THE WHAT AND WHY OF POP-UP RESTAURANTS
Have you noticed your attention span getting shorter?
Don’t worry, it’s nothing to be ashamed about. You’re just a product of modern life.
Fresh and new have become a standard feature in a lot of industries and it’s finally reached food and beverage. Say “Hello” to pop-up restaurants!
What the heck is a pop-up restaurant?
Pop-up restaurants are appropriately named temporary restaurants that “pop-up” for a short period of time and then shut down.
Usually lasting only weeks or months at a time, these boutique style eateries offer a unique blend of quality, exclusivity and novelty to patrons. Though they’ve been around since the 70s, pop-up restaurants have just started to gain mainstream popularity in the last decade.
Pop-ups are perfectly suited for our instant gratification culture. They offer a fresh experience but don’t overstay their welcome, but how exactly can they compete financially with traditional restaurants?
Why pop-ups make sense as a business model
To better understand the merits of a pop-up’s unique business model, check out this fun infographic from intuit.
via: pop-up Restaurant [Infographic]
Our experience with pop-ups
We got to enjoy the fun of pop-up restaurants first hand when we visited New York last week.
The best way to describe “Broadway Bites”, a collection of pop-ups we saw, would be to call it a high quality outdoor food court.
A company called Urban Space, organizes the event, which includes over two dozen restaurants. Broadway Bites is a great example of what pop-ups are all about. It features a different lineup every year, and lasts a few weeks. This year it was only around from October 6th until November 14th!
Pop-ups and the hotel biz
Besides the obvious fact that pop-ups are additional competition for traditional F&B venues there are a few other reasons the hospitality industry should be paying attention to them.
1. They can be integrated into hotels
Some properties, like the Marriot, are offering space in their hotel lobbies to pop-up restaurants. It’s a great way for them to give guests a novel dining experience that’s different with each stay.
2. The pop-up concept can be applied to a lot more than just restaurants
The idea of temporary, unique and exclusive that comes with pop-up restaurants is powerful. It’s a good starting point to discover other opportunities.
Hotels can apply the model by offering pop-up shops in their lobby, offering pop-up bars or something else. The bottom line is that by using the pop-up mentality hoteliers can give guests a unique and interesting experience while differentiating themselves from the competition.
What do you think about pop-up restaurants? Will the whole pop-up movement only exist for a short period of time like the restaurants involved? Give us your thoughts in our comment section below!
