‘Coming to Your Restaurant Should be in Everyone’s Feed.’

T’s Brunch Bar’s four locations in Metro Atlanta feature dishes with a southern twist and charm, but owner Teneshia Murray had to learn a few lessons before finding the right blend for the elevated brunch concept. The third location started out as an upscale burger bar, but it just wasn’t connecting with the neighborhood so Murray recalibrated. 

“We are making sure that we keep our food, aesthetic and brand all aligned and consistent,” Murray said. “Now, you will be able to come inside of any of our four locations and get your food fresh to order with great flavor, amazing taste and superior customer service.”

Collaborating with Chef Jamarious Gilmere signature items include Crab Fingers, Fried Green Tomatoes, Biscuits & Oxtail Gravy, Seafood Deviled Eggs, Salmon Croquettes, an Oxtail Omelet, and Chicken & Waffles. New additions include T’s Beignets, Seafood Hashbrowns, Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, and a 14K gold Steak Dinner. 

Drink options include The Magic City (consisting of Crown Royal Peach, orange juice, and peach slurry, topped with champagne), the Smoked Pineapple Ginger Margarita, ChataLata (coconut rum, Rumchata coco crème, tropical Juices) and the Hartsfield Mimosa Flight (which includes blueberry lemon, strawberry lemongrass, white peach and pineapple mini mimosas).

Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked Murray for her insights on how and why  to change a restaurant’s concept, social media marketing, and more. 

What is an example of how you’ve changed a restaurant concept and what lessons you learned?

I’ve changed my restaurant concept by just taking an assessment of everything that I’m currently doing. This includes looking at how the restaurant is running, looking at the people that are coming in, looking at the demographics and doing market research.

I’ve also taken surveys on social media and asked people what they wanted to see and eat. In Atlanta, people are very opinionated about what they like and what they don’t like. This is important because I was able to gauge the hyper local area where my concept was — and was able to change my concept after realizing that that it wasn’t matching the area. 

What are the signs to look for that a concept is not working and should be reevaluated?

When running a restaurant, of course, making money should be an integral part. So, you should really assess what is bringing in the most revenue and how you can lessen the expenses.

With my restaurant, I truly think I expanded a little bit too fast. And what stood out was because the location that I had prior was performing so well. But when I realized that the new location was underperforming, I started to do more research on the area. And the truth is, I opened it too quick and majority of the people in that location didn’t have an appreciation for the menu items that we were offering that the time. Since the area didn’t appreciate the food options, I changed the concept and the vibe, and it immediately started working. 

How important is listening to guests and staff about the old and new concept?

It is very important to listen to the guests because they are the ones spending their money. They are the ones leaving reviews and making social media posts. Listening to guests was key in my decision-making process, especially when it came to the food choices that we were offering.

Listening to guests was key in my decision-making process.

We also pay close attention to the food left behind on the plate when a customer leaves. After we clean off the tables, we discuss what was left behind and try to figure out why they didn’t eat it. Even though someone doesn’t complain doesn’t mean that they were satisfied with the food and the service. It’s important to pay attention to what customers want. This can be both verbal or non-verbal.

What factors are important to establishing a concept such as location, parking and staff retention?

Location definitely matters. For instance, I know a restaurant that was located off an expressway. But if you’re driving on that expressway, you can’t see it. This hurt the business bad and the restauranteur ended up closing their doors.

And marketing is extremely important with guiding people to your location. This can be done through advertising and public relations portals. Of course, with advertising, you can convey exactly how you want your message relayed to the general public. But with public relations, you can snag a news segment to spark a genuine connection with your audience. And almost at the end of the segment, they show your address (location), website and social media handles.

As far as parking, one of my locations had paid parking and my customers hated it. Most people can deal with it when they are on a date, but as an average person just going to eat, it doesn’t work for us. I try to look for locations that have free parking because it makes people feel better when coming to your establishment. I had to learn the hard way so I would never get another location that has paid parking, especially in Atlanta.

Also, staff retention is important because you have to make sure the staff is great with customer service. Of course, you can’t control how people act these days, but you should try your best to hire people that want to work and take pride in doing a great service. Once you get them, you need to work on keeping them. That includes making sure they compensated properly and invest in their training to keep them learning and growing.

How do you select a new concept and still be authentic and true to yourself? Where do you look for inspiration?

I choose my concepts by truly tapping into what I love most: eating! I really like going to restaurants and having great food and experiences. Not only do I do this in Atlanta, I also like to travel to unique destinations and try new things. For instance, with my brunch concept, I traveled to nearly all 50 states and tried brunch items. Some items I loved, others not so much. But this gave me the inspiration and pointers on what to try and what not to try.

Brunch is no longer a Sunday thing, it’s an everyday thing. It also isn’t just a morning or day thing, its anytime.

Even if I took a concept from another state, I made it my own by collaborating with my executive chef. Brunch is no longer a Sunday thing, it’s an everyday thing. It also isn’t just a morning or day thing, its anytime. For example, we have a Brunch After Dark series that has been doing really well.

How do you instill brand values in your staff to keep all the puzzle pieces consistent to provide an elevated guest experience?

I have meetings with my entire team every two weeks and talk to my staff almost every day. And with these meetings, I’m very transparent about what going good and what’s not. However, I open the floor for my staff to state their opinions on the direction of the restaurant. Because, for me, its teamwork. I couldn’t do this without myself. I truly need them. I often let them know the importance of needing them.

I also need my customers, so I always make sure to reiterate to them giving our customer’s the “Saks” or “Neiman Marcus experience” everytime they come in. Of course, restaurants are going to have an off day when it comes to food or service, but it’s about acknowledging it, taking accountability and putting the proper systems and measures in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.  

How important are social media platforms and events to establish a new identity and building loyalty?

Social media is key when promoting your restaurant. I strongly suggest in investing in digital marketing as well. When people wake up, the first thing they are doing is looking at their phones. Coming to your restaurant should be in everyone’s feed. This includes ensuring that an influencer is posting your food items on Instagram and TikTok or making a video about their experience. When rolling out a menu item, it’s great to get a “foodie” influencer to come and review. People look at these people and save their videos with plans to come to your restaurant. 

When utilizing social media influencers (and even your standard customer), it’s important to present them with “Instagrammable” dishes. The dishes that make people want to pull out their phones. For instance, we have our Ultimate Brunch Tower. It is packed with Brunch Bar Favorites including waffles, french toast, breakfast potatoes, shrimp & Grits, grits, catfish, wings, shrimp, and bacon. It also includes cocktails including: The Pink Lady, Love Potion, Sexy Martini and Soulmate Sour drinks. When we present this, our servers know to take a step back and allow everyone at the table to take pictures and videos. 

Also, events are important – twice a month, we host social media influencers to our latest and greatest menu options. Since these people are food enthusiasts, they don’t hold back with their opinions and reviews. This allows us to connect with them personally and truly pick their brain on what works and what doesn’t.