The latest stories we follow in our restaurant management consultant group focused on the strongest retail markets, increased food costs expectation and more signs of trouble for a major chain among already saturated foodservice concepts. Here are those summaries and our take on it: Like retail, restaurants enjoy the same customer density and growth patterns that major department stores and specialty retail chains do. If you’re looking for the best markets to open or to buy a restaurant, target your business plan at these major cities. Although Washington D.C. leads the group, San Francisco is number two even with a higher Bay Area unemployment rate. Owners and restaurant management services operators will have higher food costs in 2011, says the USDA in its projections. If you are in this group, getting creative to save costs in other areas is vital as consumers are still looking for deals. Take a page from these major restaurant chains from a restaurant management consultant perspective, such as Starbucks and Dardin, in order to save money and stay competitive on menu prices. More woes among multiple concept chains as Sbarro reportedly filed for Chapter 11 protection. Ironically, costs of food dealt it a blow from an operations standpoint as well. This may also be a way as part of a restaurant turnaround services restructuring to regain footing in its core Italian quick-service business while paring down other subsidiaries and concepts. Are you experiencing significant rises in food wholesale prices as a restaurant, bar or nightclub owner and what measures have you taken to counter it? Or, if you are working with a restaurant management consultant or doing it alone to expand your foodservice operations, what cities do you identify as the ones to target and grow in??
