Are suburban markets central to McCormick & Schmick’s future growth plans?
We also will open restaurants in Skokie, Ill., in November, and Rosemont, Ill., around the middle of 2008. Chicago is one of the best suburban markets in America. But there’s a lot of competition, so we have to offer strong hospitality and a good price/value equation. We have about a 50/50 split nationally between urban and suburban locations. The suburbs have gone through lots of changes—with lifestyle centers, suburban markets are now more accessible to high-end, fine-dining restaurants. Our development strategy is to establish a core in downtown urban settings. That lets you get to understand the marketplace, and get to know the suburbs, the neighborhood. When we go to the suburbs, we modulate to that [setting]: more open décor, lighter woods. We want to be an unpretentious addition to the community. The real trick [to suburban success] is to keep value as a major part of what you do. So having a range of menu offerings, being more sensitive to the female customer, offering lighter
