Service
The debate on the levels of service experienced in the US against that seen here has intensified over the last few years, with many arguing that improvements here have seen the UK close the gap on its counterparts across the pond. Over the three days in Chicago, I experienced some of the best service I have ever seen, but also some of the worst, which begs the question is the state of customers service in the US dminishing while the UK’s improves?
Those operators that allow staff some sort of autonomy/flexible boundaries in which to bring their own personality through undoubtedly shine through, for example, Grant Achatz’s the Aviary, against in some cases an almost robotic/going through the motions list of responses. All the staff at this high-end restaurant and bar in Chicago gave the impression that they really cared for the business and where knowledgeable about each part of the operation and their own role in it. It reminded me in some respects of the service provided by Bill’s and Jamie’s Italian, friendly, knowledgable, but not over intrusive.
Technology
While the use of technology in terms of self service kiosks is still in its infancy here, the US fast-casual operators are leading growth in the sector. Asian-influenced concept Wow Bao, which operates five sites across Chicago and a number of sports concessions, has self-serve kiosks outside its five standalone units, which has helped to reduce labour costs, while increasing the number of registers from one to three.
Geoff Alexander, vice president and managing partner of the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises-owned concept, said the kiosk additions paid for themselves within eight months. Alexander said: “Technology is here to stay. This generation expects it. They want it. An automated order takes 53 seconds to be procressed from the time of the order being made to its being ready to collect.”
Craft beer
While the craft beer movement is in its relative infancy here (say a toddler rather a baby), the US market is reaching maturity, with interest “skyrocketing” among restaurant goers. A number of restaurant operators have developed brewpub offers adjacent to their existing businesses, while more premium casual offers, such as the Hillstone Restaurant Group’s Bandera restaurant in central Chicago had two craft beers on draft and a further four bottled.
The Hopleaf bar in the Clark Street area of the city claims to have 100 draft beers to choose from. Its Drew Larson, beverage director, said that the challenge for operators has been to educate themselves about the growing category at the same time as consumers become even more discerning about their craft beer experiences. He said: “If we don’t do the right things for our customers, those people who want to be into craft beer or are craft beer drinkers will not think we’re taking care of the beer and won’t trust us. You have to show your customers that you understand craft beer and will bring it to them in a craft sense.”
In the UK, it was recently reported that Byron was to serve its own label beer on tap at its new siite in London’s Beak Street. A drop in the ocean for a movement more restaurants in the UK will need to quickly acknowledge.
Concepts
Xoco
Xoco is a quick-service café from Rick Bayless, the chef who specialises in traditional Mexican cuisine with modern interpretations and Chicago’s very own Jamie Oliver character, with numerous concepts and books. The 40-cover site offers contemporary takes on Mexican street food and snacks, which caters for the all-day dining crowd. It majors on the theatre of preparing everything fresh in front of customers, which translates to 80% of its clientele eating in. The focus is on freshness and atmosphere.
Wow Bao
Part of the Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises stable, the five-strong Wow Bao has been tipped as a potential national chain in the US for the past two years. It serves Asian-inspired hot steamed buns filled with various meats and vegetables, which retail at around £1.20 each. Perfect for the hand-held generation, the concept has tapped into the self-service movement and the power of social media, named in the top 20 across the whole of the US eating-out sector for its social media effectiveness at a fraction of the budgets that Starbucks and McDonald’s have pushed into the category. Its interaction with its customers is also leading edge, using the latest mobile technology to interact and offer loyalty schemes and vouchers to repeat guests in an instant. It has already had interest from overseas and is set to break out from Chicago over the next year. A perfect fast-casual, food-on-the-move concept for the hand-held device generation, also see boneless KFC.
FoodEase
A further Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises concept, FoodEase based in the Water Tower Place shopping centre is a melting pot of concepts from its parent company that mixes food market and restaurant. Stands out from Whole Foods and Eataly by putting the restaurant side of the business first. Strong on highlighting local business, the concept has a wall counter allowing consumers to know each day how many items are from the local vicinity (98 items on the day we visited). An information wall also highlighted the names of the restaurants from which menu items were being provided, many iconic to the Chicago food scene. At just 1,800sq ft, the business also used little labour, whilst taking on average $40,000 a week.
The main self-service department highlighted the freshness and wide range of choice on offer. It also, in a subtle use of packaging, put the consumer not only in control of how much they wished to eat and where, but added a sustainability twist. Packaging came in three options, good, better, best, with best being a plate that, if used, the consumer would get 25c of his or her bill but also do their bit for the environment, while the business also keeps them in the store and increases the possibility of impulse purchases.
FoodLife
Across the floor to FoodEase, was FoodLife made up of 15 different kitchen areas, from pizza, to hotdog, to oriental and healthy. The concept was again strong on freshness, preparation and the theatre, putting the consumer in control with a food credit card, that was swiped at every kitchen and then a bill was paid at the exit. The business would have 3,000 consumers on a normal day, rising to 7,000 in the school holidays and 10,000 on its busiest day, with an average check size of $12-13. On average it takes $100,000 a week. The site also highlighted a couple of further Lettuce-owned formats, including MBurger, pitched, like In-N-Out burger, at a price point between McDonald’s and Five Guys. Despite a number of choices, the site’s comfort (pizzas and burgers) and grill sections remained the best sellers, highlighting again that the tried and tested food items remained the main drivers of the Chicago food scenes, just with tweaks here and there.
Naf Naf Grill
Naf Naf is a further fast-casual concept that puts the theatre of food preparation right in front of the consumer, whether that is putting together the group’s main staples of falafel, shawarma and kebabs, or the on-site production of pita bread. For a UK audience it was interesting to hear about and see kebabs produced from fresh, with staff trained for three weeks to put the meat tower together, with a fresh one produced every morning. The group’s on-site pitta is lighter than its UK counterpart. The business also highlighted that US firms aren’t afraid to invest in new kitchen technology, using a self-cutting kebab machine to bring that sense of theatre again, but also a consistency of offer.
Smoque BBQ
Located in the Pulaski Road neighbourhood, Smoque BBQ is very much a case of substance over style. A small, hardly furnished trading area is the final stage for a high-quality range of brisket, pulled pork, chicken and Texas sausage. The product is everything, with the UK party scratching its collective head that the back-office operations for the business were up to four times the size of the dining section, which had a queue out the door for seats and its takeaway option the whole of the two hours we were there. Two ovens, costing £600k, in the back of the site, cooking the meat for around 15 hours, were the secret to this business, plus its energetic and back-to-basic vibes, helped by its bring-your-own attitude to alcohol.
