As we approach the end of 2011, it is time to look back and to look forward. We have been a part of some terrific new concepts that are now open, some concepts that will be opening soon and some exciting new ideas planned for future development. We are lucky as an organization to be happy and healthy, our families being happy and healthy and collectively continuing to strive to be a positive influence on the Hospitality business as a whole.
The restaurant and hospitality business as a whole is largely recovering well. There are still some weak segments and demographics, but generally the good operators and good concepts are re-invigorated to move into the coming years. With all down times in the markets, the weak concepts / locations tend to fall by the way-side. Other concepts deeply discounted to the point that they now feel irrelevant to the consumer in the emerging trends and concept availability. We see an influx of money into the hospitality segment, money put behind quality operators and concepts. We no longer will be in the quick, easy franchise market or concepts that make money because of location. The consumer has changed how they spend their money in our segment - they value the overall experience even more than ever. This can be seen in the sales trends within the larger segment groups - high end concepts are strong, high quality fast-casual is strong while the cheap and easy groups are falling along with the chain dinner house groups.
In life there are so many things that affect our day-to-day stress levels - economy, jobs, world issues and on and on....our job as Architects and Designers along with our clients is to provide an outlet for our guests. Whether it be for 30 minutes or 2 hours, we are a place where people can spend a bit of their hard earned money and provide a positive experience as well as sustenance to themselves or their family. We want them walking away with a smile - from the food, the service, the lighting, the chair, the music, the uniforms, the bathroom, the access and every small detail in between - we added to them getting away from life or celebrating a grand event that day.
Where do we go from here? That question has some simple answers....do great work in great locations - now is the time to be exceptional. We are working on projects at Disney, working on great new fast-casual concepts, working on revitalizing existing brands to be ready for the next 20 years, working on allowing guests to purchase how and where they want in retail formats and most importantly creating concepts based upon the guest - not on how the designer can get published. Our goal is for the client to make money and be successful - we know that if a client is making money - the guests are coming and coming back!
And for the quote from the best show ever on TV - Cheers....
Sam: What are you up to, Norm?
Norm: My ideal weight....if I were 11 feet tall.
Raymond R. Schaefer, AIA / NCARB / IIDA
President / Founder
Maverick Architecture & Design, LLC
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