 Every major restaurant chain launched with a single store. That single
store served as a prototype for the hundreds and thousands of other
stores that would follow the concept’s success. Developing a restaurant
prototype, then, is a critical ingredient in the recipe for success.
Developing a restaurant prototype can also be a component in
revitalizing an existing brand. Indeed, sometimes menu changes are not
enough to keep a concept fresh in the minds of consumers. Sometimes
marketing and advertising campaigns alone are not sufficient to draw
diners back to a familiar brand. No, sometimes competing with the scads
of new restaurants entering the market means developing a restaurant
prototype that reflects the changing needs of fickle diners.
Whether you are developing a restaurant prototype for the first time or
developing a restaurant prototype for the second or third time, it is
important to approach the process as one that can have a major impact
on your eatery’s ability to survive and thrive in a cutthroat
landscape. Developing a restaurant prototype that keeps the consumer
market in mind can increase same-store sales and average unit volume
growth. Of course, developing a restaurant prototype demands strategic
planning as part of the overall branding and marketing effort.
Señor Frogs understood the value of strategic planning in the process
of developing a restaurant prototype. When Señor Frogs opened its first
Myrtle Beach store in 2004, the company sought a novel approach that
reflected its re-branding effort, complete with a new logo, new signage
and a streamlined look.
Señor Frogs’ location in sunny Myrtle Beach inspired designers to
develop a restaurant prototype with a beach theme for the 20’ by 50’
retail space. Developing a restaurant prototype that coincided with the
new brand meant laying tile to create the look of water and sand on the
floor and building a genuine wood boardwalk inside the restaurant.
Developing a restaurant prototype for the Mexican concept with an
American twist also meant presenting diners with more than just a
festive restaurant or a well-stocked bar. Señor Frogs is a full
entertainment idea and concept. Guests are entertained from the moment
they walk in until the moment they walk out with a party scene that
features nightly entertainment suitable for guests of all ages.
Designers had to embrace the intended perception when developing a
restaurant prototype.
Designing a restaurant with entertainment in mind required
designers to communicate Señor Frogs’ humor. This was accomplished by
the calculated placement of giant beer cans and lily pads amid a fun,
bright color palate. Crate bin display tables, bamboo ceilings, coconut
lights, wood shutters, angled display walls and a circle pattern were
also elements designers considered while developing a restaurant
prototype for Señor Frogs.
With construction costs on the rise and strategic real estate locations
becoming harder to find, it is critical to approach developing a
restaurant prototype – or redeveloping a restaurant prototype – with a
comprehensive plan that highlights your unique selling point and
markets the total package to potential guests. Señor Frogs was
successful in relaunching its brand, complete with a revamped
restaurant prototype, that has kept the business on the growth fast
track.
Want to see samples of our restaurant design work?
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