Bennigan's gets facelift, smoothes prototype's wrinkles

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan 11, 1999 by Ron Ruggless

LEWISYILLE, Texas -- Bennigan's, the 240-unit casual-dining chain owned by Metromedia Restaurant Group of Dallas, is fine-tuning its latest prototype outlets here and in Orlando, Fla., as it seeks to put a new face on the 22-year-old brand.

The company said it expects a total of 46 of the newconcept Bennigan's to be opened this year, at a perrestaurant cost of between $860,000 and $1 million.

Besides those new branches, Bennigan's plans to include design elements from the prototype in its renovation program, started last year in Orlando.

"After completing our Orlando re-image and kitchen redesign [in] December," said Jerry Comstock, president of Bennigan's, "we'll begin renovating our Dallas-Fort Worth area units in 1999."

The Bennigan's prototype, a new-generation format derived from a process begun at an Arvada, Cob., branch, features new exterior trade dress, bar modifications and open-to-the-rafters ceilings in its 256-seat dining rooms.

Many of the elements are being incorporated into existing-unit renovations, according to John F. Beck, vice president of marketing for the concept. "We hope to have all the current company units renovated within the next three years, he said.

Currently, 52 of the concept's 240 units are franchised, all of them opened since the company began franchising in 1995. Of those 52, 11 are international units, including a new 10,000-square-foot unit in the Extreme Planet complex that opened in November in Panama City, Panama.

The Bennigan's building prototype features exterior orange-and-green neon lighting, trademark awnings and a simulated copper entrance. "The material for the copper entrance is used on the space shuttle," Beck explained, "so it's bright and very durable."

The goal, he added, "is to create as much street presence as possible." The 7,800-square-foot Lewisville restaurant, which replaced one destroyed by fire last March and which reopened in November, also features interior elements such as a more distinctive host stand, a larger waiting area, a bar that features 30 beers on tap and refrigerated display cases for bottled beers. New lighting fixtures, seating and an open ceiling have been incorporated into the dining area.

An option for a patio has been enclosed at the Lewisville store, and the Orlando unit has outdoor seating next to a lake.

"This [Lewisville] unit fits into the whole thrust of revitalizing the brand," said Peggy Marshall-Mims, spokeswoman for Metromedia Restaurants. The first Bennigan's opened in 1976 in Atlanta, and the chain has recently begun re-imaging itself as a modern Irish-American pub.

Beck said the re-imaging also may include regionalizing the menu to "recognize local flavors and tastes." The company also is considering offering different menus for the lunch and dinner day-parts.

Costs of the new units, not including real estate, range from $860,000 to a little more than $1 million. The new design, done by Metro-media's in-house staff, offers unit-size options from 6,482 square feet to more than 7,000 square feet and seating availability from 217 to 259.

In conjunction with the new front-of-house look, Bennigan's also is reconfiguring the kitchens to maximize efficiency, according to Chris Barnes of Metromedia's communications department. The current Bennigan's menu offers about 75 items, he said.

Bennigan's parent company, the Metromedia subsidiary S&A Restaurant Corp., went through a refinancing last year that accommodated fresh growth and augmented the chain's s 13-year-old franchising push.

Comstock said the refinancing "has given us the capital to fund company growth." In November, for example, the company opened seven corporate-owned units.

"We're looking to open 36 new franchise and management-contract units plus approximately 10 company stores" this year, Comstock added.