This polished-casual concept used extensive consumer feedback to create a brighter, more open space designed to turn customers into regulars.

What makes someone choose a bar as their regular spot to hang out?

That’s a question Brian Wright has spent a lot of time thinking about since he started as Bar Louie’s CEO in 2022.

It’s the question that led him and the Bar Louie team to take a deep dive into customer preferences to rework the concept’s look and feel.

The result is a new restaurant design rolled out in Nashville in mid-2023. The space is lighter and brighter than legacy Bar Louie restaurants. It includes a few choices that buck conventional wisdom about seat count and how design dollars should be allocated. And it’s the centerpiece of the chain’s renewed franchising push.

Image courtesy of Bar LouieImage courtesy of Bar Louie

Snapshot

  • Headquarters: Addison, Texas
  • Concept owner: BLH Acquisition Co.
  • Concept description: Bar Louie is an award-winning collection of neighborhood bars with a lively, social atmosphere. With 64 locations across the United States, Bar Louie is known for its signature handcrafted martinis and cocktails, along with its menu of appetizers, burgers and sandwiches served every day until close.
  • Unit count: 64
  • Average check: $42.00
  • Location of new store: Nashville, Tenn.
  • Opened: 2017, remodeled in 2023
  • Size: 7,600 square feet
  • Real estate: In-line
  • Design highlights: The new design offers an inviting atmosphere for any occasion. It boasts a private event space that accommodates up to 30 guests, along with two additional semi-private spaces ideal for gatherings. The dining room is centered around a striking bar — a hallmark of the brand, featuring a marble-inspired bar top, brass accents and elegantly tufted barstools. Guests can also enjoy live music on the built-in stage, thoughtfully designed to reflect the vibrant spirit of Nashville’s iconic music scene.
  • Build-out time: Five weeks. Future projects will be streamlined to a 10-day turnaround.

The small stage at the Nashville Bar Louie is backed by a hand-painted mural. Images courtesy of Bar LouieThe small stage at the Nashville Bar Louie is backed by a hand-painted mural. Images courtesy of Bar Louie

Survey Says…

With less than a year between Wright joining Bar Louie and the chain opening this Nashville location, one might think this design is driven by instinct and experience of Bar Louie’s new leadership.

While those of course played an important role, the key driver of the redesign was the customers — specifically, the consumers Bar Louie got feedback from in two separate surveys, which Wright initiated as soon as he joined the company. The company went to every Bar Louie market around the country, getting feedback from thousands of customers about their own favorite hangouts.

“A consumer that likes to frequent a bar environment always has their favorite spot. It might not be the only place they go, but it’s their favorite place,” says Wright. “We started asking a lot of those consumers, ‘When you think about your favorite spot, what are some of the attributes of the spot itself, aside from the food, the beverage and the service? What are some of the other attributes that really catch your eye, that you really appreciate, that makes it your spot?’”

The feedback Bar Louie got from these surveys was “incredible,” says Wright, and included insights into lighting, color palette, decor, music, bathrooms and more. These findings became the basis for many of the design choices found in the new Nashville restaurant.

Brightened-Up Bar

No surprise here: The bar at Bar Louie is at the center of most restaurants.

As the dominant design element, this space was rethought completely in the new design. Consumers indicated they wanted a brighter, more open space, so realizing that in the bar became job number one.

In legacy restaurants, these spaces were built with a lot of dark wood, both on the bar face and around the bar equipment. While attractive, it was just too heavy of a look compared with what customers were saying they wanted.

In the redesign, then, the bar equipment, including shelving and overhead glass holders, is now stainless steel. “It’s not so much stainless that it becomes overbearing. It has just enough that it keeps a certain softness to it. It just opens up [the space] and makes it look so much cleaner,” says Wright.

Other design choices add to this effect. Overhead color-changing LEDs illuminate the glasses and bottles below, while glass door undercounter refrigerators allow Bar Louie to showcase beer, wine and other offerings.

Naturally, the bar itself was also completely remade. The bar top is now white quartz with a marble look, while the front face of the bar is a warm blue tile that, the chain’s research shows, resonates particularly well with guests.

The seats around the bar have also been replaced. The new stools are upholstered in a rich, golden-brown faux leather. They’re also wider than standard barstools. The chain lost a few seats with this choice, but the stools provide the comfort guests want if they’re planning to stay for a game or just hang out.

While this may reduce how often chairs are turned, it’s a choice that encourages guests to become regulars, says Wright. “The bar needs to be comfortable. I want to sit there for two or three hours and watch a game. I want to come in and be with friends and have a birthday party or anniversary party. I want to be there for more than 90 minutes. The comfort of the furniture and everything about the look and feel were the main drivers of this design,” he says.

Indeed, the whole customer area is a bit more spacious than one might expect. Bar Louie could have added more tables and chairs throughout the space but simply chose not to. While the chain obviously wants to serve as many customers as possible, it is doing so within the framework of creating a space where guests feel comfortable taking a little more time to enjoy themselves — and maybe order dessert or another round of drinks.

Seating options in the dining room include horseshoe booths and upholstered armchairs.Seating options in the dining room include horseshoe booths and upholstered armchairs.

Tables, Chairs and Toilets

The specific seats and tables the chain has deployed have been reworked for both comfort and brightness. Some tabletops are solid wood, finished in a lighter color than the previous units. Others are made of the same marble-style quartz used for the bar top, helping to create a unified look throughout.

Like most operations, the restaurant offers a variety of seating options spread among the bar, dining room, private dining area and two semi-private spaces. Seating in these areas includes booths, banquettes, stools at high-top tables and multiple options at standard floating tables. Every seat inside the restaurant has one thing in common, though: They’re all upholstered, usually in faux leather in a warm, rich color. These range from the buttery yellow upholstery used for barstools and banquettes to blues that match the bar face tile.

The chain also gave serious thought to the Nashville location’s patio. While a metal divider was previously used to create the space, Bar Louie has now incorporated planter boxes with evergreens and flowers. It also added soft seating around a firepit. This element also uses the marble-style quartz found at the bar top, this time for a ledge. “That’s probably 18 inches deep, so you can sit there at the firepit and have dinner,” says Wright.

Tables and chairs are natural investments in a redesign. One area that’s not so often invested in are the restrooms. While some operations see these as unimportant, Bar Louie’s survey data showed they matter to guests, Wright says.

The chain, then, used elevated fixtures and finishes in the space. It also added extra lighting around the mirrors so guests could more easily check their appearance and freshen up as needed.

The different restrooms were also given different touches. The men’s room was equipped with flat screens that showcase limited-time offerings and events. The women’s room, meanwhile, was given a hand-painted mural that serves as one of the restaurant’s Instagram-friendly spots.

The money the chain put into these areas has been worth it for guests, according to Wright. “There are so many people raving about the restrooms,” he says. “I think it’s great to hear from consumers, who normally don’t have a lot of positive things to say about restroom environments.”

Sight and Sound

Another key part of the redesign is the AV system. Music and television offerings, after all, are big parts of any bar’s appeal.

The chain has installed flat screens at multiple spots in the Nashville location, from the bar to the private dining area, making it an ideal spot for watch parties. The audio part of the system is especially high end, using artificial intelligence to read the demographics of the room and adjust the music playlist accordingly.

High-tech isn’t the only music option at Bar Louie Nashville, though. In one of the only structural changes of the redesign, the restaurant was equipped with a small stage, backed by a brick veneer wall with a mural of the city’s skyline and overflowing martini glasses. This space isn’t big enough for a full band. Instead, it’s singer-songwriter sized.

And while one might guess that this is an exclusive design touch for Music City, it’s not, says Wright. Live music is a staple of bars across the country, so dedicating a small space to make that possible is definitely an option for future store upgrades.

Future State

Not every refurbished location will have a stage, though. Depending on the size of the restaurant and the operator’s budget, a slimmed-down package may be used. This includes the redesigned bar area and the full FF&E. Other elements, like the murals and the AI-enabled sound system, which alone can cost between $200,000 and $300,000, can be cut for cost savings.

Those aren’t the only potential changes going forward. While the Nashville location has been a success, there are some opportunities for further improvement, says Wright. One is the bar equipment. This first restaurant has three full bartender stations. That’s not quite enough to smoothly meet demand. Going forward, a fourth will be added, allowing one bartender to be stationed at each corner during peak hours.

Bar Louie’s outdoor spaces could also use further attention, Wright adds. The design of this space in Nashville works, but in many markets, particularly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, patios can only be used a few months a year. “You just get so limited. You build this beautiful patio but are totally at the mercy of the weather,” he says. Going forward, then, the chain will try to add elements like canopies and awnings to make the patios usable longer.

Locations will also differ based on their specific markets. A Bar Louie in Los Angeles, Wright says, shouldn’t look just like the Nashville location. The low-hanging fruit here are the murals, which can feature nearby landmarks and attractions. In addition, the signage for each Bar Louie will now include the name of the restaurant’s city or neighborhood.

Other changes could be more significant, Wright says, and may include specific color choices. A Bar Louie in a coastal town, for instance, may include more beachy colors.

Soft seating and an 18-inch-deep ledge around the firepit allow guests to enjoy a meal outdoors.Soft seating and an 18-inch-deep ledge around the firepit allow guests to enjoy a meal outdoors.

Franchising Plans

With a design that leads guests to choose Bar Louie as their go-to place, the chain’s leaders have now turned their attention to expansion.

Here, the chain has also shifted strategy, says Wright. Previous leadership had basically stopped inking franchise deals and instead focused on growing its corporate store count. The chain has now restarted its franchise system and is aiming for a roughly 50/50 split between company owned and franchised/licensed locations.

Geographically, the chain isn’t limited to one area. There are already Bar Louie restaurants spread across the country, and the chain has a distribution agreement with a national broadline distributor. It can go where the franchisees are.

Of course, Bar Louie tends to perform better in specific types of places. The operation, says Wright, does best in high-traffic areas. These can be near football stadiums downtown, in suburban lifestyle centers or even college towns close to where the action is. The company also sees new opportunities in hotels and in airports, he adds.

Given the high-touch nature of polished-casual bars, though, the chain is selective about its franchise partners, Wright says. Owners need to be hands-on and ideally will have some experience working with similar concepts. Those operators have a better sense of what guests want out of their visit.

They are the ones, in short, who understand how to turn a customer into a regular.

“Guests always want great [drinks] and great culinary along with it, but at the end of the day, they’re coming for more than just a bite to eat and a cocktail,” Wright says. “In some cases, it’s entertainment, it’s gatherings, it’s parties. At the end of the day, we’re looking for people who understand that. Those folks are typically the ones who are very successful with a brand like Bar Louie.”

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