CIRB News & Transactions
News 09/02/2008 : Not Enough Room For A Deck on Your Restaurant?
Check This Out!
Creative Use of a Parking Space
When you run a restaurant in a State like Michigan, where the winters are harsh, and the summers just great, you have to maximize your opportunities to take advantage of the good weather. Frankly, those restaurants without decks, or other outside dining are at a competitive disadvantage. As someone who calls on many restaurant operators, I have heard the lament from many operators. “Well we don’t have a deck, so this is a slow time of year for us…”
Not so for Mitch Black of Dick O’Dows Irish Pub in Birmingham, Michigan. He used a very creative and unusual way to increase the size of his summer dining by six tables through utilizing the parking spot in from of the restaurant. In an older “downtown” area where the buildings are tight together, and the sidewalk area limited they found a cool way to add a temporary deck. Cities like Birmingham often have a limited “season” for outside dining, with a permit required for the warmer months of the year. With a limited amount of hoop jumping, a can do attitude and a little bit of chutzpah Mitch was able to get the city, the Health Department and the Michigan. Liquor Control Commission to play ball.
Labor Day is around the corner; the kids go back to school next week, and any day now I expect to see a crew disassembling this deck to put it in storage until spring.
For other creative restaurant real estate ideas, whether in acquiring, disposing of or operating restaurants, contact Gordon Matthews at Griffin Restaurant Group.
Gordon Matthews
gmatthews@griffinproperties.com
248-443-9000 EXT 229
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