Upgrading your restaurant

How to upgrade your restaurant

Upgrading primarily involves replacing existing products with higher-quality alternatives. This is accompanied by improved service standards. The concept of upgrading is relative to the restaurant’s initial positioning and the type of dining it offers. Therefore, an upgrade will be quite different for a traditional brasserie compared to a school cafeteria, but it can be equally successful in meeting the expectations of their respective clientele.

Depending on the situation of your establishment and its goals, upgrading could involve renovations, interior decoration, or simply a new menu.

From a culinary perspective, once the concept is defined, the chef must conduct a comprehensive review of the product list to identify which items need to evolve to meet the quality promise made to customers. Indeed, the quality of dishes is directly impacted by the quality of the ingredients. When the chef finalizes the new technical sheets, it is essential to update the prices per item on the menu, while adhering to the food cost ratios defined in the business plan and in agreement with the restaurant management.

Our best practices

Given the competitive nature of the restaurant industry and the ever-evolving customer expectations, it may be wise to consider upgrading your restaurant if it aligns with ongoing culinary trends and market demands. Indeed, an upgrade can be a lever for your business to generate more revenue with improved profitability through higher prices.

If you own multiple restaurants, a relevant upgrade should take into account your business portfolio to avoid any revenue cannibalization and confusion regarding positioning in the minds of your customers. A market study supported by a marketing plan can help you gain a better strategic vision.

From a menu structure perspective, it is often easier to do fewer things but do them better. Therefore, it is frequently advantageous to reduce the number of dishes on the menu to allow the kitchen team to focus on more elaborate culinary preparations that require more production time. Additionally, creating a tasting menu in commercial dining can be a great way to showcase the chef’s cuisine to customers.

While Michelin stars are a dream for many chefs, representing the culmination of significant efforts and sacrifices, few achieve this accolade. Michelin recognition remains an exception and can be a source of stress for teams. It is crucial for both the restaurant owner and the chef to ensure that the entire team embraces the same goal and unites around an upgrade with the aim of earning a star.

Once the restaurant teams are ready to launch the new offer, the marketing team should take over to promote the restaurant’s reopening and its new offerings through its website and social media. A communication strategy will help introduce your dining venue to new customers, trigger table reservations, and generate additional revenue for your establishment.

We also offer quality follow-up for a restaurant to ensure that all standards and expectations are continuously met over time.