January 12, 2017 By Judy Henderson
If your restaurant is going to survive, you’re going to need to complete a renovation every seven to 10 years. I’m not talking about replacing the fabric on an existing banquet or adding an Edison bulb to an old pendent fixture – that’s maintenance. A renovation is more extensive; a rethink of the ... Read more about this post
December 2, 2016 Earls.67 is a new prototype restaurant based on global micro and macro trends
By Cheryl Mah
With time comes change and innovation. For the beloved 35-year-old west coast based restaurant Earls, time brought a one-off prototype concept designed to transform the chain dining experience. Earls.67, the 67th eatery in the powerhouse’s roster of locations, has packaged and ... Read more about this post
October 11, 2016 By Adele Rankin
More research and discussion has been generated about Millennials than any other demographic in recent memory since Generation X. Determining what draws them to a certain product, and perhaps more importantly, what keeps them coming back, is the focus for everyone from hotel brands to retailers. Restaurateurs can also learn a few lessons ... Read more about this post
July 13, 2016 By Chris Hannah
As restaurants fight for a place in the market, we often focus on key elements such as menu, service and ambience. While a single factor such as restaurant design cannot save a bad restaurant, it can certainly contribute to its demise, especially if the design budget is not managed wisely.
It used to be ... Read more about this post
June 20, 2016 By Kristin Menas
In this edition of “concepts to watch,” we highlight three restaurant concepts that are making an impact on Canadian diners. Here’s a look at the characteristics and menu offerings that make these restaurants unique.
Flock Rotisserie + Greens
Instagram: 3,205 followers | Twitter: 448 followers
Locations: 3 (Toronto)
Concept characteristics: Quality, healthy rotisserie chicken and specialty salads
Free-range birds ... Read more about this post
April 25, 2016 By Kristin Menas
In our first ever ‘concepts to watch,’ we highlight three restaurant concepts that are making an impact on Canadian diners. These original eateries use social media to their benefit, are positioned as fast-casual and offer guests unique experiences. Here’s a look at our top fast-casual restaurant concepts.
Mandy’s
Instagram: 5,797 followers |Facebook: 4,710 likes
Locations: 3 ... Read more about this post
October 5, 2015 By Diane Chiasson
As a restaurateur and foodservice operator, you may never realize how visual food merchandising can substantially increase your sales until you fully understand the concept and you become willing to spend the time to make it work.
Visual food merchandising brings the food and retail products you offer your customers to life through eye-catching ... Read more about this post
April 21, 2015 By Diane Chiasson In today’s increasingly gastronomically aware world, diners are looking more for experiences when they dine out. Taste and quality are always important and must be good, but may not always be enough. Thought-out plating techniques can help to create a lasting and more memorable eating experience.
Remember, food that looks beautiful awakens our senses ... Read more about this post
April 17, 2015 The continuing search for authenticity in restaurant design
By Chris Hannah
April 17, 2015 When it comes to restaurant design trends, we must concede that they are extremely difficult to actually predict. We can, however, look back on where we have come from and project into the future. We can also experiment with ideas that we believe in, ... Read more about this post
January 21, 2015 By Diane Chiasson Does your restaurant serve amazing food but is lacking in ambiance to give your customers the total dining out experience? Studies have shown that the ambiance in a dining facility can affect everything from how fast customers eat, how much they spend and how long they stay.
In today’s competitive society, it is crucial ... Read more about this post
December 22, 2014 By Diana Ferreira and Lloyd ThistleDecember 22, 2014 It has been said many times that if you wait long enough, whatever goes out of style will come back into vogue. Trends in small wares — and particularly tabletop dinnerware — keep making their way back en vogue too.
For many years, fine dining was synonymous with white ... Read more about this post
October 6, 2014 By Diane Chiasson Space is such a commodity, especially if you operate a restaurant or foodservice operation in a city centre. While every chef has their own version of a dream kitchen, the majority has to deal with the reality of their small space.
But having a small kitchen can have its benefits as well. You take ... Read more about this post
August 28, 2014 Tone-on-tone, texture and a shot of bold colour is in style, and busy patterns with multiple colours are out. The trend is to layer tone-on-tone coloured fabrics and a variety of textures to create less visual chaos and a more luxurious feel. This idea even applies to a sports bar in today’s design market. Add ... Read more about this post
May 5, 2014 By Chris Hannah
As designers and owners in hospitality, we might be inclined to use the word ‘space’ rather than place, when describing the ambience of a restaurant. The difference between these two words provides an interesting take on what makes a design good or great. Nice space can certainly support a hospitality business, but creating ... Read more about this post
January 3, 2014 In a recent interview with Jason Kaiman, owner of Picnic, one of Toronto’s newest grab-and-go sandwich concepts, he explained that his decision to hire an interior design firm came from a desire to improve the strength of his brand.
“I hired both the ad agency and Burdifilek early in the process, so everything was done collaboratively,” ... Read more about this post
