Latest News on Virtual Restaurant Consulting and Industry Trends

VIVO 53 – Ft. Worth, TX vivo53.com For the last 18 months Starpoint Property owners and the Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group have been crafting a new pizzeria, Vivo 53. The owners selected TGRCG to develop the brand, design the concept, design the kitchen, develop the menu, write the recipes and develop the operation’s manual. After creating the brand, TGRCG lead the opening process, trained the management team as well as the team members. Two locations have been selected for the Vivo 53 brand. The Ft. Worth location, which opened in January 2015, is in a 4,500 square foot space and ... Read More

ASIAN RIM – Huntsville, AL In 2011, TGRCG supported the Asian Rim team in developing their menu, creating their recipes, designing their kitchen and training their culinary team. TGRCG sent a Chef’s team to Alabama to train the management team and culinary staff and support the opening of their first restaurant in Birmingham. In 2012, Asian Rim received many distinguished awards one of which was Best New Restaurant in Birmingham. TGRCG is proud to have played a role in this recognition. The Asian Rim brand is focused on celebrating the varied range of cuisines and food found in the Pan-Asian ... Read More

THE BANKS ALEHOUSE – Fairbanks, Alaska www.thebanksalehouse.com The Banks Alehouse is a hip yet casual neighborhood restaurant and alehouse designed to appeal to all demographics in Fairbanks. Residents of Fairbanks commonly refer to their hometown as the Banks so the owners purposely linked themselves to this area by adopting this name. The Banks’ owner’s goal was to create a brand where the local Fairbanks community feels at home. The Banks Alehouse provides a rustic yet contemporary level of comfort with a distinctive Alaskan look and feel. While casual, the vibe is also energetic—entertaining and fun. The Gilkey Restaurant Group assisted ... Read More

28 SPRINGS RESTAURANT – Siloam Springs, AR https://www.facebook.com/28Springs With a strong desire to reinvest in their community the owners of 28 Springs Restaurant converted an underused building into a compelling modern restaurant in historic downtown Siloam Springs. This showpiece not only preserves the unique northwest Arkansas culture but provides honest food and drinks made from real ingredients, sourced locally whenever possible. Providing a real alternative to formula national chains was a primary objective of the 28 Springs owners. 28 Springs Restaurant is a truly artisan, scratch kitchen. One of the unique options of 28 Springs is their in house bakery ... Read More

JP’s Taproom & Grill is a new casual neighborhood restaurant concept created through collaboration between JP’s owners and The Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group (TGRCG). JP’s Taproom will feature natural surfaces of wood and stone in a large open entertaining space. JP’s will include a large selection of single barrel bourbons along with 20 fresh craft beers on tap rotating seasonally, in addition to whiskeys and ryes from local distillers. TGRCG’s pitch book visually presented the unique features of JP’s Taproom concept including the space, bar selections and food. The menu will offer bold flavored, traditional neighborhood cuisine. Items such as ... Read More

Emerald Heights www.emeraldheights.com Emerald Heights is a nationally recognized life care community located in Redmond, Washington. Opened in 1992, Emerald Heights is now a model for other similar residential retirement associations. Additionally, Emerald Heights is a mission of service and not for profit. The Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group (TGRCG) is currently working within the Emerald Heights 5 distinctive dining restaurant concepts. The menus vary from wood-fired pizza to artisanal cheeses in Copper & Hook, fresh-made salads and home-style comfort foods in Madrona, to five-course dining elegance in Embers. TGRCG and the Emerald executive team are improving consistency, service delivery, kitchen ... Read More

Kigo Kitchen – Seattle, WA www.kigokitchen.com Last November Kigo Kitchen opened in Seattle providing a lunchtime destination for South Lake Union workers with its customized Asian-inspired bowls. Kigo Kitchens’ bowls include stir-fried white or brown rice, yakisoba noodles or salad. Each bowl is then made to order with a sauce, veggies and a protein. Kigo Kitchen is another compelling addition to this rapidly growing fast casual restaurant segment. Fast casual restaurants are positioned between fast food and casual dining restaurants. While fast casual restaurants provide fast food-type counter service, they are far more customized, with fresher and higher quality ingredients ... Read More

Fogonazo Taqueria – Mexico City Fogonazo Taqueria is the premier fresh taqueria restaurant brand in Mexico City. With 8 locations Fogonazo has enjoyed much success and continued growth throughout the greater Mexico City Metro area. Fogonazo Taqueria is now expanding to the United States with prospective sites in Texas, Illinois and California. The Fogonazo team hired The Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group (TGRCG) to assist with their US expansion. TGRCG services began with the development of a business plan and feasibility study. The Gilkey team is also supporting Fogonazo with US business rules and regulations, and translating their business model. Fogonazo ... Read More

Two local businessmen joined forces to create a new artisan brewhouse and restaurant in Billings, Montana. This new partnership joined with the Gilkey Group to create a concept document outlining their premier full service, craft brew restaurant. TGRCG also developed a feasibility study and business plan for them.The organizing principles recommended by TGRCG include serving high quality food and fresh, handcrafted brews within a casual yet energetic environment. While not a sports bar or a brewpub, this casual dining restaurant concept will include a lively bar with plenty of flat screen TVs along with artisan craft brews.In addition to a ... Read More