Servers’ use of handheld tablets, open kitchens and a new thin-crust pizza could be in the future for BJ’s Restaurants Inc. locations nationwide if tests bear out at a new research-and-development concept in Southern California.
Opened in late October, the new limited-menu variant called BJ’s Grill, in Anaheim Hills, Calif., totals 4,500 square feet, about half the size of a typical BJ’s. The venue was designed to allow BJ’s to test various operational and design components that could be rolled out or incorporated in new units in the future.
On a tour of the new facility this week, Wayne Jones, BJ’s executive vice president and chief restaurant operations officer, emphasized that the company has no immediate plans to grow BJ’s Grill as a new concept.
The smaller footprint, however, is among the elements the chain is evaluating. It could potentially open up the 113-unit brand to smaller, more urban real estate opportunities – a move that other casual-dining brands, from The Cheesecake Factory to Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, also are exploring.
View a slideshow of BJ's Grill
One of the most noticeable aspects of BJ’s Grill is the open kitchen, separated from the 150-seat dining room by clear glass, allowing guests full visibility.
“It sends a message of cleanliness,” Jones said.
Servers at the restaurant are piloting the use of wireless hand-held tablets to take orders, which eliminates the need to stop at a separate computer terminal to place an order.
The technology improves speed of service, but also gives the server more time to attend to guests needs, Jones said. “The idea is to leverage the technology without replacing hospitality.”
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The restaurant is also testing a new “team service” system, said Ame Kuyper, BJ’s vice president of operation services.
In most of the chain’s restaurants, employees are trained for and limited to specific tasks. At BJ’s Grill, those on the service team are cross-trained for multiple tasks.
“You won’t hear a server say to a guest, ‘I can’t run your credit card through,’ or whatever,” Kuyper said. “We’ve empowered them to do everyone’s job. And they take more pride because they are a part of every part of it.”
The Grill is also used to test new food options, such as a thin-crust pizza currently on the menu there, which Jones said has been popular.
Because the Grill is a new restaurant, Jones said the one-page menu now features a limited number of customer favorites, such as signature pizzas and the new line of “Fan Burgers,” which BJ’s introduced in November.
At the Grill, however, the company can experiment with plating, tableware and other variations on presentation.
Guests, Jones noted, are invited to participate in the research nature of the concept. A note on the menu states that “many of the innovative features at BJ’s Grill may ultimately be incorporated into our larger-format Brewhouse concept in the future.”
After a recent visit, Analyst Conrad Lyon of B. Riley & Co. in Los Angeles, said he was impressed by the sophistication and simplicity of the variant.
“In our opinion, the new restaurant certainly has the aesthetics for a successful new concept,” Lyon wrote in a report.
“Arguably the greatest takeaway from our visit is that management … is not resting on their laurels,” he added. “They know maintaining relevance is critical to long-term success as well as use of cutting-edge technology and methods.”
Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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