Stephanie Schumann

Stephanie Schumann | 3 Tips for Remodeling Your Restaurant

Stephanie Schumann – Remodeling a restaurant can be an effective way of expanding your customer base and bringing your business added revenues. You don't necessarily have to make costly changes to your venue in order to rebrand it and attract new clientele. The most obvious changes a restaurant can undergo are changing its name, changing its exterior design and changing the restaurant's menu, all of which are drastic steps that can be very costly.

Making architectural changes to a restaurant's exterior can be very expensive and time-consuming, and it's not necessarily guaranteed to attract a new clientele or retain your existing customers. Retaining your existing customers is an important consideration when making any change to your restaurant. As they say "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Changing a long-standing restaurant's name can alienate existing customers.

Changes to a building's exterior and the name of the restaurant are the type of drastic changes that can destroy all continuity to your previous incarnation. If this is the desired effect, then the change must encompass all areas of the restaurant's management, from the chef to the staff to the menu. Customers may be turned off by a cosmetic changed being sold to them as a reinvention.

A different approach is to subtly change your venue in a way that will retain your existing customers and help to attract new types of diners as well. The most cost-efficient way to change your venue is by updating your restaurant furniture and interior layout. The following are some tips on remodeling your restaurant through the use of restaurant furniture.

1) Develop a vision for your layout | Stephanie Schumann

Just as a new restaurant must start with a vision, so must a successful and focused remodel. You must first determine who your existing clientele are and what features of your restaurant draw them to repeatedly frequent your establishment. This is essential in determining what elements of your restaurant's style you cannot afford to change.

Secondly, you must determine what type of new customer you wish to attract in addition to your existing clientele. Once you have made these determinations it is advisable to enlist the help of professionals with experience in furnishing restaurants to aid you in choosing the right types of chairs, bar stools, booths, table tops, table bases and outdoor patio furniture for your venue.

2) Increase the efficiency of your venue | Stephanie Schumann

No matter what path you take to remodeling your establishment, better serving your customers thorough quicker service can only help to make your venue a more desirable destination for diners. The way in which your restaurant furniture is laid out should facilitate the easy and free movement of both customers and wait staff.

Also, it must be taken into consideration that different styles of furniture may be easier or harder to clean, requiring different levels of staff involvement. Both the style and layout of your furniture can affect the speed in which you service your customers, and even the number of staff members you need to employ to keep your establishment running optimally.

3) Diversify your space | Stephanie Schumann

While it is wise to have an overall consistency to your restaurant's layout based on a theme that defines your venue, a clever restaurateur can find subtle ways to differentiate his space that will attract different types of clientele without deviating from this theme. Certain types of furniture speak to certain clientele, and by creating areas within your space defined by these furniture items you can subtly create subsets within your venue. For instance, an area made up of restaurant booths can appeal to families while high top tables and bar stools can appeal to the young, hip crowd.

Stephanie Schumann – These basic tips can help you determine what goals you have as a restaurateur and how a well-thought -out remodel can help you achieve those goals. Of course it is always advisable to consult an expert when choosing what type of restaurant furniture is right for your establishment and what layout will best help make your vision reality.