PLANO TEXAS Metromedia Restaurant Group here is readying a sports-theme brand extension called Bennigan’s Sport. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Franchisees already are hailing the sports-oriented upstart as a potential growth vehicle for operators of the 310-unit, three-decade-old Bennigan’s Grill & Bar brand, even though the offshoot’s prototype restaurant isn’t expected to debut until May 20. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
The new Bennigan’s Sport will open as the conversion of an existing, 6,500-square-foot Bennigan’s location in the Dallas suburb of Addison, Texas, said Clay Dover, the Metromedia group’s executive vice president and chief concept officer. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“We obviously have a mature concept,” Dover said.“Bennigan’s is 31 years old.We’ve got restaurants that have been around for that many years. We have locations with long-term leases and plan to be there for a period of time, and we wanted to give the brand some reinvigoration, a little more than the face-lift we’ve done previously.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
In addition to joining T.G.I. Friday’s in extending its brand through development of a sports fan-oriented format, Bennigan’s Sport would join a sizeable field of concepts that cater to sports lovers, such as the Champps, ESPN Zone and Fox Sports Grill chains. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Dover said Bennigan’s is “trying to establish a new brand with major changes without walking away from our company’s heritage.” Metromedia also owns the Steak and Ale casual-dining brand, the family steakhouse chain concepts Ponderosa and Bonanza, and the three newer concepts, all in the Greater Dallas area, called 29 Degree Tavern, Southlake Tavern and Plano Tavern. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
While the company continues to update existing Bennigan’s units, the advent of Bennigan’s Sport will mark a total makeover for the concept, Dover said. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“This is a complete remodel,” he said. “We closed the restaurant for about 45 days to two months.We’ve replaced the entire staff.We’re trying to get away from the old Bennigan’s while not disassociating ourselves from the heritage and the roots. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“The [converted] restaurant has been there for 29 years,” Dover said. “At one time it was a hot spot for the Addison area, and it has suffered some decline. We had an agreement with the landlord, so we decided that to compete in that area we had to come back with a new Bennigan’s brand extension. It’s a blending of Bennigan’s and our learning from the three Tavern concepts. We’ve spruced up the menu. A lot of the core menu items like the Monte Cristo [sandwich] will be there, but there will be new presentations and plateware and silverware. We’ll have 20 beers on tap.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
He said the menu would have several “interactive” food items, such as Buffalo wings and Irish-ale queso as well as new dishes such as a Thai chicken salad and a chipotle cheeseburger. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“We’re going to have a wood-burning oven for the first time, so we’ll do pizzas,” Dover said. “We don’t intend to be a pizza place, but the made-to-order piece will be there.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Rick Pastorek, president of BOL Inc. in Baton Rouge, La., which owns six Bennigan’s in Louisiana and one in Memphis,Tenn., said he and other franchisees think Bennigan’s Sport is a great idea. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“They’ve put together a total package of menu, uniforms and building that could be a growth vehicle both for the franchise community and corporate stores,” Pastorek said. “You could really look at the local angle. From a local-store marketing standpoint, you could get local sports teams to come and youth-league sports teams. In my experience, if you can get them at a young age, you can get them for life.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Pastorek said the brand extension could add value to the core chain. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“In some markets, this might do better than a regular Bennigan’s,” he said. “It also depends on the competition. If it’s a market without a lot of competition in sports-theme restaurants, it might be a natural fit.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Metromedia has gutted the old Addison Bennigan’s and is “extending the bar and adding 30 televisions,” Dover said.“The focus will be a sports-grill theme.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
The new management and staff will wear uniforms that include rugby-style shirts to go with what Dover calls a “European pub” feel. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Bennigan’s has 158 company-owned restaurants. “We have average-unit volumes of more than $3 million, and we know we can grow that,” he said. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Dover said the per-person check at Bennigan’s Sport is expected to increase about $1.75, from the average $12.75 at Bennigan’s Grill to about $14 or $15. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“We’re anticipating an increase in beverage and appetizer sales,” he said. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
Currently, about 21 percent of a Bennigan’s unit’s sales are adult beverages, and that is anticipated to rise to 30 percent to 35 percent at the Sport version. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“It’s a focus on the bar and a focus on the sports,” Dover said. “We want to stay true to the roots of the pub and Irish heritage, but we also want to make it more applicable and more approachable to a younger demographic and make it cooler, more hip and more of a destination for watching a game.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
The target audience is 25- to 34-year-old professionals, Dover said, and will probably skew a little more to male customers because of the sports angle. Current demographics include a number of customers in their 40s and 50s. —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
“I think it will rejuvenate the brand,” Dover said. “There’s a lot of opportunity with this brand extension. It gives new life to the brand. It’s an opportunity both for company restaurants and franchised restaurants. In a trade area where a restaurant needs a nice face-lift, this is a physical change that the guest will notice and come in and try.” —Following in the footsteps of rival T.G.I. Friday’s Front Row, which has grown to three units since its 1994 variant debut,
