and the casual-dining restaurants, and it is also attracting a good number of customers who are looking for high-quality foods that are not only healthier but cheaper as well.

One reason why fast-casual restaurants are surpassing quick-service restaurants is the fact that its diners feel that they are being offered healthier menus than what the quick-service restaurants provide. Fast-casual menus may be a little bit expensive than quick-service restaurants but it is money worth it. Likewise, diners are still getting high-quality food in fast-casual restaurants at a relatively cheaper price than at full-service restaurants, which is far more costly.

Chefs and Fast-Casual Brand Extensions

It cannot be denied that more and more restaurants and chefs are looking into this type of service to gain more customers and profits. In fact, some of the celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay as well as Wolfgang Puck have already invested hard-earned money into the fast-casual setting, and what attracted them were the flexibility of the menus and the types of customers that it can reach. The ingredients are mostly locally sourced, too, so it is relatively cheaper than ordering food products from all over the globe. Furthermore, the efficient layout of fast-casual restaurants provides the luxurious ambiance that customers crave for, so the fine-dining feel is not sacrificed.

Going with the Trend

If you want to follow the concept of the fast-casual restaurants and capitalize on this trend, what you can do is to know the type of consumers that dine at your restaurant. Aside from this, you should also keep track of the kinds of dishes that they always order. It would also not hurt your cause to know just how much your customers are willing to pay for the food they eat. This way, you do not cannibalize your existing restaurants or dilute your brand by offering the same type of menus to the same type of consumers when you do open your fast-casual brand extension restaurant. Instead, you are focusing on your brand’s strength. Of course, the location will also matter, so be sure to check out the non-traditional markets such as gasoline and service stations.

Fast-casual brand extension restaurants are typically smaller than the full-service restaurants, so you can rest assured that your new establishment will be launched faster and at a lesser cost, too. Because it has a smaller square footage, you should make sure that its layout is very efficient and very organized, particularly since you can only serve a limited number of diners at a time.

Like any other new venture, this will require loads of hard work and determination to make a success out of your brand extension. However, if you keep your goal in mind, success will be yours.

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Currently 3 comments - But what do you think?

Posted on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 2:16 am
Filed under FnB Bits n’ Pieces, FnB Buzz · Tagged with food trends, foods, restaurant industry

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Comments

3 Responses to “Emerging Restaurants in the Year 2011- Food Trends 2011”

Anna Johnston says:

February 2, 2011 at 4:44 am

Good advice Matthew

[Reply]
Chef Matthew J.G Reply:
February 2nd, 2011 at 10:29 am
Hello Anna,

Thanks for the nod of approval

Matthew

[Reply]