The human experience that a restaurant provides is one of the many reasons that people choose to go out for a meal rather than cook at home. Socialization, the sharing of news, the celebration of achievements, the mourning of losses, and the sharing of new ideas for the betterment of the group. For the modern-day restaurant to take on these responsibilities for the good of the community would be too much to ask. Or would it?
Burtons Grill & Bar, which owns and operates 12 restaurants up and down the East Coast from New Hampshire to Florida, is re-imagining what the modern-day restaurant can be with a new 360° lifestyle approach that addresses six distinct pillars that were created as an opportunity to become even more engaged with its customers. These pillars include: Culture, Community, Family, Culinary, Education and Health & Fitness. Each pillar represents what Burtons defines as a lifestyle brand.
“We’ve always seen ourselves as a lifestyle brand. We are embedded into the fabric of a community, support local sports teams and evolve based on the needs of our customers in any given marketplace. That all being said, this is taking it to the next level. We believe a restaurant can be more than a place to dine. We can educate, entertain, and be the gateway to other experiences,” said Denise Herrera, vice president of operations at Burtons Grill & Bar.
As part of Burtons’ new and innovative approach, guests of the restaurants can look forward to health and wellness classes and exclusive tastings and other experiences. This shouldn’t be seen as a stretch from a restaurant that already has one of the most innovative and longstanding approaches to the restaurant experience when it comes to menu accommodations providing gluten free, vegetarian, and even paleo options, as well as employing a “call ahead steak cutting program” allotting its customers to customize any one of its marbled cuts of Black Angus beef to their liking.
Kevin Harron, chief executive officer of Burtons Grill Restaurant Group LLC, which owns and operates Burtons Grill & Bar and Red Heat Tavern, has more than 30 years in the restaurant industry. “I don’t think we have a utopian vision as a business that we can be everything to everyone, but as a restaurant we can become the gateway to so many things for our customers. Why wouldn’t you ask your sommelier where to visit in wine country? What if she or he could help facilitate? Why not learn about the newest food trend in Europe at your neighborhood restaurant, or learn about nutrition and how to complement your fitness goals in a familiar space? Many of these theoretical propositions will be put into play in 2017. The idea being the restaurant is the modern-day town hall in each community and that comes with distinct responsibilities. To me, seeing these as responsibilities and not just amenities, is where we are innovative in our approach,” said Harron.
From the theoretical, to practice whatever Burtons Grill & Bar is doing, it’s working. The restaurant group continues to grow aggressively with a projected 58% growth in the next two years and numerous partnerships with several brands and organizations to move this innovative vision forward.
For more information on Burtons Grill & Bar, please visit www.burtonsgrill.com.