3 trendlettes we're watching in February

The beginning of the year is shining light on some nontraditional restaurant-design trends, showcasing new ways operators are taking advantage of their space. Here are three ideas, including one from overseas, that are starting to take shape as trends:

Domestic takeovers

Some chains are turning to home invasions as marketing ploys abroad. Burger King in Madrid turned an apartment kitchen into a BK menu counter to promote its home-delivery service, and Tim Hortons transformed a residential home in Calgary into a pop-up coffee shop to help fill job openings.

Three-in-one concepts

Why settle for just a single restaurant under one roof when you can have three, offering a range of dining experiences in the same spot? That’s the thinking for Labriola Ristorante & Café in Chicago and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s three Latin concepts at The Miami Beach Edition hotel, both of which offer options from full-service to cafe—bringing in dollars from customers with different needs.

Meat meets design

Now that customers are familiar with charcuterie, operators are adding curing stations as part of their restaurant’s design to showcase in-house production, from a centrally located station at Cured in San Antonio, to the ones along the wall at Restaurant R’evolution in New Orleans and as part of the open prep kitchen at TETE in Chicago.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Food

Taco John's travels back to its 'West-Mex' roots to spice up the menu

Behind the Menu: Starting with its new Fiesta sauce and maximizing what’s already stocked in the pantry, the Mexican fast-food chain is driving flavor throughout its platform.

Financing

'The world needs Starbucks:' How Brian Niccol plans to revive the coffee chain

The Starbucks CEO detailed his “Back to Starbucks” plan to 14,000 cheering leaders of the coffee shop giant in Las Vegas this month. And he said the effort is important far beyond the company.

Financing

In the fast-food world, growth is coming from drinks and desserts

The Bottom Line: The highest-growth quick-service chains cannot be found in traditional sectors but among coffee, beverage and dessert brands. What does this say about the restaurant industry?

Trending

More from our partners