To maximize profits, restaurants must create a restaurant concept that captures the imagination of guests and encourages them to return. The most successful themed restaurants capture the attention of customers, offer something unique and provide a pleasant atmosphere. Some restaurant themes appeal to specific age groups. For example, children are attracted to cartoon characters, fairy tales, and animals.
Bright colors predominate, with a simple food menu that highlights favorites that appeal to both children and adults. A nostalgic theme, such as a 1950s restaurant with a jukebox, a soda fountain and a hamburger and French fries menu, with waitresses in poodle skirts and ponytails, has great appeal at different age levels. A vampire theme could capitalize on the interest that young adults have in this genre because of the popular vampire books and movies. Selecting the right age group, given your topic, and tailoring your marketing message to that group increases the chances of your restaurant gaining popularity. Most restaurants have an inherent “theme” based on the origin or type of cuisine being served.
Many restaurants have a different style of decoration and create a specific environment for the convenience of their customers. Some have a unique location or are located in a single building. But not all restaurants are considered themed restaurants. Diners choose restaurants primarily based on the type of food. On the contrary, themed restaurants attract customers primarily by promising unique experiences.
Most themed restaurants are casually styled, transporting customers to another location. These getaways can be destination restaurants for tourists or provide a fun visit for locals. The theme of a restaurant refers to the design of a space with an overall concept to create an experience for the customer. For example, restaurants inspired by the United States of the 1950s usually have jukeboxes from that era, but some also limit their menus to hamburgers and fries, as would have been common at that time. By the 1890s, at least three different, elaborately-themed nightclubs were operating in Paris, with themes of death, hell, and heaven.
Popular restaurant chains in the United States, such as Applebee's and Bennigan's, despite having different and consistent styles, are not usually considered themed restaurants, as they attract customers primarily with the food they serve. No matter what your restaurant is about or where you are located, food quality and consistently high service levels are key determinants of success. The success of the theme restaurant depends on selecting the right target market on which to focus your marketing and promotion efforts. The North American themed restaurant chain Medieval Times began on the small island of Mallorca, Spain, in the 1970s. A diner's poor experience can quickly get published on restaurant review sites, discouraging new customers from trying your restaurant. Tiki culture became very popular in the United States in the 1950s, and Polynesian-themed restaurants spread to London in the early 1960s and further to Europe and Asia in the early 1970s.
For example, a sports-oriented theme is more likely to appeal to men than to women, while a trending topic would appeal to more women. Themed restaurants have a unifying or dominant theme or concept, and use architecture, decoration, special effects and other techniques, often to create exotic environments that are not normally associated with gastronomy because they are inaccessible, no longer exist, are fictional, supernatural or taboo. More specifically, a theme restaurant uses a general motive to attract diners and create a memorable experience that draws them in again and again. It may sound boring and a threat to your big plans, but your budget will largely govern the theme of your restaurant. Choosing a location-based theme attracts locals to enjoy their own restaurant experience on a stay-at-home getaway.
Although it wasn't the first theme park, the opening of Disneyland in 1955 popularized the idea of an amusement park that combined areas with several names (“lands”) with different themes. Creating an attractive themed restaurant is essential for success in today's competitive market. To draw customers in you must select an appropriate target market for your concept and tailor your marketing message accordingly. You must also ensure that you provide high quality food and consistently high service levels so that customers will return again and again.
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