A hotel’s restaurants are among the most important departments supporting the property’s overall revenue and popularity. They are the hotel facilities that all guests are likely to visit (as is the case with breakfast), and they can make the greatest contribution to guest satisfaction, provided that the restaurants have been developed properly, with a focus on delivering the best possible culinary experience. That said, hoteliers do tend to make conceptual mistakes, even before they begin building or renovating their restaurants.

1. Research what your hotel guests like (or expect) to eat, focusing on what the destination has to offer

Before deciding on the concept and cuisine your hotel restaurant will offer, it is always necessary to conduct thorough research into what your hotel’s potential guests want to eat during their stay. Compare the findings with the range of restaurant options available at the destination and determine a competitive concept for the hotel’s restaurants.

2. Give your hotel restaurant a distinct character compared with your hotel’s overall design

Choose the right location within your hotel and create a restaurant that is welcoming and offers a complete, enjoyable experience. Try to differentiate the hotel restaurant’s design from the rest of the property, giving guests a new space to discover that refreshes their experience and highlights a different aspect of your hotel.

3. Showcase local cuisine and introduce your guests to local dining habits

Food—and particularly good food—is extremely important in shaping the stay experience of your guests and gives your destination a strong identity. The first thing guests expect to try during their stay at your hotel is local cuisine. Ask your chef to create a menu that offers guests at least a basic local culinary experience. Make sure to add a local touch not only to your à la carte menus, but also to breakfast. Avoid introducing other cuisines unless you are sure you have first fulfilled the local destination experience.

4. Avoid serving breakfast in the same place where your guests have dinner (and, if possible, lunch)

The identity of a space is one of the most important factors influencing your guests’ experience. Breakfast is included in most hotel bookings, and guests expect the very best. As the breakfast room is where almost all your guests will start their day, make sure you choose a spacious, pleasant setting with natural light. However, no matter how beautiful your breakfast room may be, you should bear in mind that nobody likes having dinner in the same place where they had breakfast, as they always prefer a different and unique experience. Therefore, locate your main restaurant in a different area, even if that makes it slightly smaller.

5. Create a unique identity for your hotel’s main restaurant, making it feel like an entirely different project

When visiting a destination, travellers want to explore their surroundings and local culture as much as possible. Making your hotel restaurant feel like a genuine point of interest within the destination would make it even more appealing and successful. Therefore, create an exclusive brand identity for your restaurant and make guests feel as though they are going somewhere else for dinner, even if it is the poolside restaurant.

Redefining the Restaurant Concept

The concept in food and beverage is the overall idea or theme that defines a restaurant. The concept includes menu design, the style of service, dining room décor and, of course, the style of food. Many restaurants are conceived around the personal experiences or interests of a chef or owner. Roots, local ingredients, traditions and family heritage are common sources of inspiration for restaurant concepts. But the concept can also be defined by the travel experiences of the people shaping it, their professional experience, or an interest in a particular area of art, science or culture. Because food is, after all, a blend of all these things.

Elements That Make Up the Restaurant Concept

Restaurant Name

Your restaurant’s name should give guests a fairly good idea of the type of food you serve. It should be memorable, preferably simple and, most importantly, authentic. There are many different approaches to choosing a restaurant name, but owners often draw inspiration from the location, a signature dish or even a family member who inspires them.

Printed Menu

Your menu descriptions can be as literal as listing the ingredients and cooking methods, or as poetic as a brief description of an experience, visual image or abstract theory. However, your approach should make sense within the context of your food and overall theme.

Service Styles

While service styles may appear unrelated, the type of service you offer is directly linked to your restaurant concept because it affects the guest’s overall dining experience.

Décor and Ambience

Wall colour, lighting, furniture, table settings, music and décor all play a very important role in your restaurant’s overall impact. So, although your food should be the main focus of your efforts, it is important to make some basic décor decisions early in the planning process. Do you want a fun, casual atmosphere or a romantic venue suited to special evenings? Keeping your guests’ needs in mind can also serve as a useful reference point for décor and theming decisions.

How to Choose a Restaurant Concept

Of course, deciding on a concept can be challenging. I have divided the process into five steps to help guide your thinking.

1. Identify what inspires and defines you: this is easier said than done, and chefs often take a lifetime to discover it. Deciding which style of food you enjoy most is a good place to start. It may come from your heritage or upbringing, but not necessarily.
2. Define your unique point of difference: restaurants that offer something unique have a better chance of lasting and exciting guests with their food.
3. Research your customer base: it can be difficult to say exactly what type of restaurant will succeed with a particular group of people, but it is important to ensure there is demand for what you want to offer. Get an understanding of the competition and observe where other businesses have succeeded. Try to think about what matters to your potential guests and decide what you want to communicate to them.
4. Develop a menu: while it is fine to move slightly away from tradition, it is important to avoid creating confusing or overly complicated dishes.
5. Choose a service style: once you have largely finalised your menu, it should be easy to choose a service style that suits your dishes well. For example, many Italian dishes are excellent when served family-style, but expensive seafood dishes may be better suited to a fine-dining setting.

Developing a restaurant concept is deeply personal for every restaurant owner. While there is never one clear strategy that works for everyone all the time, there are a number of basic guidelines you can use to keep yourself on track.

Be Aware of Guest Expectations

Certain service styles are usually accompanied by specific etiquette, such as a dress code. Most importantly, you must ensure that guests know what to expect when they arrive at your restaurant to avoid disappointment. For example, if your website promotes casual food and an informal atmosphere, guests may be disappointed if they arrive to find formal tables and high prices. Therefore, try to strike a balance between uniqueness and familiarity.

Be Consistent

Your restaurant’s identity must be consistent and harmonious in order to create a comfortable atmosphere. Restaurant concept consistency is twofold: it must be coherent and it must be consistent. This means that all the different aspects of your establishment should share a common thread. And once you have established a menu and style you are happy with, it is important to maintain them. While seasonal changes can be an excellent way to keep things fresh, the overall tone of your restaurant should remain the same, so returning guests know what to expect, can give accurate recommendations to their friends, and can enjoy the experience time and again.

When in Doubt, Think About the Food

Your passion for food should serve as a compass throughout the concept development process. Returning to your core menu idea before making a decision can help ensure a cohesive concept. While developing a restaurant concept may seem like an impossible feat, breaking the process down into smaller steps makes it far more manageable. Creating a menu, mood and service style that feel coherent depends largely on sharp intuition and a clear vision. Try to balance uniqueness with expectations, keep things consistent, and put food above all else.