ATLANTA Stevi B’s has focused inward in an effort to combat the prolonged recession outside the walls of its restaurants. —Pizza-buffet brand
But rather than adopt a bunker mentality, the chain has upgraded and updated its interior with new store prototypes, the first of which was set to open in Gainesville, Ga., on Sept. 10. —Pizza-buffet brand
“When the market slows, it’s a good time to catch your breath and assist your franchisees,” said Matthew Loney, president of 34-unit Stevi B’s. “One way we saw we could do that was cost savings in opening new restaurants and making a more fun environment for our customer base. It would have happened either way, but [the recession] kind of sped things up.” —Pizza-buffet brand
The brand collaborated with its franchisee advisory council, equipment vendors and ad agency to develop 4,000-square-foot and 5,000-square-foot prototypes that provide greater visibility of food being prepared while improving the division of dining spaces to “avoid that cafeteria feel,” Loney said. —Pizza-buffet brand
The chain also hopes to open a new prototype store near Atlanta’s Northlake Mall and in Vero Beach, Fla., before the end of the year. —Pizza-buffet brand
Atlanta-based private-equity firm Argonne Capital Group bought the Stevi B’s brand from its founders, Richard and Robert Stoll, in February 2008. Argonne Capital also is a large franchisee of IHOP. —Pizza-buffet brand
“When we bought the company, we bought it from the founders,” said Loney, who joined the company this January. “They were very good at operations, but had not spent much time as a franchisor. Each unit had similarities, but the idea of building a prototype for efficiency and cost savings hadn’t been completed.” —Pizza-buffet brand
The rebranding of new locations will include a new color palette, updated signage and a new logo. Posters and point-of-purchase materials will highlight Stevi B’s high-quality ingredients. —Pizza-buffet brand
Of course, one of the principle aims of the redesigned prototype is to let the customers see the fresh food preparation for themselves. The dough-making station was put out in front of the buffet line, and the new units will have windows looking into the walk-in cooler where the dough is proofed. On the buffet line, drop-in plate warmers will replace pizza warmers on the countertops. —Pizza-buffet brand
Stevi B’s prices of about $5.50 for adults to have the all-you-can-eat buffet will stay the same. —Pizza-buffet brand
Dennis Lombardi, executive vice president of foodservice strategies for WD Partners, a design and consulting firm in Columbus, Ohio, points out that rebranding and designing new stores is a long process, meaning Stevi B’s was likely developing its plans before the recession worsened. —Pizza-buffet brand
“Creating a new prototype is part of keeping a brand fresh,” Lombardi said. “That’s a long-term need that really transcends short-term fluctuations in business. A new prototype, especially with more theater and a more upgraded interior, helps build traffic.” —Pizza-buffet brand
He added that upgraded “theater” touches like the dough-making station and the window into the prep cooler create more value perception for the consumer. —Pizza-buffet brand
“Theater has been important for quite a while, but there’s a bigger awareness of it now,” Lombardi said. “Sometimes it’s because consumers want to see freshness cues and see what’s being made. The trick is controlling the sight lines, so that the customer sees the right things around the theater.” —Pizza-buffet brand
Loney said sight lines were just as important for Stevi B’s managers as for customers in the remodeling. From one position in the prototype’s dining room, a manager can watch the buffet line, guests’ tables, the food preparation area, the cash register and redemption centers for the game room. —Pizza-buffet brand
“That allows a more centralized management position, which has helped us with our labor costs,” Loney said. —Pizza-buffet brand
The brand also paid attention to its game rooms, Loney added. A closed-circuit TV system in the game room allows parents to watch their kids from the table, and the redemption area where kids claim prizes was moved outside the game room where managers can see everything. Because of those moves, game rooms don’t need to be manned full-time during slower periods, saving a little bit more on labor costs. —Pizza-buffet brand
Such “slide deployment” capabilities, being able to decrease the number of employees at certain times by combining or breaking up tasks, are becoming more important in restaurant design, WD’s Lombardi said. —Pizza-buffet brand
“That all requires some pretty thoughtful industrial engineering of the kitchen and dining space,” Lombardi said. “These energies and efforts to change are certainly widespread [in the restaurant industry], if not universal.” —Pizza-buffet brand
Loney added that Stevi B’s attention to efficiency in its stores, and reproducing it through the new prototype, would serve the chain well once growth really starts to pick up again. —Pizza-buffet brand
“For so long, because growth was so strong and money flowed so freely, the tendency [in the industry] was to focus just on growth,” Loney said. “This [prototype] is one of a number things for improving efficiency—we’re also rewriting our operations manuals and our marketing plans. What we’ve done is focus our efforts internally on making our franchisees more productive and more successful and assisting them on internal needs.”— [email protected] —Pizza-buffet brand