Great Taste Magazine

Yard House Restaurants recently launched the first Yard House Bar & Grill, a new concept from the group, in Chino Hills.  Steele Platt, Founder and CEO of Yard House Restaurants, took the time to answer the following questions from Great Taste about the exciting new venture. Read on to learn all about the process of creating and launching Yard House Bar & Grill! 

What sparked the idea to develop a ”neighborhood” Yard House?
There are smaller markets that cannot support a 10,000-14,000 square foot Yard House - so a smaller size Yard House was envisioned to give the establishment more of a neighborhood feel. A minimum size ended up being 6,300 square feet, which kept all of the essential Yard House components intact; the 360˚ bar, the keg room, oversized booths, our display kitchen, and the patio. We also wanted a Yard House that would be the same each time we built it - a Yard House Bar & Grill is designed to be build strictly on pad sites, and not inline spaces like the original Yard House. It is positioned to be the upscale casual choice over Chili’s, Friday’s and Outback in the casual dining segment.

How long has this new concept been in the works?
The concept began developing approximately four years ago.

Has the financial/economic state of the country influenced any decisions made about the new restaurant, either in the initial or the evolving development?
No. The Bar & Grill was designed to create a more efficient and streamlined operation in a smaller sized space, in addition to reducing inventory levels while still offering the most popular menu items. It is designed to reduce common overhead costs associated with large square footage. So, in light of the economy, the timing for Yard House Bar & Grill is perfect. So now, we wait to see how this prototype performs from a profitability standpoint. Once we can put our arms around it, we’ll decide on its growth curve and locations in conjunction with the full-sized Yard House growth.

Why was Chino Hills chosen for the first location?
Yard House Bar & Grill’s are designed to compliment original Yard House stores in the same area. This being said, Chino Hills was chosen not only for its proximity to the corporate offices in Irvine, but because it is the perfect distance - not too near and not too far - from the closest full-sized Yard House, which would be the Brea location.

Will the specials at Yard House Bar & Grill be any different than those of the original locations?
Yard House Bar & Grill was designed to offer the favorite and most popular items, but not all of the items on the menu. The food and beer menus have both been, for the most part, cut in half. A Yard House Bar & Grill is designed to compliment a yard house in the same area, allowing our guests to visit each store. One difference, however, is that the Yard House Bar & Grill offers rotisserie chicken, which the full-size Yard House stores to not - at this time. Yard House Bar & Grill will still offer weekday happy hour and late night happy hour Sunday-Wednesday. In addition, Yard House Bar & Grill will follow the same hours of operation as a full-size Yard House.

Was it a conscious decision to open on Father’s Day, and if so, why?
Our opening date just happened to fall on Father’s Day. There was no intentional effort made to make that holiday our opening date.

How were the menu and beer tap selections narrowed down for the new location, and will there be any additions specific to the Bar & Grill location? Will prices and portions remain the same?
With the beer, we chose the most popular selections while still maintaining a balanced and varied menu, similar to Yard House. As for the food, we wanted to simplify the menu items to accommodate the size of the restaurant, while still offering a diverse selection. It took six months of meetings to come up with the final menu. Keep in mind that if there are items our guest really miss that have been excluded from the Yard House Bar & Grill menu, we will absolutely consider adding them to the existing menu over time. All prices and portions are exactly the same as the items served at a Yard House store.

With all your locations and now two concepts how do you expect to maintain high standards? 
Both concepts are managed and operated in the exact same way, with the same standards we have implemented over the past 12 years. There is no letting up on the company’s efforts to maintain our standards of quality, value and guest experience within Yard House-affiliated establishments.

How does your quality control department work?
We rely on our trained management staff to be our eyes in maintaining our quality control. This is done on several levels. In addition, our guests provide us with continuous feedback, and it is up to us to respond to their comments. We also employ spotter and mystery diners who provide us regular feedback throughout the year from an objective perspective.

How, if at all, does the marketing strategy/target audience for Yard House Bar & Grill differ from an original location? 
Yard House Bar & Grill is marketed the same way as a full-sized Yard House restaurant. The experience is the same, as well as the food. We have simply redefined the Yard House brand from twelve years ago, bringing in a fresh injection of current design and interior. This is necessary to maintain the brand in years to come. There are many chains out there that realize a little too late that their concept may be tired, or a little old. The interior of Yard House Bar & Grill is quite remarkable, with its barrel ceiling, light woods, interesting floor design, abundance of natural light, and innovative layout.

By Lauren Monahan, July 2008