What makes a good restaurant location? Lessons from Birmingham

What I actually want to talk about this month is something that came out of the search itself, because the process of finding that site taught me a lot, not just about Birmingham, but about what makes a good Just Pizza & Pasta location in general.

I’ve said this before, but it’s worth saying again because it’s true every single time. Finding the right premises is one of the hardest parts of opening a restaurant. I’ve known people to spend months circling an area, get their hopes up over a site that falls through at the last minute, or end up settling for somewhere that technically works but was never actually right.

Going through the process for the 2nd time myself as I searched for the right location in Birmingham reminded me why.

The rent has to be right, the space needs to be suitable, and customers need to be able to get there without too much difficulty. A prominent high-street location might look ideal, but if the costs are too high or the building doesn’t work for the business, it may not be the right choice.

Finding a suitable site means weighing up all these factors together. It’s often a case of looking beyond the most obvious options and being clear about what the business actually needs.

Here’s what I learnt about what actually works for us

The good news is that what I’ve found will work for Just Pizza & Pasta isn’t as narrow as you might expect. Ideally, it should be in the region of 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, which rules out the tiny units but doesn’t demand anything enormous either. It doesn’t need to be on the high street itself. In fact, somewhere 50 to 100 yards off it, where the rent is more sensible but the footfall is still strong, tends to work just as well, sometimes better. What matters more than the address is whether people can get there easily and park nearby.

The spaces that tend to surprise people are the ones nobody thinks of as restaurant premises at all. An empty shop unit, a former garage, a disused workshop, a small warehouse or trade unit. These aren’t necessarily places people would immediately picture as a restaurant, but the existing use doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. The size, layout and suitability of the space are more important starting points than whether it has previously served food.

Here’s what my current site in Douglas looked like in its previous life, plus a shot of how it is today:

Experience makes the search more focused

I think a lot of people considering this franchise, or any restaurant franchise for that matter, assume the property search is something they’d have to work out alone, armed with nothing but a vague idea of “somewhere busy.” It isn’t, and it shouldn’t be.

Having opened in Douglas and now gone through the search for Birmingham, I know what a workable Just Pizza & Pasta site looks like before I even walk through the door, and that experience is exactly what gets handed to you as a partner. You’re not starting from a blank map wondering where to even begin. You’re starting with a clear brief of what works, what to avoid, and a second opinion on every site you’re seriously considering.

So, if finding the right premises has been the thing holding you back from looking into this more seriously, it could be time to reconsider. It’s rarely as difficult as people assume, and it’s not something you have to face on your own.

If you’ve got a town or city in mind, or even just a type of space you’ve spotted and wondered about, let’s talk it through.

Get in touch by emailing me at mitch@justpizzaandpasta.com or WhatsApp me on 07973 493787.