Casual dining restaurants that are on the up

Whilst the headlines have focused on prominent casual dining casualties like Jamie’s Italian and Byron, there are success stories too.

Zizzi

On paper Zizzi looks similar to other mid-market Italian chains. But they’ve recognised the importance of guest experience, and have boldly invested in it during tough times.

They’ve invested in creating restaurant environments that are welcoming and homely. As a result, diners dwell time is up, and guests at Zizzi order more courses than the average diner. Sales are up, customer satisfaction up.

Wagamama

Recently acquired by the Restaurant Group for £559m — takes quite the opposite tack. They don’t want dwell time. Staying true to their express noodle bar roots, they’ve developed an optional app that allows diners in the restaurant to pay, split the bill and order extra sides all from their table. And they understand that dining out isn’t just about the food — this recent slogan in one of their ads captured it perfectly: ‘What you eat feeds your body — where you eat feeds everything else.’

Bill’s

Bill’s used to be a me-too casual dining experience. As a result, when trialists walked through the door they left unimpressed. But to their credit, they’ve turned this around. And it starts with small things.

They fill their restaurants with unique ‘treasures’ giving each Bill’s a special feel. The founder Bill Collison used to trawl antique shops to create the signature look — and even raided his own garden for the stone frog that now sits proudly on the bar in the Soho restaurant.

What’s more, it’s evident that store managers take pride in each of their locations — testament to a big chain that empowers its staff.

The Ivy

It was renowned for having only one site. So when owner Richard Caring expanded to include the The Ivy Collection, scrutiny was high — but so were their standards. And against a backdrop of big names expanding and faltering, The Ivy Collection has expanded and thrived.

Part of this success is attributed to a rigorous and continuous test-and-learn approach. A secret diner visits every Ivy every week, and rates every aspect of the experience — and anything less than 93% prompts an investigation.

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Each of these examples cater to diners in different ways. But they share a strong sense of their brand and proposition, a clear dedication to their customers’ needs and a drive to constantly improve. Chains that have over-expanded and strained the customer experience take note!