Beatrix: A market add-on makes dining easy for guests

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

For its second location of Beatrix, multiconcept operator Lettuce Entertain You opted for a restaurant-plus model, marrying a market with a casual full-service eatery. Located on the ground level of Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital, “It caters well to the neighborhood, both workers and people living there,” says EVP and Partner Marc Jacobs. The trick: meshing grab-and-go and traditional service in a narrow 9,000-square-foot space, without impacting the experience for patrons of either. 

Signage to help flow

From listing diet information to sourcing, signage in the market helps guests navigate the space and make choices quickly. “You can be in and out in under five minutes, if you want,” says Jacobs. It also adds a bit of education and encourages conversation, he says. 

Options for different diners

From the bar to the coffee nook, customers dictate their own experience and price point—a point of difference, says Jacobs. To showcase all options, Beatrix went for transparency. “We pulled back a lot of doors and walls to give a peek into the kitchen.”

Seating for all occasions

For market guests, Beatrix worked with the hospital to add tables in the lobby, plus it reserves 30 to 40 seats inside. Curtains create semi-private meeting spaces. “It’s working,” says Jacobs, for local groups and hospital departments. 

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.