SARASOTA – Many of us can recall when IHOP wasn’t cool. Somewhere between 1980 and 1990, the chain got into the category of undesirable. It was so much so that the chain became a joke; comedienne Paula Poundstone’s “IHOP: It was a dream, I made it happen” routine about workingMORE HERE
So you want to get in the restaurant business? What an awful time to do it. And you want to open a restaurant without capital? And you are unemployed? Your inner negative “no” says no, and people will laugh at you. You dare not tell that to the bank, orMORE HERE
Regional restaurant signage helps define a place. Here, the “World Famous” New Pass Grill. It has been on City Island in Sarasota since 1929. City Island is the key just south of Longboat Key. Brand identity comes from the unique contributions of business owners. With time, and generations, brands getMORE HERE
Regional restaurants can be great brands. And the key to the longevity of your restaurant brand is developing a few signature, classic dishes that are not only loved by customers that visit, but also enter the regional vernacular. If you are curious about how to brand a regional restaurant, pleaseMORE HERE
It is stunning to see the number of restaurants closing, both chain and not chain. We can’t help but to think that commercial real estate brokers are going to have to make some really hard decisions. Do we sit with an empty storefront or out-parcel for three years, or doMORE HERE
Drive Thru Restaurant Analysis? SARASOTA – Here in this retiree mecca, you can get a pretty good indication of the health of America’s restaurants as you drive down our highway strip, Tamiami Trail. Of the chains along U.S. 41, a newly opened Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) is packed, and allMORE HERE
FT. PIERCE – Want to know how a family owned, independent restaurant survives the recession of 2008? Look at Dale’s Real Pit Bar B Q in Fort Pierce, Florida. Founded in 1962, and hickory smoked, they keep prices low, service friendly, and bathrooms clean. They put some local high schoolMORE HERE
Tips for restaurants in tough times VIRGINIA BEACH – It could not be a worse time for the casual restaurant sector. Chains are going bankrupt, and the ones that aren’t are struggling. Hard times for chains like Steak & Ale and Bennigan’s. And struggles for others like Pizzeria Uno, VillageMORE HERE
The news that the restaurant chains Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale have closed stores and filed for Chapter 7 means that two of the best-known groovin’ 1970s restaurant chains are now, well bankrupt, and many have lost their jobs. But there is a future for these brands. There is valuableMORE HERE