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Pop-up restaurants, originating in London, have taken the United States by storm. These temporary restaurants are set up in strategic locations only for a short period. Essentially offering several courses for a set fee, they are great business models for those of all cooking experiences and backgrounds. New chefs have found that pop-up restaurants are fantastic ways to get their names in the game, while seasoned chefs can use pop-up restaurants to test out overall restaurant concepts or new menu ideas. These restaurants can stay open for one night, a weekend or even an entire month.

Why Open a Pop-Up Restaurant

There are several reasons why you may consider opening a pop-up restaurant. You can begin your own business for a relatively small sum of money, especially when you compare the cost to that of opening a full-fledged restaurant. Typically, a new restaurant can cost around $500,000, whereas you can run a pop-up restaurant for anywhere between $2,000 and $2,500 per week, decreasing your financial risk. Since restaurants are one of the riskiest types of start-ups, it makes sense to lower your financial exposure as much as possible.

Pop-ups can be beneficial to already-established restaurant owners considering opening a second location. By testing out the market in different areas, owners can gauge whether or not the menu would be well received at the second establishment. Once you test the menu and handle customers’ reactions, then you may consider opening a full-fledged restaurant at a fixed location.

These restaurants also offer great flexibility in terms of reinventing oneself. Many customers thrive on eating meals in new, exciting locations such as parks, streets, steel mills, rafts or even underground in old mines. Pop-up restaurants are ideal for creative owners who want to test the limits of their business concept.

Tips on Running a Pop-Up Restaurant

Once you have decided to open a pop-up restaurant, there are a few things to consider before taking the first step. Most importantly, you need to think about the location. This is the basis for your success and you should keep in mind the demographics of the customers and markets you will be targeting. For example, festivals can be ideal, but remember that you will need to charge festival prices. Additionally, you may need permission to operate if you choose a location off the beaten track.

Make sure you have all of your equipment well in advance of your opening day. Keep in mind the kitchen equipment and food you will need, plus licenses for electric, gas and water.

Keep your expectations realistic. Many people launch pop-up restaurants in hopes of becoming millionaires overnight. In reality, the most successful owners treat pop-ups as a public relations and marketing opportunity to spread buzz about an existing restaurant and to give people in other locations a taste of what they offer.

You will most likely be working with a brand new team, as your current chefs will be busy operating your fixed restaurant. Keep this in mind when planning your menu to ensure that everything runs smoothly and quickly.

You should also consider the price of your meals and fix them according to what your potential customers can afford. For example, if you are establishing a pop-up at a fair, expect to charge comparable prices and remember that most of your customers will be carrying cash. In this case, make sure you have lots of change available or set up near an ATM for smoother transactions.

Get creative with your pop-up menus and locations to create the most buzz for your restaurant. It’s a great way to try out new offerings and test the market.

How can local restaurants compete with the big chains? Well Restaurant.com and Cleveland attorney Andrew Samtoy recently got together to launch an interesting idea. It’s called a dish mob! Dish mobs are volunteers who choose restaurants to patronize all at one time, boosting visibility and profits for smaller local restaurants. The first Restaurant.com dish mob took place in fall 2012 and was overwhelming well received by the public.

Volunteer Non Profit

Andrew Samtoy is a volunteer who organizes many such events. Samtoy seeks to make sure that local restaurants, some of the most vulnerable businesses in any economy, survive the lagging recession. His goal is to raise awareness about the need for more local businesses. He wants to help restaurants fight the knee jerk reaction of consumers to hit local chain restaurants and instead look a little further to find great local dining.

Why Dining Locally Matters to Everyone

The benefit of more local restaurants is obvious to restaurant owners. But others benefit from a thriving service industry as well. Chain restaurants and big box stores took the nation by storm in the latter quarter of the 20th century and rapidly spread throughout the world. With a national and global interest, these companies squeeze out smaller competitors, exacerbating the problems brought when business ownership isn’t local.

Local Identity – Fifty or Sixty years ago, nearly all restaurants were locally owned. Each city had its own individuality and charm pieced together by a patchwork of personalities and tastes. Today, finding the personality of a city’s cuisine is much harder. Four-lane highways lined by chain restaurants crowd out tiny gems on side streets, despite the superior dining experience these small restaurants offer.

Local Revenues – When a popular restaurant is locally owned, it feeds the local economy. The restaurant gets its food and supplies from local sources. When the owners spend their profits, they usually spend them locally. By committing to dining locally, consumers encourage lower property taxes, improved local social programs, more jobs and better pay.

Local Means Fresh – The quality of food in most chains is not as fresh as it could be. Most ingredients are shipped frozen and ready prepared from distant places. That’s not just true for fast food restaurants either. Semi fast food restaurants also take part in that practice. Smaller local restaurants don’t see a huge cost savings by sourcing frozen. They do well by reducing shipping costs by acquiring ingredients from local growers.

What You Can Do to Get a Dish Mob Going

• Work with shop and dine local movements in your community.
• Frequent local stores and establish relationships with local business people.
• Get your local newspaper or community groups to urge locals to sign a pledge to shop and dine at locally owned establishments.
• Encourage local groups to organize Dish Mob Events
• Publicize and attend dish mob events in your area
• Raise awareness about the importance of shopping locally via your marketing channels.

Organizing a dish mob certainly benefits your restaurant, but it also benefits your community and every small business in it. Use the momentum gathering behind the Dish Mob movement to raise awareness about supporting local economies while benefiting awareness about your business.

Regardless of how terrific your pizza may be, unless you have a marketing strategy, the business will never perform as well as it should. Quality marketing entices customers to your store. By investing in compelling advertising tactics, your pizzeria will see sales soar. Therefore, it is wise to spend some time planning your attack in this dog-eat-dog business. Here are twelve tried and tested techniques to drive sales.

Quality Product

Pizza is probably the most popular fast food choice. Therefore, make sure your pizza is good. No advertising campaign in the world will help your business if the product isn’t worth it.

Visual Impact

As the saying goes, ‘we eat with our eyes.’ Entice customers with tempting images of pizzas. If your pizzeria is designed for family dining, then use photographs of happy, smiling families enjoying the experience. Use bright signage that draws the attention of passersby, proclaiming your pizza restaurant’s strongest marketing point or slogan.

Meal Deals, Giveaways and Customer Loyalty

Customers love free stuff. Offering free drinks or desserts with the purchase of a set number of pizzas is an alluring deal. Two for the price of one is a great technique for increasing business on quiet evenings.

Everybody loves getting something for nothing, so hand out objects emblazoned with the company’s logo and contact details. Refrigerator magnets, for example, are a lot more productive than a business card. They serve a purpose yet blatantly advertise your company. Pens, calendars and key chains are also items that work well.

Use your customers’ love of free stuff to create a loyalty program for regulars. This may include specials such as a free pizza after every ten pizzas purchased. It could also include merchandise such as a shirt or cap, or including their name in an honor roll.

Online

Create a website and include online ordering options. Your complete menu should be available along with all contact information. Make the most of social networking sites too. Your pizza shop should have a Facebook page that celebrates local treasures, family values and the love of great pizza. It’s also a great platform for cashing in on public holidays and festivals. Use your fan base and entice them in with coupons.

Create a Customer Database

With customer permission, collect contact information and birthdays. With this data, you can create a personal touch that will set your business apart from the rest. With this information at your fingertips, you can advertise directly to customers via emails and text messaging offering a free birthday pizza or marketing a birthday special package.

Family Friendly

Provide a children’s menu and explore a family discount night. Adopt child-friendly initiatives such as coloring competitions. Invite teens to create a short video ad campaign for your pizzeria. Awards could range from cash prizes, free pizzas or an annual trophy displayed in the store. Such films uploaded to sites like YouTube and promoted on your Facebook page, will offer another platform of advertising.

Community Involvement

Sponsor community events and offer free pizza for popular gatherings. Here is a great opportunity to support charities whilst generating an impressive profile for your business. Hand out your merchandise at these functions!

Be Topical

Keep abreast of the events in the community and don’t be afraid to act. Support local issues. For example, join with local bars and promote a ‘designated driver’ program and hand out free pizza whilst pressing the issue of driving sober.

Happy Helpers

Last but not least, look after your staff. Implement employee of the month awards. Reward good work with bonuses and acknowledge those who go above and beyond the call of duty. Remember, your employees are the face of your business. Keep them smiling to ensure the best experience for your customers.