Components of a Restaurant Concept

¶ … components of a restaurant concept and how they are used to create a viable business model.

The concept of the restaurant is the pivotal mechanism defining the means in which the restaurant operates and interacts with its customers. The particularities of the restaurant concept vary from one facility to the other as this is influenced by numerous features, such as the resource capabilities of the organization, the managerial and business model implemented, the nature of products and services offered or the nature of the customers they serve.

At a generic level however, the restaurant concept integrates several recurrent components, all which interact and are used by the firm to create a viable business model. Some of the more notable of these components of the restaurant concept include the following:

The cuisine

The quality of the services

The location

The marketing efforts, including the strength of the brand

The adjacent offerings.

The cuisine of the restaurant integrates the main menu of the restaurant and is the primary factor to establish the image, the business model and select the clientele. A fast food restaurant, with a menu of quick and cheap foods, would appeal to individuals and busy family members, in the average and below average income group. A restaurant serving high end foods would implement higher retail prices and would address individuals in the above medium income category. Based on the selection of the menu, the entire business model is continually constructed.

Once the main menu and direction of the cuisine is selected, the restaurant would focus on the quality of the services. A fast food store would for instance provide a lower quality of the services, often serving customers at a drive-through window. At this level, the emphasis would fall on operational efficiency. Vice versa, at a high end restaurant, the services provided would be complex and the focus would fall on the experience provided to the customers.

The location of the restaurant influences the marketing efforts. For instance, a restaurant located in a central site, with increased and easy access to customers would focus less on marketing and its very presence would lure customers in. On the other hand, a restaurant located in a more isolated place would have to devise points of difference by which to convince customers to travel the distance and eat at the restaurant.

Then, the marketing efforts impact the attraction of customers, and subsequently the revenues generated by the firm. Finally, the adjacent offering -- such as valet parking at high end restaurants or menu diversity at fast food restaurants -- impacts the levels of customer satisfaction and the sustainability of the revenues in the future.