Making Your Family-Style Restaurant More Appealing to Customers
Restaurants that serve food family-style are simply not as common as those that serve individually plated meals. However, there are a good number of customers who seek out family-style restaurants specifically. They enjoy the community atmosphere and the joy that comes with sharing dishes with the other diners at their table. As the owner of a family-style restaurant, how can you cater to these customers and make sure they have a truly top-notch experience? Here are a few ideas.
Offer Dishes in Various Sizes
When listing dishes on your menu, try to offer some or most of them in at least two different sizes. For example, you could offer you mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and roasted sweet potatoes in both small and large sizes. Tables with more diners will likely order the larger size, and those with fewer diners can order the smaller size. Or, you may get some tables that want to order large portions of only two or three dishes, then other tables that order smaller portions of six or eight dishes.
Include "Pre-Fixe" Meal Options
It's wise to always give customers the option of choosing the specific dishes their table will be served. But you may also want to offer a few "pre-fixe" meals for those who are not sure what dishes to pair together. You could even offer one pre-fixe option each night. For example, on Thursdays, your pre-fixe option could be sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, and asparagus. On Tuesdays, your pre-fixe meal could be roasted ham, cheese potatoes, and fruit salad.
Upgrade Your Serving Dishes
When you serve foods family-style, the serving dishes get passed around the table, and everyone sees them. So, making these dishes more attractive will add a little something to the dining experience. You could buy serving dishes from a local ceramic maker, or simply buy higher-end dishes from your dish supplier. You want customers to pick up the dish, pass it, and say "oh, this looks nice."
Offer Pitcher Drinks
If you're still only serving drinks individually, try adding drink pitchers to your menu, too. When a group of diners is already sharing food family-style, they'll appreciate being able to order drinks the same way. This also cuts down on the number of refills your server will have to run back to the kitchen for.
Running a family-style restaurant can be a lot of fun. If you implement some or all of the above ideas, your customers will come back again and again.
For examples of dine-in restaurants, visit an establishment like National Coney Island.