Planning a restaurant renovation can be stressful. Curtailing or shutting down your business in hopes that the renovations will create a better restaurant can leave you wondering whether your customers will come back once you’ve finished. For this reason, it’s important to have a precise and well thought out plan before even considering putting on a hard hat. In this post, we’ll go over the basics of how to plan a restaurant renovation.
Recognize Your Priorities
While you want your restaurant to have a great ambience, if you have plumbing issues or your kitchen isn’t working properly, the most beautiful room in the world won’t satisfy patrons who smell sewage or receive poorly cooked food. If your restaurant has functional problems, it’s important to prioritize those problems in your renovation plans. Don’t get ahead of yourself by worrying about things that will only make a nominal difference when there are far more important issues to tackle.
Prepare A Budget
It’s always important to know how much you have to spend before you begin engaging contractors and vendors. Having a firm monetary number in mind will help you make the correct decisions – and there will be many decisions that need to be made! It will allow your project partners to better understand your needs, improve your negotiations and reduce time wasting. It’s also important to give yourself leeway in your budget for the inevitable cost overruns.
Let The Public Know Of Your Plans
Renovations can be an excellent marketing tool if used properly. Make sure to inform your clientele far in advance of your plans. This will not only prevent customers from arriving while you’re closed, but it will also give them something to look forward to. Letting them know what they can expect and when to expect it can be used to create a sense of anticipation.
Understand Industry Trends
Restauranteering is a highly competitive field, but you shouldn’t let this dissuade you. By studying and learning from industry trends you could use your renovations to put your business at an advantage. Incorporating new technologies or innovations now could serve you for years to come.
