In planning an upcoming trip, to a resort destination, we wanted to explore some new and noteworthy restaurants and chefs, but found many are holding onto an antiquated very late opening schedule.
The one thing the pandemic made us realize is that people’s schedules have dramatically changed. The days of dinners at 7 or 8pm might work when your trust fund allows a long sleep-in the next morning, but come on. Who wants to wolf down an 18oz bone-in ribeye steak at 9:00?
People want to eat when they want to eat. Working remotely or from home? How about an 11:00 lunch? Or some quick drinks and bites at 4:30 to break up the afternoon?
These types of considerations should be happening at restaurants from coast to coast. Putting aside the question of having enough labor, scale your team and start your opening at 11:00 for lunch, 4:30 or 5pm for dinner or an abbreviated menu. Don’t lose out on those who want to try your restaurant at lunch if you’re just opening for dinner. These days it’s even more about actual customer working and eating patterns.
Sure, those business, expense account dinners will still be happening after trade shows and late day business meetings and start at 7pm, probably to a lesser degree than 10 years ago.
It’s time for restaurant owners to reevaluate truly catering to the needs of their demographic. Resort communities especially need to have much longer opening hours as people on vacation tend to want to eat at their pace and timelines. Don’t lose out on a big chunk of seasoned diners wanting to try your new, upscale restaurant by instituting hours that only meet your schedule or some long-lost late dining pattern that’s way too outdated to even figure into today’s post-pandemic daily schedule.
Need assistance with looking at catering better to your customers? Contact us today for an objective and complimentary consultation. Palm Beach Phoenix Tucson Las Vegas
