Typically executed during the “good times”, they have proved to be an onerous burden on struggling units and when cash flow is tight and a business needs to be lean, the ability to renegotiate these leases is often the ‘make or break’ factor.
Rolling Stone is making its red carpet premiere this summer at the Hollywood & Highland Center with the opening of its first restaurant and lounge, but it won’t be the only rock star on that mall’s stage. That’s because Rolling Stone is set to open its doors just as Hard Rock Café is scheduled to launch a restaurant and live event venue in the same center – in a first-ever competition between the two iconic names.
Casual dining mom-and-pops haven’t been hurt as much by the recession, mainly because people feel a strong connection to the businesses. Becoming a local leader and integral part of the community, versus a faceless chain, can go a long way to developing customer loyalty.
As restaurant consultants we are required to explain to clients o a daily basis what we mean when we say that ‘a customer does all the work’ in a restaurant, not the operator. Whilst the concept is initially indigestible for an operator, it is nevertheless true. The customer does all the work.
In a restaurant market full of competition, what separates you from your neighbor? Service, ambiance, price, parking and décor can all be strong factors in swaying a potential customer’s decision. However one fact always seems to get lost somewhere and that is the ability for your customers to get in contact with you either to make a reservation, discuss special needs or even book their company holiday party. As restaurant consultants, we know that restaurant customer service is the critical and often overlooked as an area than can directly drive improved business when given appropriate attention.
This market is providing restaurant operators with an opportunity to revisit their business and conduct an audit from the ground up, identifying wasteful cost centers and untapped revenue opportunities. A good restaurant consultant is someone who walks in the door with information, teaches it to the client and leaves that wisdom behind. An experienced consultant can also save money, find money and create money and it is these benefits that OnSite’s clients capture by bringing us on site.
I asked one of the servers whether if someone asked me if she was pretty I responded “she is ok” would she be satisfied – immediately it clicked, if she is not satisfied with being described as OK then how can she be satisfied with asking our customers if the restaurant is OK. By definition OK means the minimum acceptable level and i have to believe your restaurant is striving for more.
In an attempt to boost local business during the economic downturn, the City of West Hollywood has partnered with the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to offer a special economic hardship package to local retailers, restaurants, hotels and other businesses.
James Sinclair, President of OnSite Consulting, operators of O-Bar in West Hollywood, said the economic hardship package is not only a financial measure, but one that will raise morale amongst business owners.
OSC.BOE.PUB164.pdf
Publication provided by the BoE discussing the new outreach program
OSC.BOE.OutreachInTheNews.pdf
Board Of Equalization Outreach program in the news
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MAILING LIST EMAIL 4/22/09
Dear Friends,
Over the past two years the State Board Of Equalization has been conducting a “pilot program” to determine the lost, unreported or otherwise uncollected sales and use tax revenue. Upon completion [...]
I have received a number of emails and phone calls recently in regards to the impact nightclubs, bars and restaurants have seen from what is, without question, an extraordinarily slow period. Operators are finding that they are not just having to deal with the annual, seasonal revenue cycle, but that they are faced with a simultaneous and overlapping crash on consumer confidence, the likes of which have not been witnessed for over a decade. On the assumption that it will not be getting better any time soon, immediate planning can allow for both current and future survival.
