10 simple yet powerful restaurant ideas
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Anyone with a love of food has likely had a restaurant idea at some point in their life. Whether the idea involves specific menu items, ambiance, or a desired dining experience, having a restaurant fantasy is a pretty common thread with foodies worldwide.
But just having an idea for a restaurant concept is far from making it through to the real thing. Restaurant owners or would-be owners need to know that there are plenty of steps that need to happen between point A and point Z to make a restaurant concept a reality.
Exploring restaurant ideas can be quite fun and rewarding if the idea comes to life. So, what are some viable restaurant ideas that could actually make it in this day and age? What will the restaurant industry reward, and what type of restaurant would work in your area?
So, let’s get into the nitty gritty of actionable restaurant ideas and discuss just how a new restaurant can work in this current iteration of the restaurant business. From food trucks to fine dining restaurants, nothing is off the table, so to speak.
1. Work with your location
Of course, one of the first things any restaurateur needs to take into account is where they are. Successful restaurant concepts reflect their location as much as anything else, and knowing the scene before even considering opening a restaurant is a must. It’s for this reason we caution those who are considering relocating to open a restaurant—you need to know what actually works well in a given area and what holes there are in the market before you can be sure an idea is viable.
What’s needed in New York City is completely different than Los Angeles or Chicago. What works in Colorado might fail in South Carolina. Be sure you’ve scoped out the restaurant scene in your chosen locale before considering opening a new restaurant. And hey, if you have a great view or location, play it up in your marketing and in your seating!
2. Team up with local producers
One trend that’s universal is fresh and local food. In the face of supply chain shortages and inflation, relying on local farms as much as possible isn’t just a wise business decision—it’s one that’s easily marketable and is already popular with diners nationwide. Basing your decisions on what’s locally available will not only cement you as a staple of your local community, but it’s also likely to help your bottom line by ensuring your food is as fresh and reliable as possible.
3. Keep it sustainable
Sustainability may appear to some as a buzzword, but it’s been a part of the food service world since time immemorial. If you can ensure your food sources are local, fresh, and friendly to the environment, you’re far ahead of the staid frozen food world that dominates interstate exits across the United States.
Surveys indicate that younger generations, specifically millennials and Gen Z, are 30-60% more likely to visit restaurants that try to be sustainable. So what can sustainability look like? Think about local sourcing, rotating menus using in-season foods, minimizing food waste, carefully sourcing your food, and reducing takeaway or delivery waste like plastic.
4. Tune into food trends
Keeping up on current food trends is a must if you want a new restaurant to be a success. A wide variety of eateries have ditched more traditional offerings in lieu of new, trendy dishes, which often represent a goldmine in terms of customer engagement and simple taste.
According to our data at Yelp, 2024 trends include splurging on caviar, vegan and plant-based dishes, tsukemen or dipping ramen, and “girl dinner,” which is essentially a bunch of different snacks similar to a charcuterie board and can give you a good opportunity to work up a tasting menu.
5. Keep up with drink trends, too
Making unique drinks and tapping into drink trends is a great way to get new customers in the door and keep regulars interested. The Hugo Spritz, a cocktail made with elderflower liqueur like St. Germain topped with prosecco and sparkling water, is a refreshing mix-up for warmer weather. Searches on Yelp were up 408% for the Hugo Spritz in 2023, so the trend is in full swing now, as are all elderflower cocktails.
Martinis never go out of style, and indeed they’re going through a bit of a renaissance. Since there are so many ways to make martinis, you can let your bartenders run wild with ideas. Matcha martini? You bet. Those were up 1,323% in searches in 2023. Make martinis customizable and encourage both your customers and bartenders to have some fun.
Drinks don’t always have to be alcoholic, either. Offering a variety of mocktails and unique smoothies can help the sober or sober-curious enjoy a delicious beverage without the buzz. Plus, it’s on-trend and will only continue to get more popular as sobriety picks up speed.
6. Craft unique dining experiences
Creating a unique dining experience is one of the best ways to attract new customers and to make a name for yourself on social media. This doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel, of course—it just means you need to be different enough from the competition that you stand out. Clever restaurant names go a long way as well—one that works well would be both descriptive and original. We encourage you to be creative. Unique restaurant ideas like dining in the dark became hit during the 2010s due to the unusual sensory experience, and are now worldwide.
Hidden restaurants, similar to a speakeasy, add a layer of mystery to a dining experience—for example, you could leave clues on streets and lamp posts to the restaurant’s location and menu items. Another mysterious option is to not let diners choose what they want to eat (besides dietary restrictions, of course) and simply bring them a meal that your chef has chosen. This is exemplified in omakase sushi, where you simply let the chef choose what you’ll have since the chef knows best.
Adding entertainment options, like a classic dinner and a movie, can give guests the opportunity to catch up on new movies and classics alike. If you go this route, you’ll want to encourage customers to book in advance so they show up on time for the start. A simple projector and a wall can work just fine with adequate speakers.
7. Make a pop-up restaurant experience
For those new to the industry, a pop-up restaurant at an event or outside a popular nightlife venue can be a great way to gain experience and cement your name in the pantheon of local eateries. Similarly, experienced restaurateurs can get their name out there with such ventures, and it may just give that opportunity you’ve been itching for to try out some new menu items.
8. Create unique food & bev pairings
Making food pairings between signature dishes and beverages has long been a staple of the world’s best restaurants, but there’s no need to have a Michelin star to accomplish such a feat. You can tie your dishes to local breweries, for example, for beers or other beverages that best suit your cuisine. This can work very well with seasonal menus or prix fixe menus and is a staple in French and Italian cuisine. Having a deep wine cellar will give you a leg up here, especially if your customer base is one that’s keen on wine. Know your demographic!
9. Consider a themed restaurant
Whether you’re running a coffee shop or have a full dining room, you can offer something new to customers as many have grown up with well-established concepts, from fine dining to fast food restaurants. Whether a cat cafe tickles your feline fancy or a treehouse concept engages your childhood dreams, customers love a theme.
Going the theme route can be a risk, but if you do some research into your target audience you can see if there’s enough demand in your area for a themed restaurant to work. Look to Asayoru Maid Cafe in Arcadia, California, winner of the Yelp Servies 2023 best front-of-house team, for a glimpse into a cosplay-themed establishment that’s garnered a big following. And they really lean into it. You don’t have to go all that way, but focusing on a theme can give you something to help stand out.
10. Don’t be afraid of gimmicks and talent
Even a fast casual concept can benefit from a bit of a tweak—something as simple as a burrito sliding out of a tube onto a tray is unique enough to gain you followers on social media. Playing on your staff’s unique talents can help here as well: If you have a talented singer at your bustling coffee shop, paying them a bit extra to sing out customers’ names might just help your establishment stand out.
Use Yelp to carry out your restaurant ideas
Whatever direction you decide to take your eatery (or drinkery, or what have you) you’ll need to have the tools to make sure everything works smoothly. From online reservations to waitlists, seating via Yelp Kiosk, and FOH management, Yelp Guest Manager can make a restaurateur’s life easier.
Want to see how it works? Curious to take the software for a test drive? Reach out to us for a free demo. There’s few things we love more than to see new creative outlets crop up in the food and beverage world, and we’ll be there to have your back no matter what.