Franchise Space Management

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Understanding Your Franchise Brand Guidelines

As part of your sales agreement, your franchise likely gave you a handbook. It’s tempting to set it aside for close study after you’ve opened for business, but that can be a costly mistake.

As the U.S. Federal Trade Commission points out, franchisors can craft design standards to ensure that all locations look and feel the same. They may also have rules about signage, menus, and seating.

You can hire a design/build company to transform your selected space into an approved franchise outlet. Some companies can work directly with franchisor handbooks, so you don’t have to answer multiple questions.

However, some franchisors allow their franchisees to innovate and change to meet the needs of their unique customers. And some franchisees make subtle changes (which researchers call “hidden innovation”) to put their spin on the franchise brand.

It’s always smart to make your company stand out from the crowd. Just ensure that you aren’t taking too many liberties. Your franchisor could pull your permit to use the brand, and reframing your business could be expensive.

Aligning Décor With Brand Identity

In an interview published in 2001, a franchise expert explained that some companies reward local innovation. These companies recognize that their franchisees are closer to the “pulse of the customer” and can tweak accordingly. Since then, many companies have embraced this idea.

For example, your franchise may mandate the use of specific types of artwork, such as photographs. But if you’re in an iconic part of the country, such as Seattle, sprinkling in local snaps might appeal to tourists coming to visit.

Take the time to consider your local demographics and potential visitors. Look for ways to align your brand requirements with their particular desires. You could set up a place that your customers love, which leads to more sales.

Ensuring Consistency Across Multiple Locations

As your franchise grows, you may opt to open more locations. Ensuring consistency can become a challenge. A lock-tight business plan can help you address this issue.

An ideal franchise handbook should cover things like lighting, seating, music choices, uniforms, and menus. As experts explain, crafting these documents takes time. But doing so can help you to pinpoint the type of franchise you want to run.

Designing the Perfect Layout

The layout of your restaurant plays a role in staff performance and the customer experience. Creating a layout that maximizes customer occupancy while preserving flow can make your restaurant succeed.

Maximizing Customer Flow & Experience

In studies of café environments, researchers praise layouts that link production areas (like kitchens) with service areas (like tables) with a grid. Staff can move directly from food prep to service without wasting time. And consumers know where the product is being prepared and where they should wait for it.

A grid like this creates a sense of belonging, researchers say, especially when it’s replicated in every franchise outlet.

Other ways to maximize flow include the following:

Place a host stand by the front door to allow consumers to check in quickly.
Create a waiting area for consumers to use when you’ve exceeded capacity.
Use tables of varying sizes to accommodate plenty of guests without wasting space.
Add seating in the bar area to allow solo diners a place to sit.
Keep pathways to bathrooms and doors open and clear.
Streamline your payment options to allow for quicker table turnovers.

ADA Compliance & Accessibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires restaurants to accommodate all of their guests in a safe and accessible environment.

We’ve excerpted some rules from the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center, but the resource is worth reading in full. The design/build contractor you hire should also be conversant in accessibility rules and able to create a space that meets these requirements.

In general, restaurants must do the following:

Keep paths clear for people using wheelchairs or mobility aids.
Ensure that tables are no taller than 34 inches and that they have 27 inches of clear space below to accommodate wheelchairs.
Keep self-serve areas (like salad bars) no taller than 34 inches.

Your bathrooms should also include wider stalls for wheelchairs and lower sinks. Your contractor should help with this.

Choosing the Right Furniture

The restaurant accounting firm Sage says the average restaurant spends about $8,000 on tables, chairs, and décor. Your franchisor may have specific rules about the furniture you include. Some even require franchisees to buy their furniture from an approved supplier.

If you have some flexibility, the right furniture will depend on the type of restaurant you own. For example, an intimate restaurant might require small tables for intimate conversations, while a family-friendly diner might require large booths.

Crafting the Perfect Menu Design

Menus are critical to outfitting your franchise space. Without them, customers won’t know what to order and how much it will cost. Menus also offer the opportunity to outline specials or upsell appetizers and alcohol.

Your franchisor may have rules about fonts, colors, and logo placements. You may even face restrictions about item names and prices. However, even a little flexibility could help you introduce something special that sets you apart from the competition. Read your manual carefully and bring up questions to your franchisor as needed.

Digital Menus vs. Traditional Menus

In a 2021 survey, 88% of restaurant owners said they were considering switching from paper to digital menus. A digital menu allows for last-minute changes due to supply chain problems, and shifting the price due to scarcity is easy too.

Digital menus can be off-putting in some environments. For example, your luxury couples visiting on date night might not appreciate glowing touch screens disturbing their privacy. In a space like this, printing a small amount of print menus might be a better choice.

Consider your clientele, and let this guide the decision between digital or traditional menus.

Setting the Right Ambiance With Lighting

The lighting you choose while outfitting your franchise space could be heavily dictated by your franchisor. Some companies require their franchisees to buy a specific type of fixture from a brand-approved vendor. However, the lights you choose can vary depending on the area of your restaurant and the type of establishment you run.

Lighting per Restaurant Type

Fast-casual restaurants tend to rely on bright lighting. Customers are encouraged to pick up their food quickly or eat without lingering.

But a formal restaurant might use low lights to entice people to linger. Researchers say that restaurants like this can use a table light in a relatively dim room to boost the environment’s attractiveness and encourage people to come back for another date night.

Lighting per Restaurant Areas

While you may have an overall lighting strategy for your restaurant, different parts of your establishment may have varying light levels. For example, your kitchen staff likely needs bright light to cook, while your guests might appreciate muted lights near the doors to help them acclimate to the darkness outside.

In general, restaurants need the following types of lighting:

Ambient lighting for the room
Accent lighting to add depth
Table lighting for darker restaurants
Natural lighting from windows or skylights
Overhead lighting for work areas and bathrooms

Your contractor should help you choose the right lighting for all of the spaces within your establishment.

The Role of Music in Enhancing Customer Experience

It’s important to consider the law when outfitting your franchise space with music. Copyright law requires business owners (including restaurant franchisees) to get permission to play music in their environments. Typically, that means franchisees must sign legal agreements for music signed by franchisors, or they must make agreements with copyright holders themselves.

While crafting these agreements can be time-consuming, they can shield a business from fines. They can also allow you to fill the space with music that can increase your profits.

A 2023 study suggests that music impacts the way consumers interact with restaurants. About 80% of consumers will stay longer if good music is playing, and nearly 60% will buy more products to enhance their stay.

Companies like Pandora CloudCover make music licensing easy. And these companies can also help franchisees share promotional marketing messages in their restaurants, highlighting specials and deals.

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Selecting Music That Fits Your Brand

While research proves that any kind of music is better than none at all, matching music to your brand is even better.

Custom playlists can allow you to share music that’s closely associated with your franchise. For example, you could play kid-friendly songs for a family restaurant, Indian music for your curry shop, or romantic piano songs for your date-night joint. Understanding your demographics and the average customer journey can help you find the right fit.

Technology Integration in Your Franchise Space

The restaurant market is challenging, and experts say growth in this sector will slow as consumers look for ways to stretch an already tight budget. For some franchisees, embracing technology is the best way to stay competitive.

Common technological advances restaurants are choosing to include the following:

Contactless payments to free up staff
Online table reservation systems to reduce staff phone duties
Chatbots to explain complex menus
Self-ordering kiosks to reduce table service staff

Some restaurants are also embracing customizable menu options to allow consumers more choice—and a better experience—each time they visit.

The technology you embrace is deeply personal. However, adding technology could allow you to make your restaurant more competitive and less costly while providing a faster and better experience for the customers you hope to serve.