Ever since the pandemic’s temporary shutdown of indoor dining, the nation’s concept of going out to dinner has forever changed. Large restaurant brands that relied on packed dining rooms had to prioritize takeout orders instead. Even with dine-in capabilities back in full swing, these same restaurant brands have realized that a large portion of their customers still prefer the quick convenience of ordering meals to go. In addition, as inflation concerns continue to weigh heavily on the average customer and restaurant owners endure labor shortage issues, future investment into smaller-sized restaurants seems like a good solution. Look for P.F. Chang’s, Portillo’s and TGI Fridays to all be rolling out smaller restaurant prototypes in the future.
P.F. Chang’s will be expanding its smaller P.F. Chang’s To Go units that were first introduced three years ago in dense urban areas. Now with 15 To Go units currently in the U.S., expect P.F. Chang’s to open at least 35 more of these smaller units by early to mid-2023. These To Go restaurants are between 1,500 and 2,500 s.f. and offer limited seating for up to 20 people. The size is quite a bit smaller than its full-service Bistro restaurants that average 7,000 s.f. High-density urban metros will continue to be targeted for this smaller concept, with markets in Colorado, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Nevada, Arizona and New York being eyed for growth. The restaurant chain will also continue to open more of its larger Bistro restaurants in growing suburban markets, at a rate of 80 to 90 new units by late 2024.
Portillo’s will be monitoring the popularity of the Portillo’s Pick Up store prototype it introduced in Joliet, Ill., in February. The smaller restaurant, at 3,750 s.f., has no dining room. Instead, it offers a pick-up window and three drive-thru lanes, one of which is devoted solely for those customers who ordered ahead. The new prototype is much smaller than the Portillo’s usual restaurant square footage of 8,000 s.f. If successful, expect more of its units to feature this smaller size. The chain announced plans to open approximately 50 of the larger units per year over the next 10 years in the new states of Texas and Ohio, in addition to continued growth into the Midwest and Sunbelt regions.
TGI Fridays will be opening its new 2,500-s.f. Fridays on the Fly storefront concept before the end of this year at a still-undisclosed location, and the prototype is a considerable reduction of its usual square footage size of 7,000 s.f. The newly branded restaurant will have reduced dining room space and will be primarily focused on takeout and delivery orders. More of these units are expected in select markets in 2023 and are anticipated to be in high-traffic suburban/metro areas experiencing rapid population growth.
