Atmosphere! When Do You Change It?
By Rich Unger
So your lounge, your bar, your sportsbar, your nightclub is doing well, you're busy
week nights and jammed packed on weekends, but what about your atmosphere? The average
life span of a typical atmosphere is two years, but most operators in spit of this stretch
their atmosphere to last years and years, knowing full well that it is outdated, past
tense and looking really worn.
The key is from the carpet, to the front entrance, from the chairs, to the wall decor,
from the dance floor and your lighting, to your ceiling and your restrooms, you simply
cannot afford to overlook, ignore and put off and procrastinate on updating, moving
forward and refreshing your room, your bar, and your overall image.
The key when you do finally decide to spend the big bucks, you do so that you are ahead
of the curve, rather than simply renovating for the present.
Mirror, glass and steel are materials for the new millennium, wood is out. Over with,
done. Carpet with patterns are in. Solids are out. Futuristic decor is the key, high tech
in your face themes are the ticket.
Stop being what you were and start being what you will be.
It is not simply painting the walls, and putting in some new fixtures. Those days are
gone.
The reason this industry is moving so fast is that new owners and corporations are
pulling out all the stops and decorating and renovating using the latest computer
generated designs and formats.
I advise my clients to look at their local communities, their local architecture, their
local history and to expand on it and blend it as part of their overall theme.
Your parking lot and front entrance are the first visuals your patrons see. Why do they
look so run down and pathetic? You think because your doing business, you don't need to
change your atmosphere? Wrong!
I know a four star restaurant in Florida called "Cafe Europe". A Mobil 4 star
winner and winner of numerous national and international awards, they, after 20 years,
just changed their entire mood, theme and menu. Not one item is left on it, everything is
new, fresh and advanced rather than stale.
You may be your community's hotspot, but that is now. What about next year when all of
a sudden the year is 2000 and your still in the 20th century?
I say, spend what it takes, and do what it takes, and move ahead and beyond now!
Have a question or comment, feel free to call me or fax me or e-mail me, I eat, sleep
and breathe this industry and I love it.
Rich Unger, Ph: 941-921-7027, Fx: 941-921-7278 E-mail: RichUnger@promotingnightclubs.com |
