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AIBU?

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Original poster

To ask my brother to change his restaurant design 3 weeks from opening

183 replies

msmacd · 11/07/2015 03:11

Hi there, require the input of the mumsnet jury on this one. My brother is opening a cafe/restaurant/bar. It has cost a huge amount to construct and fit-out. My mother's money (she is 70) is also riding on it's success as she is the primary investor, and has mortgaged her home. I took a sabbatical to come back to my country of origin for 4 months to help him in the critical weeks. I have also invested in it.

My brother says his intention is to target the 30-50yrs demographic in particular. He now has 700 Facebook 'likes' for his restaurant Facebook page, and tellingly the majority are woman. There is a fairly trendy man tavern/sports bar close by, so he (claims) he is trying to appeal to the women (who would then bring their partners/ families). As it is in a suburban area, he also envisages getting business from the mothers after school drop off etc, as he will be open from 7:30 and acting as a cafe with cake, coffee, breakfast etc in the mornings.

The architects created it with a bit of an industrial chic vibe, with concrete floors (which i appreciate are on trend at the moment). However, there will be some banquets and some soft/more casual seating in the cafe area at the front, as well as a more formal dining area towards the back. It also has a small garden. A large bar is in the centre of the venue, as the central/focal point.

Yesterday i saw the bar go up. I have attached a photo. That is the finished product/look. The panels are fibreglass made to look like concrete. I took the photo just after they had installed part of the front, but it spans the entire bar and curves around into the cafe area (not in photo).

I'm not a fan (to put it lightly). However, it will cause a massive uproar if I ask him to make changes. His restaurant manager (who he has been working closely with to set it up) already thinks i'm an interfering cow (ha!). It is 3 weeks from opening to the public.

Given my brother is trying to appeal primarily to women (allegedly) and attract families. i must ask... what do you think? Am i being unreasonable?

To ask my brother to change his restaurant design 3 weeks from opening
OP posts:
Ycoitsid · 11/07/2015 08:05

It's the food, the menu and prices that need your thought

Buglife · 11/07/2015 08:05

I think that when it is totally empty and still being built you can't have any idea how it will be when finished, so what seems stark now won't neccassarly when it is finished. Also like other said I can take my children places which aren't solely for children, and if it is a nice restaurant/bar I would not expect them to provide bloody toys or a play area! I am happy to take DS anywhere that isn't obviously some kind of drinking den. Trendy restaurants in London etc. Don't make it too much like a children's play area, honestly. Make it welcoming and accommodating to children (lots of highchairs, staff not bothered by a bit of mess, comfy facilities like sofas etc to feed and chill out) but too many kids and kids stuff and you'll put off other customers and have a playgroup on your hands.

Ycoitsid · 11/07/2015 08:07

Also an area to park pushchairs

Rosa · 11/07/2015 08:11

Looks unfinished to me ...but then I probably still live in the laura Ashley age!!!!

wigglylines · 11/07/2015 08:11

"It looks very similar to a sushi place that's just opened in our town"

Oh yes, that reminds me of a sushi restaurant we visited when DS was a toddler. What was so great about it was the high chairs were plentiful, the staff were friendly and welcoming to families and there was food DS could eat as well as great adult food.

That's the bottom line, the decor is wayyyy down my list of priorities with young children in tow!

There are so many places that are awkward to visit with kids in tow, and also that you don't really feel welcome. Feeling welcome is half the battle, really!

(Although this could be a UK thing too, I understand many other cultures are generally more child friendly!)

vvviola · 11/07/2015 08:12

A lot of the places I went when I lived in NZ (Auckland) had some sort of enclosed play area, and they certainly didn't suffer from only having parents in them. It really does depend on how it is done.

One place had a "quiet area" tucked around the corner away from the play area which worked well for non-parents (or the times I went there child-free).

I found the stark decor look more popular in NZ than elsewhere I've lived, but would certainly agree that food/quality of coffee would be the prime attraction for me (plus, for various reasons a vegan/dairy & free option)

A fireplace in winter would also be a draw (even in Auckland if that is where you happen to be)

SkodaLabia · 11/07/2015 08:15

I love industrial and modern rustic, and wouldn't want to go somewhere that was overtly 'kiddie'. Here are some ideas for bringing in colour without either going all Cath Kidston or soft play centre. Boak to both.

A cafe near to me (admittedly with a boho vibe rather than industrial) has a play area for kids, it's an alcove where the walls are painted with blackboard paint and there are shelves with books and small toys on that aren't an inconvenience if they wander back to their table with them. Crucially there are no rubber floor tiles, no primary colours, no characters painted on the walls, it's just a lovely little nook.

This is a good book for getting design ideas for kids' areas.

To ask my brother to change his restaurant design 3 weeks from opening
To ask my brother to change his restaurant design 3 weeks from opening
To ask my brother to change his restaurant design 3 weeks from opening
Ycoitsid · 11/07/2015 08:17

I also take my own children to cafés without toys. We bring our own entertainment. What matters most is service and attention given to the kids/adults.

SkodaLabia · 11/07/2015 08:27

And I know it's not a decor questions, but no bloody kids' menu! Half sizes and teeny sizes of the normal meals priced accordingly.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 11/07/2015 08:33

I think there has to be some catering for kids/buggy brigade, because the OP has stated that her brother intends to open at 7.30 to attract mums doing the school run. Those mums will have toddlers/babies. That said, it could be a corner, with some blocks/colouring stuff etc. Or it could just be as simple as the staff being friendly and tolerant of kids, and making the mothers feel welcome. One hip and trendy place I frequent has tins of toys (like a Quality Street tin) which they bring over when kids come in, for them to play with at the table, so they don't need a designated play area.

FrankietheSquealer · 11/07/2015 08:34

Mate from oz was going on about coffee shops all the time.
What's the deal with them

Idontseeanydragons · 11/07/2015 08:34

An area covered in blackboard paint sounds great! Yy to smaller versions of adults meals rather than a child's menu.
Things that would draw me to a restaurant (and bring me back again) are the details - one of my favourite places to eat as a family looks like Laura Ashley threw up all over the chairs BUT the food and service is excellent, the staff are friendly and they have little details like paper tablecloths and coloured pencils that just adds to the comfort of the customers.
I could overlook decor that I didn't automatically like.

FrankietheSquealer · 11/07/2015 08:35

Skoda. There speaks someone who doesn't have fussy eaters

EdithWeston · 11/07/2015 08:36

You say it's 3 weeks to opening.

Face it, there isn't going to be time to change - unless as massive expense.

I used to work on other forms of project management. And client requests for last minute changes was one of the most expensive things they could do to themselves. And will be very expensive, if it delays opening.

You've registered your points of concern. Now put it on the back burner, all effort into successful opening with what there is. And look for evolutionary approach to changes in due course.

BitOutOfPractice · 11/07/2015 08:40

Frankie what about the parents who want to take their kids to places with a bit more than something and chips for the kids. They are few and far between. It seems like everywhere caters for kids who are "fussy eaters" - the rest, not so much

MayPolist · 11/07/2015 08:43

I don't like the white tiled expanse ,.It makes me think of a chippy.or a mortuary.ut I guess down under 'the look' is different to the UK.The bat looks like something from MFI circa 1974

PoorNeglectedBike · 11/07/2015 08:44

Thee design of a bar will no be what makes or breaks a business

Weebirdie · 11/07/2015 08:44

I would go there because I like bright and airy spaces but I think you are trying to be too many things to too many people.

I would be asking how people would describe it to each other and if people would look on it as a place to go for a really good night out. Or if people would say oh isn't it a children's play area? Or if mums would say nah I don't want to go there its for nights out.

As for the rough surfaces - if the children are supervised as they should be they wont get hurt.

SkodaLabia · 11/07/2015 08:46

Frankie but surely 'fussy' doesn't by default mean chicken nuggets?

If it were possible to have any meal off the adult menu but in other sizes (admittedly I've never run a restaurant so don't know how tricky this is logistically!) there must be something a child would eat?

Weebirdie · 11/07/2015 08:48

Sorry, I hadnt read the full thread. I based my reply on the OP and can see my point of view had already been covered.

Another thing I would like to add is 'yes please to more than beige food for children'.

moooolah · 11/07/2015 08:49

My thinking is I wouldn't take my kids there.. but would perhaps go in for lunch with dh. I'm not keen on the decor and I have just sat here wondering if that matters but I think it's one of those things.. if I'd walked past it one day and thought it looked fab I'd then want to go in...

moooolah · 11/07/2015 08:51

And all of a sudden there's 3 extra pages I hadn't noticed. Confused ignore me.

Buglife · 11/07/2015 08:51

That's the thing, you've descrives it as a 'Bar/Cafe to attract women 30-50', so the bar side of it means it needs to not be a chore a play area and the age of mums with babies isn't the only one you want. Make it welcoming to young children but also it needs to work as a restuarant for everyone too. Children of a certain age need to be able to go for a meal that isn't all crazy kids play area too. A play cafe is one thing, but the demographic 'women' doesn't mean it's all for babies and toddlers!

missmartha · 11/07/2015 08:52

I think it looks fine but I wouldn't use it if it was aimed at mothers and toddlers. Soft play areas would put me off I'm afraid.

3 week is very short notice to alter the design, I'm guessing various permissions will have been sought from the Building Control part of the council so change now will need another application and site visits. Bloody nightmare.

Just play it , very carefully, by ear for the first few months, most places need tweaking anyway, but hasty changes now will not give the place time to look finished before the opening. It will still look a work in progress, nothing worse imo.

Epilepsyhelp · 11/07/2015 08:53

I like it as it is.

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