How to Create an Upscale Ambience in Your Restaurant

Does your restaurant feel mundane? You’ve invested so many resources into building your business. You don’t want to let it grow stale. Fortunately, you can change the tenor of your establishment with only a few small touches. Here’s a guide on how to create an upscale ambiance in your restaurant.

Increase Energy and Color

You’ll want to make some physical changes to your decor, too. A popular choice is to add high-definition televisions (HDTVs). Even though HD technology isn’t new, people still associate it with deluxe entertainment. You can buy a lot of HDTVs for $500 or less, which makes this addition one of the cheapest construction options available. Plus, you can insert advertisements for your own food and merchandise on the televisions when you’re not airing programming.

Another great tactic is to use color. Research suggests that yellow grabs attention better than any other color. Meanwhile, red makes people hungry. Perhaps these data points reveal why McDonald’s uses red and yellow as their main colors. Incorporate this style into your own restaurant to sell more food. Make sure that you don’t look like McDonald’s, though. You want your place to seem nicer, not like a fast food joint.

Alter Your Menu

Perception is everything in the business world. That’s especially true in the hyper-competitive restaurant industry. When you’re altering the appearance of your restaurant, think about the situation from the customer’s perspective. The menu is what they notice the most once they sit down.

When crafting a new menu, pay attention to the physical appearance. It should display style and elegance while still matching the design of your building. You should also add pictures to some of the items. Research suggests that consumers are much more likely to purchase an item when they see images of it. That’s because the picture makes them hungry.

Also, play a mind game with your customers. Remove the dollar signs from your prices. When a person sees a dollar sign, they automatically connect it to cost. In the absence of the dollar sign, your $16 sirloin is just a steak with the number 16 written beside it. This tactic explains why many high-end restaurants don’t have dollar signs on their menus. It’s a subliminal way to persuade guests to spend more money.

Add Valet Parking

One of the simplest ways to enhance the perception of your eatery is by introducing valet parking services for your business. This tactic is also cost-effective. All you need to do is build a platform area where an employee will take the keys of various guests. After driving the car to the proper parking spot, your worker will label the keys and place them on a wall or some other storage location.

Since you already have parking available, you won’t need to do any new construction. Beyond the minimal upfront cost, your only recurring expenses are payroll for the valets and valet parking insurance. You can even outsource the entire thing if you’d rather pay someone to do the valet parking duties. In exchange for your negligible investment, guests will feel like they’re eating at an upscale establishment.

Adding ambiance to your building can drive sales and renew customer interest. Follow the suggestions above to add new life to your beloved business.