MiniMizing - Wisconsin Restaurant Association

BUMPS
Minimizing
ROAD:
in the
How restaurant owners can make
the best of road construction
by Jennifer A. Smith
W
isconsin’s a fun-loving state
that doesn’t take itself too
seriously. We like to joke
that the mosquito should be our state
bird, and that there are really only two
seasons: winter and construction. But
road construction is no joke to Wisconsin
restaurant owners and operators.
Anything that poses a potential nuisance,
large or small, to customers may end up
keeping them away—and hurting your
bottom line.
Since road construction is a necessary
part of life, knowing what to expect and
how to make the best of it is important.
Wisconsin Restaurateur spoke with
several businesses to learn how they
dealt with construction challenges. A
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
representative also shared tips on dealing
with what may be a challenging, and
possibly lengthy, situation.
It helps to keep your eyes on the prize,
so to speak. The ultimate goal of road
work is better, safer transportation for
motorists, including your customers. As
one restaurant owner, Lona Haughian of
Lona’s Corner Café in Haugen, advised,
“Hang in there. When it’s done, it will be
much better.”
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Wisconsin
Start a two-way dialogue
“Nobody wants anybody to lose business.
Our goal is to make [roadways] better
and safer,” says Emlynn Grisar, WisDOT
southeast regional communications
manager. Grisar works with residents,
businesses and legislators in a sevencounty area, communicating about
construction projects from the early study
and planning phases all the way through
to completion.
Grisar notes that the DOT looks six
years ahead in terms of planning road
maintenance, bridge improvements and
the like. Businesses can consult the DOT
website (www.dot.wisconsin.gov) to see
if there are major projects planned for a
specific area. For more routine resurfacing
or road rehabilitation, “businesses can
expect to hear about a year in advance,”
says Grisar.
Businesses often ask the DOT if
they can be compensated for potential
loss of business or other construction
impacts, Grisar says. “Unfortunately,
the answer is no, but we do offer the In
This Together tool kit, which we’ve found
works really well.” The workbook is
available online at www.dot.wisconsin.
gov/business/engrserv/itt/index.htm,
WR
and it includes case studies of businesses
that have successfully dealt with nearby
construction.
Grisar stresses the importance of
becoming involved in the construction
process early; attend public meetings
that may be offered. And if you belong
to a business association, use that as a
way for your local business community to
speak with a unified voice. If you don’t
belong to a local chamber of commerce
or similar organization, you may want to
create a special business group just for the
duration of the construction.
“Getting to know the project team and
having a two-way dialogue is important
at the onset of a project,” says Grisar.
The more that DOT officials and road
construction workers know about your
needs, the more they can try to work
with you. As one example, Grisar cites a
HoneyBaked Ham store in Wauwatosa,
very close to where Highway 100
construction was occurring. “HoneyBaked
Ham has their busiest period around Easter.
We knew about their unique needs, so we
had a traffic cop ready and willing to come
out and direct traffic” so that an important
weekend for sales went as smoothly and
trouble-free as possible, she says.
Restaurateur • Second Quarter 13
“Nobody wants
anybody to lose
business. Our goal is
to make [roadways]
better and safer.”
– Emlynn Grisar,
WisDOT
Advocate for yourself when
necessary
In Haugen, where Lona Haughian has
been running Lona’s Corner Café for
nearly twenty-five years, officials are
improving a dangerous intersection
with Highway 53. “It was such a bad
intersection,” she says. “Too many
accidents and deaths. We really needed
it done.”
Work started last May and should
be done this fall. Haughian states that
there were numerous meetings with state
officials and construction representatives
SHOPS
OPEN
DURING
“The city did a
pretty nice job
marking alternate
routes to get here.”
CONSTRUCTION
to inform locals of what would be
occurring. “We were all in on the plans.
It was a really good set-up that they had,
but a few things changed [along the
way].” A plan to open up easier access to
Haugen from the freeway in the winter
had to be scrapped, but Haughian was
notified quickly and directly, rather
than having to wait and read it in the
newspaper. “They kept us informed” as
work progressed, says Haughian.
She reports that while summer 2012
business was quite good, it dropped during
the winter, making the most recent
– Tim Lemons,
Pullmans Restaurant
winter a 10-15% decline compared to
a normal one. To combat reduced sales,
Haughian tried advertising in the local
paper’s coupon book (in the Rice Lake
Chronotype) for the first time, with good
results. Also, Haughian knows many of
the regulars at her breakfast and lunch
spot personally, and she made a special
effort to let them know when favorite
dishes were going to be served.
While Haughian’s experience has been
largely positive despite the disruptions
posed by construction, other restaurant
owners have had a rockier experience.
continued on page 22
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Restaurateur
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continued from page 21
Tips from the Wisconsin DOT
Wisconsin Restaurateur spoke with
Emlynn Grisar of WisDOT, who
provided these tips for reducing
construction hassles:
• Stay positive, even if you’re feeling
frustrated. As a business owner or
operator, you set the tone for your
customers.
• Get to know the project team, which
typically includes a project manager,
a project leader and communications
manager, among others. The project
leader is your best point of contact; he
or she is in the field every day, keeping
close tabs on construction activity and
reporting to the project manager.
• Keep phone numbers for key contacts
at the ready in case a driveway is
blocked or something else needs to be
tended to quickly.
• Band together with other businesses
that are impacted, even if you’re not
part of a formal association. Pool
resources to buy advertising and
communicate with the public.
• Develop one look and feel for signage
and market your area as a business
district.
In Milwaukee, T.J. Anderson and his
wife, Cathy, run Martino’s, known for its
Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef.
The couple purchased the restaurant
in 2000 from T.J.’s mother, Mary, who
founded it in 1977.
In Anderson’s case, he found that he
needed to be persistent and proactive
to get construction updates. He located
a contact at the DOT he could talk to
and called periodically to find out new
information. He also advocated for
signage to help people find his business.
In talking to his DOT contact, he says,
“The solution we came up with was to
allow me to place signs at all the offramps that were open for the detouring
routes… I had thirteen signs in a fivemile radius directing people to Martino’s.”
Getting people to his restaurant is
job number one for Anderson. “As a
business owner, we do everything we
can to bring people to the restaurant.
I tell the kids who work for me, it’s my
job to bring them here, and it’s your
job to keep them” with quick, friendly
service and well-prepared food. Anderson
encourages other business owners to be
strong advocates for their businesses and
be tenacious in finding ways to keep the
flow of customers coming via temporary
signage, markers or other means.
A lucky break also helped Anderson:
Adam Richman, host of the popular
Travel Channel show Man vs. Food,
found out about Martino’s and filmed
a program there. “That really helped
us out,” says Anderson, as new people
outside of Martino’s regular, loyal
clientele sought out the establishment.
Try new things, or stay the course
In Whitewater, at Randy’s Restaurant
and FunHunters Brewery, staff are
no strangers to construction, either.
General manager and event coordinator
Kristy Cruse-Sobolewski notes that the
restaurant has coped with numerous
construction projects over the last
seven years, including the widening of
Highway 12, the creation of a bypass that
made a Business 12 in addition to the
regular highway and the installation of a
roundabout. More projects loom on the
horizon.
While construction dinged receipts in
summer 2012, there have been some bright
spots. “We do have a fairly large regular
clientele, and they do still make the trek,”
says Cruse-Sobolewski. A family-owned
business since 1972 (Cruse-Sobolewski
is the daughter of the founders), Randy’s
Restaurant is an American-style eatery
that also has banquet facilities and, since
1994, its own brewery.
Cruse-Sobolewski and her colleagues
• Consider modifying your operations,
such as doing more deliveries or
enticing the construction crew as
customers with specials, if appropriate
for your restaurant.
• Try to have patience with
construction’s sometimes unpleasant
aspects, such as dust, dirt, noise and
travel hassles for your employees. Keep
your expectations modest, and know
that in the end, it will get better.
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Wisconsin
WR
Restaurateur • Second Quarter 13
have worked hard to communicate the
various travel changes to customers
through print advertising and social
media. “We encouraged people to call
us if they were unsure,” she says. Randy’s
Restaurant also ran various promotions,
tried new menu items and did gift-card
giveaways.
While temporary directional signage
was put up at no cost to the restaurant,
it wasn’t as prominent as Randy’s
Restaurant would have hoped, CruseSobolewski says, and customers still
made wrong turns. Despite these hurdles,
Cruse-Sobolewski says that reduced
patronage did offer one positive—more
time to test out a brand-new menu. “It
was easier to roll out new items that way,”
she says.
Other restaurant operators have
decided not to go the route of special
promotions, choosing instead to
emphasize their restaurant’s established
niche. Tim Lemons, general manager of
Pullmans Restaurant at Trolley Square
in Appleton, said he and his restaurant’s
“The solution we
came up with was
to allow me to
place signs at all
the off-ramps that
were open for the
detouring routes.”
– T.J. Anderson,
Martino’s
ownership felt that discounting was a
slippery slope. “We’ve felt that once
you start, it’s difficult to turn that faucet
off, so to speak,” says Lemons. Instead,
the restaurant played up its status as
a destination restaurant—it’s located
on the Fox River and has two outdoor
patios, one off the main dining room and
the other off a banquet hall—and the fact
that there aren’t other restaurants in the
immediate vicinity.
Overall, Lemons feels communication
with construction officials went well.
“The city did a pretty nice job marking
alternate routes to get here,” he says.
Lemons encourages other restaurants to
be proactive in communicating travel
changes, particularly through their
websites and social media channels
like Facebook. Pullmans’ homepage
prominently featured updated directional
information.
Like others, Lemons also urges keeping
it all in perspective: “It was definitely
inconvenient for a time, but we know
we’re not the only business affected by
this. We understand that streets have to be
improved, sewer systems have to be replaced
and work has to be done… Keep your chin
up, and keep your attitude up.” WR
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