Despite the challenging trading environment restaurants face, there is still strong competition for the best sites. Yet those challenges mean that landlords need to be sure that a concept and its management team will succeed in any given location. This is where a well written and designed landlord pack comes in. The purpose of a pack is to establish trust - trust in the concept, the brand and the management team – to help to sell a restaurateur’s vision. A good landlord pack is typically 10 to 15 pages long and includes lots of photography, with quotes and key parts of the brand summarised to break up text and emphasise key brand attributes. Having created lots of packs for new concepts as well as existing operators looking to expand, here are my suggestions for the elements that any good landlord pack should contain.
Summary
This is your chance to really grab the reader’s attention - so clearly and concisely sum up the concept, the food, the customer experience and why it will succeed. If the brand has an existing site, touch on the success of that business, awards won, reviews etc and why the time is right to open another one.
Concept
Describe the whole customer experience as well as the positioning of the brand, its target markets and why it will resonate with those people.
Food
This is the most essential part of the landlord pack, the section to make mouths water. Describe the influence of the dishes, for example a particular country or region, key ingredients, cooking techniques and signature dishes. Include price ranges of starters, mains/small plates, desserts as well as the expected spend per head at lunch and dinner. Include a few sample dishes or a sample menu.
Drinks
What makes your drinks list stand out? Is it a carefully curated wine list, contemporary and original cocktails?
Decor
Describe the decor in terms of colours, art, materials and seating arrangements. Will there be bar /counter dining? AI can help to provide an example of what an interior will look like to give the landlord a good feel of the place.
Service
What style of service will the restaurant have? Formal/fine dining or more casual? It is useful to touch on recruitment and training procedures in this section to really illustrate the commitment to providing guests with the best dining experience.
Marketing
With ever increasing costs it’s essential to show a landlord that you’re committed to making sure the site is busy throughout the day and week. Describe what you plan to do for marketing and include SEO, PR, social media management, email marketing, influencers, and promotions. For new concepts, the landlord pack won’t have the finalised brand design, messaging and stories in place, so it’s worth mentioning that once the site is secured more work will be done on the brand.
Ethos & Philosophy
Large, institutionalised landlords particularly like to see a commitment to sustainability and best environmental practices, so describe the particular beliefs and values that you bring to the brand.
Management Team
Include any relevant experience and management style do the owners have that will help give the concept the best chance of success. Information could be things such as where the head chef worked in the past and what influences their cooking. Include photos of the relevant members of the team.
Guy Holmes is director at specialist marketing and branding agency YellowFin.