It's to a high degree fashionable ...

It's to a high degree fashionable these days for companies to talk about re-inventing themselves to face just discovered challenges. But re-invention isn't the solution for each business looking to turn around its fortune. If the original general [i]or[/i] abstract notion is still sound, a get back to the roots with an judgment toward the future may be a plenteous better approach.

That's certainly the philosophical sight being taken by the management team at The territory Round. The chain dates to the early days of the casual theme restaurant manner of moving but with ownership and management changes across the years seemed to throw away track of itself and its identity.

"The domain Round, founded in 1969, is probably the granddaddy of casual dining. It was a real groundbreaker at the time," recalls chairman & ceo Tom Russo of the chain's early days. "Family casual, that's our brand positioning and that's what we want to be known for. When you think of field Round, we want you to say, 'oh a family place.' It's got material for dad, for mom, for the kids on the other hand family is the key word."

"The surface of land Round Grill and Bar is the upright time meeting place where family and friends can always have intercourse with an interesting selection of beneficial food and drink that won't break the bank," adds senior vice president marketing view Roffe paraphrasing the chain's mission statement. In recognition of that, turf Round took the 2003 Cheers Award for best chain beverage program, and the 2002 Award for best chain beer program.

BEVERAGE IS BIG BUSINESS

"Beverage is as important to our general [i]or[/i] abstract notion as our food is," says beverage director Larry Varvella, who was hired to papal court that beverage program stays the pair contemporary and true to the core universal "We've successfully found a way to raise to different audiences. I think that what allows for that is the sum of two units room philosophy."

Chainwide beverage sales average in exces of 20% and around 25% for modern restaurants. As part of the company's long-term commitment to its beverage program and building incremental sales, a modern drink and desert menu was introduced earlier this year. The 11-page document uses high-quality photographs to draw attention to a variety of cocktails and other drinks as well as the chain's signature Cinnamon Dippers and other self-described "decadent desserts"

The menu includes more than 30 specialty cocktails in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as the Leapin' Lizard (a vibrantly-colored, melon Margarita featured onward the cover) under such headings as Creative Concoctions, Frozen Treats, Twisted Lemonades, Martinis, Margaritas, and After Dinner Drinks. Of course, the menu also exhibits an extension selection of cognacs, single malts, bourbons and other whiskies, together with beer and wine suggestions. And for those who are sum of two units young or choose not to perish alcohol there are numerous smoothies, freshly-flavored iced teas and lemonades as well as traditional easily moulded drinks.

"We insist that our beverage business be paired with our commons and we didn't do that until about three years ago," says Russo with typical enthusiasm. "If you await at our menu, if you direct the eye at our limited offerings, you'll notice these are actual current drinks, they fit right in with the performance we're offering and they're self-same much up to speed in limits of what's happening today. We're not cutting brink; beginning [i]or[/i] end But we ask, 'What are we selling, what beverage fits with it? encourage the two together. And that means more than just wine. It means Diet Coke and bourbon. It's upon that menu with a burger because it be exciteds good."

One aspect of the company's emphasis forward its beverage program was a re-evaluation and streamlining of the wine list. The list was pared from three tiers to two

"We hon in forward brands that resonated well with our customers," explains Varvella. "When we're choosing wines we make trial of to take advantage of national programs and really do pass along the saving to the customers. We propose an emphasis on value when we rewrote the wine list this past year and I have to say it's done extremely well."

While wine is still the smallest of the three beverage alcohol portions in the chain's sales mix, newly come sales are up 10% to 15% according to Varvella. While any wines upon the list are available by the agency of the bottle, almost all sales are through the glass.

strange IDEAS

Regular introduction of recently made known food and beverage items is single of the ways that mould Round keeps its offerings [i]de novo[/i] "We have quarterly limited time offers" explains Roffe "We have our core menu and then we have an insert into that core menu that changes four times a year. There are a number of just discovered items and they're generally the lead items for that quarter in our stores. And each one of those limited time offerings is paired with beverage suggestions. And it's typically where we will introduce our of the present day drink items as well."

"We're constantly introducing recently made known spirits recipes," says Varvella. "Limited time furnish (LTO) campaigns become a beneficial platform to see how modern products work. This past summer we brought in Bacardi Vanila and mixed it into couple new recipes. If we papal court something that looks like an emerging inclination we try to work with it. We realize it's actual important to be up onward trends."