Contact: (603) 606 1590
Serving the New England and Mid-Atlantic Region
The first step of any successful renovation project is to have clear goals in mind for what you’re looking to accomplish by remodeling. Depending on what your goals for your business are, the goals of your renovation will change.
The principal goal of any remodeling project is, of course, to gain more customers. In order to increase traffic to your business, you need to address the issues that are holding you back among your current demographics. Consider the clientele that visits your establishment. What is the crowd like? Has it changed considerably since your inception? If it has, consider what would better appeal to that particular crowd. If you find that your restaurant’s base has changed, or you’re trying to appeal to a new group of people, consider what would appeal to that crowd. A great example is if you noticed that your crowd is becoming younger, you could add a bar to your establishment to appeal more to that crowd.
Your goals will change depending on who you are trying to draw into your business, but it is important to keep these goals in mind.
The next thing you should do is look for ways in which a renovation could improve the experience of your customers, or help your staff’s efficiency. This list can cover a broad range of topics including increasing the amount of seating your restaurant has, to considering whether or not your kitchen is organized in a way that makes sense for staff.
Other questions you may want to address include making the restaurant accessible to customers with mobility concerns, keeping tables away from bathrooms, and much more. As you take a look around your restaurant, look for areas in which you feel an improvement could be made for your patrons experience, as well as the efficiency of your crew.
Another concern that many business owners have during their restaurant renovations is the issue of staying open during the project. Many owners struggle with the decision, as it can be daunting to entirely shut off your revenue for a few weeks during renovations. Unfortunately, it is often better to remain closed for the duration of your renovations.
If you have a core clientele base that has continually visited your restaurant, they will continue to come even after your renovation. In fact, for this group, the renovations can build anticipation and excitement for the next iteration of your business.
However, the flip side of the equation is the new customers that you could have received during those few weeks. The question arises, is it better to provide reduced service during renovations, or is it better to wait for the finished product. The answer is usually the latter, as the renovation itself will produce a lot of noise & dust, which can be far more off-putting to potential customers than waiting for a re-opening.
The one exception to this is if you’re able to switch to take-out & delivery only during the renovations, allowing you to keep customers away from the construction, you may be able to remain at least partially open during the process. This option won’t work for every business, but it is certainly something to keep in mind!
If you would like to learn more about our team’s restaurant renovation services, or if you’re interested in getting started on your renovation project this summer, our team at M&M Construction is ready to assist! You can reach out to our team by calling us today at (603) 606-1590 or by filling out our team's online contact form! We look forward to hearing from you and assisting with your restaurant renovation needs!
