Restaurateurs are always seeking new ways to bring in clients and potential business partners, so it’s no mystery why many leaders in the dining industry are teaming up with retail stores. The concept is not new. It’s been more than three decades, but department stores actually used to share space with restaurants to attract customers to their locations. The trend is on the rise again, and you should expect more dining options to pop up inside your favorite shopping destination.
On New York City’s Fifth Avenue, the restaurant in the Tommy Bahama store sells coffee-crusted rib-eye with marrow butter, hamachi crudo, and fish tacos with Asian slaw. Shoppers can buy a signature Tommy Bahama tropical-print shirt before dropping in and enjoying a drink at the Marlin Bar. According to Terry Pillow, the CEO of Tommy Bahama, the company’s Florida location generates about $2,000 per square foot. RetailSails, a consulting firm, revealed that these rates are comparable to those of industry leaders like Coach or Lululemon Athletica. Tommy Bahama representatives say the restaurants generate about 12 percent of the company’s $452 million in yearly revenue.
As more consumers go online to make their purchases, companies are following the Tommy Bahama model of using food and drink to keep patrons in their stores. Urban Outfitters in Westport, Connecticut, features a cafe that has scallops with preserved lemons and duck with bruleed strawberries. The Saks store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago has a Sophie’s global-American restaurant, while the Nordstrom’s in Bellevue, Washington, includes an upscale bar-cafe that specializes in blueberry lavender martinis and watermelon-jalapeno margaritas. Macy’s in New York City spent millions of dollars to build a 10,000 square-foot Italian restaurant named Stella. It features enough seating for 250 guests, three wood-burning ovens, and a path to restrooms lined with several retail department stores.
If you are in the dining industry and planning on partnering with a retail store, Rosseto Serving Solutions will make your location the talk of the town. Rosseto has a long list of products available, from bakery cases to single-serve plastic cups and bowls. The pride of the company is the line of riser systems and food and beverage dispensers. Each riser is made with only the highest quality materials on the market today and features elegant yet functional designs. Our food dispensers use patented cushion-wheel technology that keeps your items from crumbling while maintaining freshness. Whatever your dining needs, Rosseto can help turn your business into a success.
