Follow the Design Trends.

Style Driving Your Business?

Pull up a chair. Your establishment's style or turn over ratio can be determined simply by selecting the right type of chair. Sound too simple - equating success with seating? Chair type is a key factor in turnover which equals volume and sales.

Think about the fast food restaurant. By design, the hard plastic chairs with no back cushion guarantee a 10-minute stay. With it's low ticket items, a 10-minute turn over is necessary to achieve volume. By contrast, fine dining offers comfortable chairs that are large with seat backs, and sometimes armrests, designed for a two-hour stay and helping establish atmosphere.

When you think about your style, don't let price be the final factor in the decision. Remember form follows function. Determine the function and you'll understand the direction the form should take.

Change Any Lightbulbs Lately?

Ever looked at your electric bill in disbelief and wondered what in the world is eating all this energy? It's not your heating unit or even your refrigeration. Light bulbs are hands down one of the biggest consumers of energy. And, not knowing when to relamp or change your light bulbs could cost you significant dollars!

In most cases, amps and bulbs should be changed when they reach 65% of their life cycle. Actually, lamps take more energy to operate after they reach this peak, increasing energy bills.

An easy way to determine when to relamp is to replace your lamps and then estimate when you think 65% of life cycle will occur and mark your calendar. Keep a careful log of the type of lamps you are using and try to keep most of the bulbs / lamps the same. It will be worth the savings on your electric bill.

What, No Santa?

Sorry, there's no Tooth Fairy, no Easter Bunny, no free lunch. And, there's no such thing as free design, either.

Here's how 'free design' works: We often hear "Why should I hire a consultant when I get design for free?" Because, design services are not really free. With a turnkey operation, design services are hidden in the 'cost' of the equipment. These hidden costs are the 'mark up' on equipment and skyrocket, often into double digit percentages.

Beyond that 'free' really isn't, your establishment will continue to 'pay' for design flaws. Unless you retain a professional design consultant, you may not have the proper flow patterns and sizing of equipment important to the success of your business.

Customers Tickled Pink?

Create intensity. Establish comfort. Encourage playfulness. Choosing the correct color scheme can increase your traffic flow and sales. In some cases, especially highly competitive ones, color choice can make or break a new market entrant.

For example, the color red, when used correctly, can cause positive energy levels. Using the right blends of red and properly placing lighting fixtures play into how fast your guests travel through your restaurant, how long they will stay and their ticket averages. However, using too much red will have the opposite (and often an adverse) effect on your guests. A professional design consultant can assist you increating a unique atmosphere that will set you apart from your competition.

Galvin Design Group, the design resource for the food, hospitaility and entertainment industry, specializes in innovative, creative, and flexible food facilities design. With every project our goal is to increase both employee and customer satisfaction while realizing significant cost savings for our clients through facilities design.

Having worked on over 800 projects worldwide and with many extremely satisfied companies, we invite you to explore the benefits of working with GDG. Call us today at 407.654.8766 or email to gdg@galvindesigngroup.com

Feeling a Little Sick?

If your patrons are feeling a little sick after eating at your establishment, you’d better hope Ecoli and Salmonella aren’t the culprits! These two bacteria are responsible for thousands of cases of food borne illness every year. And that spells l-a-w-s-u-i-t. Attorney fees coupled with negative publicity and ill will are extremely costly to your business.

A growing industry trend is contamination reduction. Many companies are wisely taking every precaution to ensure the food they serve is safe. Keeping hot holding foods appropriately hot and cold foods appropriately cold is essential. But more than that, HealthShieldTM can be specified on stainless steel prep tables and chef tables. It prohibits and prevents the growth and migration of several bacteria. Lasting for over 100 years, it can be specified on stainless steel tables or applied in a retrofit application.

Galvin Design Group, the design resource for the food, hospitality and entertainment industry, specializes in innovative, creative and flexible food facilities design. With every project our goal is to increase both employee and customer satisfaction while realizing significant cost savings for our clients through facilities design.

Having worked on over 800 projects worldwide and with many extremely satisfied companies, we invite you to explore the benefits of working with GDG. Call us today at 407.654.8766 or email to gdg@galvindesigngroup.com

Are All Design Firms Equal?

Design firms are about as equal as your facility is to you closest competitor’s. Differences abound, but unless you are an insider, you are probably not in a position to discern.

A dangerous trend is the growth of unqualified designers ‘setting up shop’. Becuase not all design firms are equal, there are questions you should ask before selecting a facilities designer:

• Does the designer have a formal education in design?
• Who is really working on your project?
• Does the firm have liability insurance?
• Are the references verifiable?
• Has the designer ever experienced cooking in a commercial kitchen, managing or operating a restaurant?

Are You Flexible?

The more flexible your facility is, the more competitive you will be. That’s because flexibility in food facilities is a strong advantage.

Because it allows an operation to frow, there is a smart trend toward increasing flexibility through design. For example, re-engineering the cooking line to allow your operation to expand into the change of menu items isn’t just a good idea, it breathes new life into your offering. And, the selection of new equipment can allow your back of the house to be flexible under the hoods as well as in the prep areas.

Do You Really Need a Chef?

Many companies today are going ‘chefless’. If it fits into your establishment’s overall goals, in some cases, chefless can mean more efficient business.

The trend is toward facilities concepts with less equipment in the back of the house. One way to achieve a chefless kitchen is to develop a relationship with a local commissary to prepare and portion control your menu mix. A chefless kitchen will reduce the food costs, capital investment and labor challenges that face your operation.

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