สร้าง Concept ร้านอาหารอย่างไรให้ Success และทำเงิน!

Restaurants are like people. They have their own lives and lifestyles, and it is difficult for these different lifestyles to be suitable and wanted by everyone who encounters them. So, when operating a restaurant, the owner has to clearly define who the intended target customers are in order to consistently establish a concept for the restaurant. This is because concept is the first clear step on the restaurant’s path to success.

 This might be a simple question that’s not very hard to answer. However, we’d like to remind you that, when selling something, you should sell so many things that the restaurant lacks a distinguishing quality. If you sell too many different things, nobody will know what your restaurant is good for or what your signature dishes are. If you don’t control your menu inventions from the get-go, you might run into a problem where your restaurant fails to leave a memorable impression.

And when talking about what to sell, it’s not necessary to just focus on food either. Nowadays, we see lots of cafes that don’t offer any signature menu items at all. Instead, they sell atmosphere. For example, the cafes in Nakhon Pathom sell relaxing nature and photo ops.

2. What group is suitable for what you are selling?

This part is important, and you should analyze as deeply as possible to most clearly identify your target group. That’s because a clear target group can reduce your business risks. For example, if you are opening a clean-food-type restaurant, you might draw a simple conclusion that your customers are career-type people who love their health.

However, if you think a little bit more deeply, you will find that there are lots of different health lovers such as people who love cardio, people who love weight training, and people who love flexible exercises. If we look at these three groups, we can perhaps say that weight-training health lovers might not be your top customers, since they would primarily want starches and proteins.

And if you are targeting students, you need to identify which student demographics are you selling to. Students from Ramkhamhaeng University, and students from Bangkok University have different lifestyles. Even styles between men and women are different. As a result, they all have different concepts.

3. How are you decorating your restaurant?

Now that you’ve figured how what you are selling and whom you are selling to, you can use your information to establish your restaurant concept, especially in regards to decorations.

Many people often assume that a restaurant’s decoration style is the concept.  In reality, however, that’s just part of it. The concept is actually connected to the entire system, including restaurant design style, decoration props, lighting, colors, sounds, indoor atmosphere, outdoor atmosphere, tables, chairs, equipment, employee uniforms, service format, employee recruitment, menu design, plate arrangements, menu item names, prices, and budgets. All of these things are based on your restaurant’s concept. So, if you have a clear restaurant concept, you will be able to create a brand that’s easier to remember, which makes your marketing more effective. 

 

With consumer behaviors now totally different from the past, customers are not deciding to use a restaurant’s services based on its reputation or great flavors. Now customers also want attractiveness and distinguishing styles that they can take pictures of for show. So, clearly establishing your concept from the beginning will increase your restaurant’s chances for success, and it will be more likely that customers choose you for their own personal reasons.

And if anyone still doesn’t have a concept, try to imagine a picture. One simple recommendation which is very effective is to take the time to survey different restaurants in the target area and other areas similar to what you want, as if to do your homework and form the model for your concept. Check the decoration styles, menu items, plate decorations, outdoor atmosphere, indoor atmosphere, services and other things. Doing so will help make it easier for you to come up with your own ideas that you can use to plan your restaurant’s concept.