The Power of Exterior Marketing
Your exterior makes an impression the moment a potential customer views your location. They will also make other assumptions about your restaurant that will make them either give you a try, or never set foot through your door.
First Impression
What type of restaurant are you? This is what a potential customer thinks when they view your restaurant for the first time.
They will also attempt to determine what type of food you serve. Are you fine dining, fast casual, fast food, bar & pub or delivery only? Next, they will look for items in your design and layout that will help them answer these questions. Your color palette and name should lead them in the right direction. John’s Seafood Bar & Grill will sum it up for them, but your exterior design will make them want to patronize or not patronize your restaurant. You don’t have to be fancy, just clear, clean and precise. Below is a great example from our client Catfish Station and their Barker Cypress location.
Catfish Station Barker Cypress
This location is a fast casual, quick serve restaurant. We wanted to portray those variables in a design, and they believe we nailed it.
The name clearly states what type of restaurant, and the design generates sales. You will notice two entrée items displayed in the window. These are the two biggest sellers: fried and grilled seafood. Because of the limited space to portray the restaurant type (this location is at the end of a gas station), we elected to completely cover all the window space and make them mini billboards. This blocks a view of the interior, which only has a few tables for seating because the restaurant is set up for to-go orders.
Now as customers pass by they will get two of the most important questions answered with a quick glance. What type of restaurant and what type of food is served.
As you can see in the before pictures, the previous restaurant lacked these key components.
The power of your restaurant exterior goes well beyond a few signs and posters, and should be carefully planned and completed by professionals.
