Designs on Expansion

New unit prototypes display stronger identities

By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 7/1/2004

It’s not enough to be known for a great menu, friendly service and good value; décor makes a difference too. As many chains face growing competition from fast casuals and casual dining, they are tearing down walls with hopes of building new business.

Unit redesigns that weave together good looks, home-like comforts and operational smarts with bold décor that’s consistent with the brand are better positioned to grab guests. Designers are introducing prototypes that soothe with comfortable seating as well as music and lighting that is programmed to time of day and traffic flow. But mostly, they work to make sure the look speaks to today’s restaurant patrons.

Red Lobster's first restaurant in New York City reflects chains' willingness to alter traditional unit designs to enter new markets.

“Few operators in such a competitive market can drive business with the same old interior or exterior. The revolution in [today’s] restaurant design is how cleverly the customer experience is addressed to increase satisfaction,’’ says Thomas E. Horwitz, restaurant designer and partner in a Cincinnati design firm.

The future of Cosí is on display in Avon, Conn., where in March, the New York City-based chain opened the first of what it calls the next generation of Cosí restaurants.

Customers at existing units have multiple contact points with different employees, a service style that can be confusing. Order takers, baristas, sandwich makers and cashiers are among the staff with whom a guest may interact. Cosí’s new design consolidates those experiences so that one employee handles all aspects of a guest’s transaction.

On entering, diners are greeted by a wall of menus and a view of bakers working the hearth oven. By the time customers arrive at the order counter, smells, sights and food images already are shaping the Cosí experience. Food ordered at the counter is delivered to tables by staff. The experience is enhanced by programmed music (from classical to soft rock), choices of table heights, and padded chairs and divans.

Brighter morning lighting dims in the evening. “We’ve gone from an eclectic coffeehouse look to urban sophistication,’’ says Kevin Armstrong, Cosí president and CEO.

Variations on that interior design will be crafted for Cosí units the chain plans to open in 10 Macy’s locations, including stores in Atlanta; Miami; Memphis, Tenn.; and Seattle, all new markets for the fast-casual chain. The deal with Macy’s parent Federated Department Stores offers “an excellent means of entering highly attractive new markets with immediate brand exposure to large volumes of our target customers,” says Armstrong.

Trading on Nostalgia
Big Boy Restaurants International in Warren, Mich., underwent reorganization in 2002 when Tony Michaels took over as president and CEO. The company (separate from Cincinnati-based Frisch’s Big Boy) was on the brink of financial disaster, he says. Rebuilding efforts had many components, among them a new unit look.

Yum! Brands now has 275 units that combine its KFC and A&W concepts (top). The bread wall at Au Bon Pain (above) catches guests' attention.

In September 2003, the chain introduced a prototype for a location in Hesperia, Calif., that’s a mix of old and new, says Michaels. The unit seats 150 in a variety of configurations, including tables, booths and counter stools. A lighter color scheme is a far cry from the reds and blacks of original units although the smiling Big Boy character remains as a symbol of fun and nostalgia.

The store has exceeded sales projections by 30%, says Michaels. “We’ve never lost our core customers, the baby boomers, and we added new ones.’’

The new design reflects the broader, more contemporary menu Big Boy has been developing. Classics such as shakes and signature double-decker burgers remain. Joining them are choices designed to appeal to health-conscious customers, including main-course salads, low-carb items and broiled entrées. A line of Stuffed Ciabatta Bread Sandwiches was added in April.

Hit the Wall
Quick-service restaurants rely on frequent table turns, but the more upscale fast-casual segment appeals with a relaxed experience, with customers staying between 30 and 45 minutes, says Horwitz.

To enrich that customer experience, Boston-based Au Bon Pain projects a European image with new units that capture the energy of a marketplace “where you eat with your eyes,” says Jim Fisher, vice president of marketing. The goal is to attract more weekend and evening business, appealing to families and people who like to gather with friends. A kiosk for children offers video games. An expanded beverage area with baristas provides coffee drinks, iced beverages and fruit smoothies.

A focal point is a new “wall of breads,” a self-serve display of artisan breads in different shapes and sizes, including “baguettes lined up like baseball bats,’’ says Fisher, and prepared products such as dipping sauces.

Mind the Gender Gap
In its goal of attracting more professional women and families to Huddle House, executives took a close look at interiors and decided the dark wood and hunter-green color scheme had to go, according to Ron Rumley, vice president of marketing and advertising for the Decatur, Ga.-based chain. “It was too male.’’

The solution was to introduce warmth through lighter colors, patterned flooring and hanging ivy baskets. New units have more windows and a redesigned lighting system.

Professional women come for lunch, and return with their families in the evening. “In the old days, breakfast was 60% of Huddle House’s business. Now, dinner competes with breakfast and lunch,’’ says Rumley.

The Eyes of Beholders
Confronted by a maze of chain-restaurant signage and locations, drivers make destination decisions in seconds. As a result, operators need strong brand identities to grab attention and sell a concept, says designer Thomas E. Horwitz, partner in a Cincinnati design firm.

Any change needs to be evolutionary, he adds. “If you have 500 units or more, that new design won’t alter the experience for the customer in the neighborhood. You need continuity.”

A sample of design initiatives that have yielded positive results.
Come together: McDonald’s decision to try a co-branded Boston Market/McDonald’s unit in Chicago reflects the success Allied Domecq has had with Togo’s Eatery/Dunkin’ Donuts tandems and Yum! Brands with KFC, A&W, Long John Silver’s and Taco Bell operations in various combinations.
Know customer needs: Couples want privacy; families need space. So do smokers or parents with rambunctious tots. Big Boy offers families booths skirting the wall, bigger tables and wider aisles to accommodate strollers, wheelchairs and highchairs.
Shine light: More natural light and incandescent lighting provides a sense of warmth, energy, even home-like feelings, according to designers for the new Huddle House units. Skylights and energy-efficient lighting systems that control intensity are used in some new Carl’s Jr. units.
Sell tradition: Use heritage as a marketing tool. Cosí promotes its baking tradition with stone-hearth ovens and bread samples. The fresh, made-for-you message of Papa Murphy’s Take ’N Bake Pizza is delivered at a viewing counter where customers sample and watch pies being made.
Full circle: Carl’s Jr. uses a circular unit design to differentiate its brand from competitors’ box-like stores. A half-moon-shaped unit, opened in Downey, Calif., in 2003, includes a curved order counter and semicircular booth seating to accommodate 86, the same number as older units. The prototype saves 200 square feet.