My observation is that there are approximately four types of segmentation in the restaurant market at the lake:
- Value Market
- High End Market
- Bar
- Social
Restaurants such as Lemon Grass and Local Eatery fit into the high end market and their survival depends upon maintaining a high quality product and catering to generally a smaller market segment in the lakes region.
Restaurants such as T-Bones and Patricks are more value oriented and their survival depends upon good portion/quality relative to competitive pricing and developing volume (lower margins).
The bar segment is restaurants such as 405, Looney Bin and Patricks who rely heavily on the drinking crowd.
Some restaurants become social hangouts such as the Crazy Gringo.
To survive in the lakes region, restaurants have to establish themselves in at least one of these categories and develop an off season clientele. I don't think that Lavinia's positioned itself well in any one category. It seemed to want to cater to both the high end crowd and the bar crowd. Our experience is that the food was quite variable which probably hurt it in its high end positioning.
The Holy Grail is another good example of restaurant failure. The environment was not really great for social interaction and it did not appear to attract the bar crowd. The food was value based but the quality was lacking.
Just my observations.
Jetskier
