Ristoranti pop-up: Tutto quello che c'è da sapere
Mobile cuisine is creating a buzz across the nation – especially pop-up restaurants. Pop-up restaurants are a type of short-term restaurant that allows chefs to try out new concepts, test new audiences, experiment with edgier cuisine, fundraise money, or draw new investors without the expense of opening a traditional restaurant. The National Restaurant Association’s 2018 “What’s Hot” chef’s survey named pop-up restaurants as the sixth most popular restaurant trend. What’s the appeal of pop-up restaurants to consumers and restaurateurs? We’ll discuss this and more about what you need to know when opening a pop-up restaurant.Che cos'è un ristorante pop-up?
Before pop-up restaurants, taco trucks were all the rage. Rewind back to 2008 when Roy Choi opened a Korean-barbecue taco truck that was such a smashing success that other food truck restaurateurs started moving in by the boatload. Although food trucks have been around for more than 100 years, Choi’s promotional strategies are what helped his restaurant gain momentum. From this point on, mobile cuisine would only grow in popularity. Pop-up restaurants originated in the 1960s as supper clubs but have resurfaced within the last few years. Tendenze di Google, a website that analyzes the popularity of search engine queries, shows that the term “pop-up restaurant” was pretty much non-existent before 2009. In 2014, the trend resurfaced and searches skyrocketed. This is mainly due to consumers’ crave to experience unique cuisine. Pop-up restaurants are typically hosted in an existing restaurant, bar, abandoned businesses, building rooftops, airplane hangars, etc. Some restaurateurs are even opening up shared kitchen spaces. Options abound, so long as you can safely cook and serve food, though you’ll want to consider potential permits and requirements to qualify – in addition to costs. The pop-up restaurant trend is typically appealing to new chefs as it allows them to sidestep a huge expense to introduce their concept. However, this trend isn’t only limited to new chefs. Seasoned chefs may want to try out a fresh concept but aren’t ready to commit to purchasing or renting a large space. The length of time a pop-up restaurant sticks around is up to its operator. The idea is typically to make your mark but leave soon enough so you can make room for other pop-ups. For example, McDonald’s offered a one-day luxury pop-up experience. The pop-up featured butlers, a string quartet, silver cloches, and gold cutlery. McDonald’s did this as a publicity stunt for the launch of their signature collection. You could definitely stay open longer than a day but no longer than a couple of months. In some of the most popular cities for pop-up restaurants, you can even find entire malls dedicated to this trend. New York, Chicago, and San Francisco all have spaces solely devoted to providing real estate to emerging pop-up restaurants. For example, Manhattan-based food hall Sous Vide Kitchen opened in early 2018. This food hall features four restaurants that are typically limited to delivery and catering orders. Pop-Up and co-working kitchens are popular amongst delivery companies too. DoorDash, UberEats, and Postmates have experimented with kitchen trailers and renting out extra space to test out a new idea.Esempi di ristoranti pop-up di successo
Once a pop-up, now a permanent restaurant – sometimes. Here are a few of the most popular restaurants that got their start as a short-term concept.Otaku Ramen
This Nashville-based restaurant was the city’s very first ramen noodle spot. Along with ramen, owner Sarah Gavigan used locally-sourced pork bones to create a deliciously creamy broth that includes springy noodles, braised pork, and pickled ginger.Orso pigro
If you want to visit this San Francisco-based restaurant, you’ll need to plan ahead! Tickets go on sale every third Monday of the month to save a seat for dinner the following month. Lazy Bear only offers two seatings nightly and offers an interactive experience with guests. You are even invited to walk back in the kitchen and chat with the chefs!Burger della superiorità
You’d think when you hear “burger”, this restaurant would only appeal to carnivores. This unique East Village, NYC restaurant is equally appealing to vegetarians too. Lines are frequently out the door to pick up some of chef Brook Headley’s healthy spins on typically unhealthy grub.Pro e contro dei ristoranti pop-up
Pensate di avere una buona idea per avviare un ristorante pop-up? Forse è meglio valutare prima i pro e i contro. Ecco alcuni elementi da tenere a mente prima di procedere:Pro
- Capacità di sperimentare nuovi concetti di ristorante e menu
- Costi di avviamento più bassi
- Flessibilità nel testare i metodi di determinazione dei prezzi
- Facilità di spostamento da una città all'altra per testare mercati diversi
- Piccole perdite se il concetto fallisce
Contro
- Ripetere i clienti potrebbe essere difficile, visto che siete "spuntati".
- Difficile determinare i costi di cibo e manodopera
- L'assunzione potrebbe essere impegnativa, trattandosi di un lavoro temporaneo.
- Risorse limitate e potenziali spazi di ristorazione non familiari
- Piccolo margine di errore per quanto riguarda la copertura della stampa e il passaparola (cioè i social media) per diffondere la notizia.
Aprire un ristorante pop-up
Siete ancora interessati ad aprire un ristorante pop-up? Ecco alcuni elementi da preparare prima di aprire le porte.Decidere la posizione
La posizione è uno dei fattori più importanti per l'apertura di un ristorante pop-up. Dovrete essere vicini al vostro pubblico di riferimento, ma avrete anche bisogno di acqua corrente, di uno spazio adeguato per mangiare e di un buon sistema fognario. Se il denaro è un fattore importante, assicuratevi di confrontare i prezzi degli spazi esistenti per i ristoranti con quelli delle location generiche (tetti degli edifici).Creare un piano aziendale
Though this isn’t a full-service operation, your pop-up restaurant will still need a roadmap. You’ll want to include an executive summary, sample menu, target market, competitive analysis, marketing plan, etc. If your pop-up is successful, you may even consider opening a restaurant.Richiedere licenze e permessi
Prima di aprire i battenti, è necessario ottenere le licenze, i permessi e l'assicurazione necessari. Consultate le autorità locali per stabilire di cosa avete bisogno per operare.Procurarsi l'attrezzatura adeguata
Di quali attrezzature avrete bisogno in cucina? E la sala da pranzo, se c'è? Determinare per quanto tempo vi servirà l'attrezzatura vi aiuterà a decidere quanto costerà aprire il vostro ristorante pop-up. Prendete in considerazione l'idea di affittare o anche di prendere in prestito per risparmiare.Creare il menu
After putting together your business plan and target demographic, put together a killer menu. This should be your “greatest hits” for the concept you may commit to full-time, so be sure to engineer a menu that your guests will love.Pubblicità
How will you spread the word about your pop-up? Press coverage will be key for your pop-up. Start building relationships with media outlets and send over information about your concept to grow interest. Make sure you build up your social media presence and share plenty of pictures of dishes and information about your menu.Iniziate con il vostro ristorante pop-up
Pensate di avere le carte in regola per aprire un ristorante pop-up? Se è così, è arrivato il momento di dare alla vostra idea di cibo la piattaforma che merita. Se all'inizio non avete successo, provate con un nuovo mercato o una nuova location. Fortunatamente, i ristoranti pop-up vi danno la flessibilità di continuare a tornare e provare idee diverse. Questo articolo è stato pubblicato originariamente il 21 novembre 2018. Per mantenerlo attuale, lo abbiamo aggiornato il 26 gennaio 2021. Se il vostro ristorante pop-up decolla, potrebbe essere il momento di valutare l'apertura di una sede permanente. Per saperne di più su cosa comporta l'apertura di un locale a tempo pieno.Per saperne di più
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