Hotel restaurants and standalone venues have coexisted for generations, each attracting its own set of devotees and casuals. Over the years, it has become hard to distinguish between the two, with hotel restaurants establishing their own identity.
There are differences, however—albeit subtle ones. Here, we look at those differences to showcase what sets the hotel restaurant apart from its standalone competitors in the neverending quest to win and impress diners.
Quick Links
Which guest goes where?
Operational hours
What’s the difference between menus?
Setting the tone
Hotel restaurants vs. standalone venues: which guest goes where?
Even though the two share plenty in common, the typical diner of a hotel restaurant can still look different from guests that frequent standalone venues.
Hotel restaurant guests
Many hotel restaurants stand out and win a lot of their business by drawing in diners based on the convenience and amenities around the hotel itself rather than factors unique to the dining room alone. A hotel restaurant’s guests include:
- Those seeking hassle-free dining as part of their accommodation package.
- Event attendees at conferences or weddings hosted in the hotel venue.
- Local professionals meeting clients for business meals or lunches.
- Families experiencing the ambience of the hotel restaurant as an extension of the hotel itself for a special occasion or holiday treat.
The main advantage of hotel restaurants is a captured audience in the hotel guests themselves.
Business is relatively consistent and reliable, with diners often staying at the hotel and looking for the convenience of a restaurant that’s only a few steps from their room.
There is certainly an opportunity for attracting outside guests as well with the right location and marketing. But for many, the bread-and-butter clientele of a hotel restaurant are those staying or attending events at the hotel.
Standalone restaurants
In contrast, standalone restaurants rely on attracting passing or local trade. There isn’t a connection that’s already been established by guests staying in accommodation, which means the restaurant may need to work a little harder to attract guests. Common diner segments include:
- Guests deliberately seeking a particular cuisine or experience
- Neighbourhood regulars wanting a reliable local haunt
- Special occasion visitors celebrating events or dates
- Tourists exploring the local dining scene
The key for standalone spots is promoting their individual concept, atmosphere and niche to drive targeted interest. Invested owners, chefs, and inventive menus are often behind the personality of a popular standalone restaurant.
The experience offered needs to feel unique to the restaurant, whether it’s a destination spot or somewhere locals and passers-by can stop by for a quick bite. When done right, the local vibe and customer loyalty at a treasured standalone eatery are invaluable.
Operational hours
Opening hours will differ quite significantly between a hotel restaurant and a standalone venue. A hotel restaurant is able to capitalise on early morning breakfast demand from their overnight guests as well as late-night options for post-event diners, not to mention room service.
Breakfast service often starts as early as 6 am and is designed to cater to early risers, while kitchens remain open for à la carte dining and bar menus as late as midnight—and in some cases, operate for twenty-four hours. They have the advantage of on-site guests seeking meals at all hours.
Standalone restaurants, on the other hand, rarely have the foot traffic demand to sustain extremely long operating times. Almost all standalone dinner spots have defined opening and closing times, capturing the more traditional dinner periods.
Exceptions do exist in larger cities, where some standalone spots with bars and late-night snacks may keep the kitchen running until the early hours, especially on weekends. But generally speaking, hotel restaurants provide greater demand flexibility via their overnight guests, meaning they can offer service across a wider span of hours.
What’s the difference between menus?
Menus are typically defined by the cuisine offered at a restaurant, but that’s not to say there aren’t some differences between a hotel restaurant and a standalone spot.
Hotel restaurants are often designed to offer widely appealing international menus that have something for everyone. Or, if they specialise in one cuisine, there’s every chance the hotel has more than one restaurant option.
With travellers from all over the world staying at a hotel, the cuisine in the restaurant needs to meet varied tastes and dietary needs. So expansive menus with many entrees, mains and desserts spanning continental classics, Asian stir fries, pasta, steaks, and salads are common. There is often a focus on approachable fare rather than highly specialised offerings.
Standalone restaurants hone in on focused cuisine types—perhaps tapping into a specialty like Italian, Mexican street snacks, or modern vegan shareable plates. These restaurants shape their signature dishes and specialty menus around particular themes executed to a high level rather than covering all bases.
Their targeted audience may be more inclined to look for expertise in niche cooking areas when dining out. So, where hotel diners value familiar and flexible options under one roof, standalone restaurant-goers often want to experience something new and specific to excite their pallets.
Setting the tone
The guest experience differs visually and environmentally between most hotel restaurants and standalone venues. Hotel restaurants often exude understated elegance with more classic décor—perhaps showcasing upscale neutrals with gold accents, olive leather booths, dark wood, and white tablecloths.
Design choices provide an enjoyable experience for business travellers, families, and romantic couples alike. Spaces tend to have an open, accessible layout, avoiding being overly cramped or intrusive, and act as an extension of the rest of the hotel.
Acoustic panels reduce noise to keep conversations comfortable without excessive loudness or echoes causing issues for other parts of the hotel.
Standalone restaurants use décor to manifest their concept’s distinctiveness. Playing into expectations, standalone spaces might go upscale, bohemian, ultra-sleek, café casual, or cheekily nostalgic with funky textiles, graffiti murals and custom furniture.
The lighting is moody; the music is eclectic. Every aesthetic detail underscores why guests can’t get this atmosphere and experience anywhere else—this is especially true in non-chain restaurants. Leaning into uniqueness gives standalone restaurants the chance to lay down their marker and set the tone.
So, where hotel diners value refined, familiar polish in line with the rest of the hotel, standalone restaurants stage atmospheres that are vibrant, trendsetting hotspots for those in the know.
Summary: What’s the difference?
When it comes to sitting down and having a meal, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between hotel restaurants and standalone spots. Nuances are subtle but important, with hotels valuing convenient, reliable dining for travellers seeking familiar food in refined settings. Standalone eateries, alternatively, thrive by embracing niche culinary focuses and staging distinctive decor schemes that breed local loyalty amongst those seeking unique foodie experiences.
