Centro in Northeast Minneapolis may call itself fast casual. It may even check off all the boxes for what consumers are looking for in that style restaurant, but it’s the Cinderella at the fast-casual…
I have been studying a number of the restaurant industry rankings that come out this time of year and gleaning what they tell us about the current and future state of the industry. Let’s…
My mantra over the years has always been: Successful restaurant companies have multiple profit centers. The most common profit centers include private dining, catering, off-premise sales, unique bar programs and the in-store sale of…
With restaurant profits tight, one tactic that is relevant to continued business success is leveraging and expanding a restaurant’s trade name and reputation. I call it “brand extension” as it seems to work for…
Last month I addressed specific financial fixes for casual dining. This month, I’ll dig deeper into three areas of concern: dealing with problem stores, leases and senior debt. There are always underperforming stores, both…
Trying to obtain bank financing, equipment leasing or even vendor financing for a restaurant is one of the biggest challenges in the business world. Each week I hear from local restaurateurs who have either…
Obviously, the casual dining world has its ups and downs. Right now we are in a down period, with some major players struggling the last few years. There seems to be a light at…
The team behind Hola Arepa has switched gears and opened a South-Asian restaurant in the up-and-becoming trendy Northeast Minneapolis. Hai Hai is in a fairly underdeveloped area at 21st and University, which would normally…
I am always intrigued by “polished fast-casual” concepts— restaurants with counter service but a little more personal service and also higher price points that can attract customers with the ability to generate higher check…
