Fast Food Restaurant Fast food is the most familiar restaurant to most people. Chains like McDonalds and Burger King became popular in the 1950s, and helped spawn countless other concepts like Taco Bell, KFC, and In&Out Burger. Fast food service attracted customers for its speed and convenience.
Fast food restaurants are typically chains. If you are thinking of opening a fast food franchise, keep in mind that the initial costs of franchising are more expensive than opening an independent restaurant.
Fast Casual DiningThis is one of the biggest trends right now. Fast casual is slightly more upscale than fast food. Fast-casual restaurants offer disposable dishes and flatware, but their food tends to be presented as more upscale, such as gourmet breads and organic ingredients. Open kitchens are popular with fast casual chains, where customers can see their food being prepared. Boston Market is classified as fast casual.
Café is a restaurant that does not offer table service. Customers order their food from a counter and serve themselves. A café menu traditionally offers things such as coffee, espresso, pastries, and sandwiches. Cafes originated in Europe and are strongly associated with France. They are known for their casual, unhurried atmosphere. Outdoor seating is another trademark of a café. Panera Bread is an example of a popular bakery-café chain. The term bistro is sometimes interchanged with café. A bistro is actually a café that offers full meals (albeit, cheaper than a full-fledged sit-down restaurant).Pub is short for Public House, pubs date back hundred of years to Europe, especially Great Britain. Pubs have a timeless appeal, for their laid back atmosphere. Brewpubs offer beer made in-house, as well as a wide selection of other beers and ales. Pubs can offer full menus, as well as appetizers. Many casual style restaurants have a separate pub side to their establishment.
Casual Style Dining is also known as family style dining in the United States. Casual style restaurants offer moderately priced entrees. This is one of the largest markets in the US right now. Causal style dining can be any number of themes, from Italian (Olive Garden) to seafood (Red Lobster) to Mexican (Chilis). Casual style restaurants offer table side service, non-disposable dishes, while still keeping the menu moderately priced.Fine DiningJust as the name implies, fine dining is used to describe a much more upscale restaurant, one that offers diners an elegant atmosphere with high-quality service. The chefs in fine dining restaurants are usually professionally trained, and the food is fairly expensive, but worth it.
Food TrucksAnother hugely popular restaurant concept are food trucks. These mobile eateries are popular for a variety of reasons: they have low start-up costs, low labor costs, and little overhead. Starting your own food truck still requires many of the same steps as opening a new restaurant.
You need a business plan, financing, a menu, equipment, and good name. A trademark of a food truck business is the use of social media to announce where the truck is each day.Â
Pop Up Restaurant If you are looking for a way to try out a restaurant without any longtime commitment, a pop-up restaurant is one solution. Some professional chefs open their own pop-ups to build their culinary reputation, since the short-term nature of a pop-up allows chefs total freedom and creativity in the kitchen. Others open a pop up restaurant to test out a restaurant concept, using it as an avenue to entice investors as well as the public to try it out. On a more philosophical note, other people use pop up restaurants as a way to offer gourmet dining at reduced prices, so everyone can enjoy it. Lastly, pop-ups are sometimes used as a vehicle for fundraising by civic and community groups.Â
