Barnes & Noble Books are Good but Brisket may be Better

Recently Barnes & Noble opened a new-concept store in the Galleria in Edina, MN one with a full-service restaurant and bar aimed at getting people to stay longer. The "retail-tainment" concept includes a restaurant and bar at its new spot in the Galleria. Eat Drink and Read now that sound fun.

David Deason, vice president of development for Barnes & Noble stated “It’s clear the community wants retail-tainment,…“It’s more conversational and more customer-focused.” Comfortable, comfort food and can be found at the Edina location according to Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru®.

Barnes & Noble’s new 100-seat cafe, restaurant and bar serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with prices ranging from $5 to $7 for sides such as tabbouleh and potato purée to $16 to $26 for a brisket burger or slow-cooked short ribs.

Jaime Carey, president of development for the newly created restaurant division stated “We don’t look like a typical restaurant,” … “It’s more casual seating in the front with a community table and power stations for devices, then a conversational lounge area, and more traditional seating in the back. ”Barnes & Noble executives are counting on people meeting a friend for a drink at the bookstore, social interaction that its online rival Amazon.com hasn’t duplicated.

The Edina location is one of four around the country where Barnes & Noble is testing the idea. It opened one such location in Eastchester, N.Y., last week. Others will open soon in Folsom, Calif., and Loudoun County, Va.

Deason expects that as many as 100 of the 638 locations could be relocated or revamped to accommodate the smaller footprint with a larger food and beverage section. One candidate: the company’s store at the Mall of America.

It’s time for a change bookstores including Barnes & Noble (B&N), have steadily lost market share in the past 10 years. The former B&N cafe concept has underperformed, Deason said, and provided less than 10 percent of revenue. He hopes the new concept will move the cafe above the 10 percent level.

Books generate 60 percent of company revenue. Gifts, music, DVDs, toys and games provide another 20 percent.

The customer-centric design includes plenty of casual, comfortable seating. “This is a departure for us,” said Deason. “It’s not grab-and-go, but sit-and-stay.” In the spirit of customer service, salespeople will carry sales tablets that can take payment anywhere in the store and also place online orders.

Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.usor visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.