‘Tis the Season for Pop-Up Dining

At this time of year, guests want to get all wrapped up in sharing festive and fun experiences with friends and family, while restaurant operators want to provide joy and goodwill to boost traffic and revenue. 

Decking the restaurant halls with an immersive pop-up experience is a gift that will keep guests jolly and merry long after the jingle bells stop rocking.

Lotus Concepts Management Inc., which independently operates nine restaurants in Colorado – has been investing holiday pop-ups for years. Lotus’ concepts – My Neighbor Felix, WonderYard Garden + Table and ViewHouse – have become tried-and-true holiday destinations for guests wanting to create memorable experiential dining and drinking opportunities.

Lotus founder Francois Safieddine shares tips on creating festive holiday experiences for guests with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine.

What is the process of organizing pop-ups that fit the brand? 

With the recent popularity of pop-ups in hospitality in the last 10 years, you really need to go in with the development mindset of ‘How is this pop-up different than the competition in terms of style, offering and experience?’ Then match it across your brand standards and adjust. Once you agree on a pop-up concept, get team buy-in by involving them in every aspect of the process – from design to execution – so that they have real buy-in and are proud of the result, as well as helping problem solve along the way. If our team leaves that meeting and all their wheels are turning, that is where the magic happens along the way. To have all the thought leaders in your organization focused on one goal until the pop-up is complete makes for success.

What are the best practices for marketing pop-ups?

Inviting regulars and key influencers in town to experience the pop-up first will encourage them to not only to post about the event but also to create the initial momentum needed to garner interest from the general public. Organic word of mouth is the ultimate goal, and it’s a great way to get that momentum started and to continue it. 

Having one concentrated campaign that launches at the start of the pop-up across all marketing channels and resources as well as physical signage on the restaurant is crucial in establishing a strong start. Utilizing the popularity of annual pop-ups is a great way to re-engage regulars and reach new customers, as well as to target out-of-town visitors. With Colorado being ranked in the top five for most out-of-state convention business, this tactic has been crucial to our pop-up success. With marketing specific to pop-ups, the key is also to create a campaign that feels unique enough from the typical offering but will deliver on the same expectations guests have come to love from your brand.

What response have you received to pop-up promotions?

We receive an overwhelming positive response anytime we invest in the time, money and human resources to activate a full-blown pop-up. Initially ,we did our first pop up with the ViewHouse brand, relying heavily on accessories from other partners that we borrowed/ rented. This led to us wanting custom decor and activations specific to our individual brands, which led to purchasing and ordering our own assets and turning the pop-ups into annual activations. All of the brands have since adopted the new process for creating effective in-house pop-ups.

What is your advice to others on starting pop-ups in their restaurants?

Research all year round for your pop up; drinks, decor, music, food and marketing. By saving images and ideas the entire year, when it is time to brainstorm, you have a wide range of creative ideas! Understand your immediate market and create an experience you and your team are proud of that lets you stand out from your competition. Identify opportunities that might have been missed by competitors due to budget or creativity and capitalize on those.

Understand your budget in terms of marketing, decor and man power. Identify the challenges of your pop-up concept: Will the concept deter existing business or increase revenue? Be honest with the answer. Execute the plan fully, and, at the same time, recognize that pop-ups can put a strain on your team and their output. Provide additional support in all areas to ensure completion. Create a plan for the pop-up and all the costs associated with it to ensure your restaurant group is not dreaming too big or too small. Once the pop up is executed, adjust the pop up based on customer feedback. Ultimately, your guests’ experience will dictate the success of your pop-up. Create a realistic timeline for project management and have fun executing. Lead by example and reward your team afterwards for a job well done!

In what ways can pop-ups help a restaurant  be more efficient and profitable?

A pop-up can reignite new attention from a guest demographic not previously engaged. It establishes your restaurant as a leader in the market by having a creative activation, giving existing guests another reason to visit even more. Since a pop-up has an expiration date, this creates an urgency to take advantage of the experience multiple times during the duration of the pop-up, creating more revenue. By getting team members excited to participate early on, it provides for team building and problem solving opportunities that result in a confident team, and that always proves profitable.