If you own a restaurant, then you will know that renovating it is one of the toughest jobs you can embark on. The reason for this isn’t so much because of the work itself, which can be difficult, but not impossible, but because of the decisions, you need to make along the way.

Renovation means change, and if you have an established customer base, you risk alienating them with the alterations you want to make. Far from attracting new customers, these changes could dissipate your customer base altogether, so you need to ensure you get them right.

To do this, you need to focus on a few key areas. Here is what you need to know before renovating your restaurant:

Make sure the signage is right

One of the most important details of any restaurant renovation is the signage. It is the first thing any customer will see before walking into your restaurant, so you need to make sure it is right.

After all, there will likely be a variety of restaurants and cafes dotted along the street, so your branding has to stand out and speak to a particular type of customer.

Naturally, choosing the right signage for your restaurant is not easy, so you should keep in mind the target market you wish to attract and the overall brand image of your restaurant, which should be congruent in every detail of the restaurant. 

Your renovation should match your brand image

If you want to renovate your restaurant, then you need to ensure that the changes you make match the brand image you want to convey. Unless you are merely renovating your restaurant due to structural issues, it is likely that you are making these changes to revamp your brand image.

Therefore, every detail needs to speak of this change, from the sign hanging outside to the interior layout and the wall decorations. Even your uniforms and staff behavior count as potential parts of your renovation because they need to match the other changes. 

Research the type of customers you want to attract

In order to have a clearer idea of the changes you should make, it is good practice to research the type of customers you want to attract to your restaurant. 

If you want to attract the same customers as before, then you should still make an effort to reflect on how you can improve your ability to cater to this customer base in the future.

As part of this research, you may want to ask these customers for feedback so that you can draw useful conclusions from the research. There may be outstanding changes that almost all your customers want to see, making it easier for you when deciding how to renovate your restaurant. 

Your restaurant needs to look clean and presentable

A useful tip to bear in mind with restaurant renovations is that you need to get the basics right.

There are certain details everyone looks for when choosing a restaurant to eat at. These include whether it looks busy (a sign of good food and service), whether it looks clean, and whether the decor suits their tastes. 

Therefore, you need to make sure that your restaurant looks presentable, clean, and attractive at all times. Simply getting these details right will encourage more people to visit your business.