Tokyo-style ramen shop Furious Spoon opened in Chicago in early 2015 as a fast-casual concept, eventually expanding to six stand-alone locations and two food hall units. But the fast-casual operation is undergoing a massive revamp early this year as chef-partner Shin Thompson converts each of the non-food hall stores into full-service restaurants. “One of the things about being quick service is you have very limited time and very little interaction with the guests,” says Thompson. “There’s a lot of nuances to what we do and a lot of details go into our product. It’s very difficult to convey that message in a quick-service setting.” Such a major change in service, however, takes time to roll out. Here are the steps Thompson and his crew are taking to flip Furious Spoon from fast casual to full service.
Photograph courtesy of Furious Spoon
Revamping units
Some of Furious Spoon’s restaurants will see major revamps—others, smaller changes. Gone are the large “order here” signs; added is a host stand. Seating is being reconfigured to ease the flow of servers who will be ferrying multiple courses through the restaurant.
Expanding the menu
The full-service style allows Thompson to expand his menu to offer items that command higher ticket prices as well as those with elevated complexity, such as a Japanese-style crab cake, that take too long to prepare on a harried fast-casual time table. Servers, he says, “get more time to sell,” and customers are ordering appetizers, side dishes and, in some cases, a second drink, boosting check averages by 10% to 15% in the full-service units.
Hiring and training
The change forced Furious Spoon to add one to two more employees per restaurant, an increase of about 15% on labor, Thompson says. Even in a tight labor market, though, he says, the promise of full-service gratuities is making it easier to attract workers than under the fast-casual design. Thompson and his managers are spending extra time to ensure that each server knows the story and details behind the restaurant’s housemade broth, noodles and other menu items.
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