Eight ways to draw positive attention to your business in a commercial hub

With more than half of all U.S. adults living in suburban areas, strip malls – or “strip centers,” as they are called by real estate developers –  are popular real estate for pizzerias looking to access a large customer base. Located along busy roads, these centers allow restaurants to cluster alongside retail stores and service-based businesses to draw the attention of a variety of shoppers. Of course, each of these developments comes with its own advantages and challenges.

According to Michael Staenberg – president of The Staenberg Group, a St. Louis-based property-development firm with a portfolio of more than 200 retail centers – drawing attention to your restaurant location starts even before the lease is signed. For example, potential tenants should consider how easy it is to access the business from the main road, whether there is enough parking and if the property appears to be well maintained. To learn whether the property manager is keeping up with maintenance, Staenberg advises looking behind the units. Are the dumpsters being emptied regularly? Is snow removed quickly and before opening? Does there appear to be enough employee parking to accommodate your staffing needs?

One way for pizzeria owners to save money at new locations is to rent a space already built out for a restaurant. According to Staenberg, fewer commercial properties are being built due to construction costs, so the likelihood of being able to identify a location that previously served as a restaurant is high. This will provide savings on HVAC, plumbing and, potentially, kitchen equipment. Additionally, locals are accustomed to seeing restaurants in the space and likely will be watching to see what moves in next.

Kira and Matt Zabrowski, the owners of Much Ado About Pizza in Pleasanton, California, say they lucked out when searching for a location three years ago. The storefront they now occupy previously served as take-and-bake pizzas, meaning area residents associated the location with pizza. Plus, the kitchen space already was outfitted with grease traps and had sewer lines and electric hookups in place.

Strategies to make your strip mall restaurant stand out

For the savvy shopper, there are many factors to consider when looking for a strip center location and attracting a loyal following. For starters …

1. Anchors Away

Strip centers often have an “anchor” tenant, or a large-footprint business that drives most of the destination’s traffic. Often, these will be grocers or big-box retailers such as hardware stores, discount clothing sellers and furniture showrooms. But not all anchors are created equal. According to Staenberg, entertainment-related businesses make the best neighbors for restaurants. For example: Moviegoers and laser tag enthusiasts might stop in for a bite after the outing.

“With Costco, (customers) go in and they leave because they have all the frozen goods with them. There’s no cross-shopping,” Staenberg tells Pizza Today. Most families visit the grocery store “two or three times a week,” which provides exposure for nearby businesses.

2. Friends and Neighbors

In the Bay Area, Much Ado About Pizza shares a shopping center with several restaurants as well as a credit union, a dance studio, a hair and nail salon, plus a handful of associations. Shortly after the Zabrowskis moved into the space, a couple that owns a neighboring sandwich shop came over to introduce themselves and offered to put flyers in their window, advertising the new pizzeria.

Meanwhile, the owner of a neighboring yoga studio regularly recommends the pizza to students, which generates both interest and business for the pizzeria owners. “They get a sense that, if the yoga gal is recommending I eat your pizza, maybe I should try it,” Kira Zabrowski says. A few years into their own residency in the neighborhood, the couple aims to provide similar supports to newcomers and foster community in their shopping complex.

3. End Caps

When it comes to selecting a space, end units typically have more parking and better access for amenities such as drive-thru windows and outdoor seating areas. These units often come with higher rents and can be larger than locations sandwiched between neighbors. While Staenberg says end caps tend to work best for restaurants, make sure there is enough – but not too much – space for seating. Many large, fast-casual chains such as Chipotle and Panera have been cutting back on square footage, he says, as consumers have moved away from dine-in traffic in favor of picking up food orders.

4. Community Involvement

Small businesses typically can’t donate money or pizza to every group that asks. They can, however, identify a handful of charities or causes to support. According to the Zabrowskis, such donations tend to boomerang back to Much Ado About Pizza in the form of loyal customers. The couple partners with service organizations with missions tied to food, the arts, entrepreneurship and students, as both are former teachers.

“There are small needs that you can fill in your community, and programs are not being funded as much as they were. So, anything you can do to support those programs, people get to taste your product, and they respond like crazy,” says Matt Zabrowski.

Often, such organizations will tag or mention Much Ado About Pizza in their social media accounts, allow the restaurant to place a free ad in programs and offer hearty praise to friends and acquaintances, resulting in name recognition and future orders.

5. Visibility

Is the sign over your front door visible from the main road so customers know you are there? If not, is your business name prominently featured on the pylon sign – the freestanding structure that drivers and pedestrians can see from the street? Signage should be clearly legible, informative (is it immediately apparent your business is a pizzeria?) and illuminated so the words are visible after dark.

While some property managers have rules governing signage colors, the general look of your sign should reflect what customers will experience when they come inside. For example: An 80s metal-inspired font might not convey the right message if you have a play structure inside for young families.

Before you order signage, read your lease to see whether the property-management company needs to approve a proof of the sign. Your landlord also might have a list of preferred vendors for fabrication.

6. Public Relations

The owners of Much Ado About Pizza say they have gotten as much business through in-house public relations as they have through local advertising. Kira Zabrowski has a e-mail list of local media she targets with news they might find interesting. For example, the California Milk Advisory Board selected her to compete against chefs from across the country in the Real California Pizza Contest this July.

“People will come in six months, eight months, two years later after reading the article – and it’s free. You spend a little bit of time and distribute, distribute, distribute,” Matt Zabrowski says.

7. Signage

For pizzerias in walkable strip-center locations, it’s important to draw eyeballs from the sidewalk – not just the parking lot. Consider using A-frame sidewalk signs that highlight daily specials.

Matt Zabrowski says neighbors have told him they know, “If their blue sign is out, that means Much Ado’s there!”

While colorful window displays can grab attention, be sure to double-check that window art looks attractive from inside the restaurant as well. Colors and fonts should work well with your interior décor, and be ready to make touchups if weather causes a decal to loosen or paint to run.

8. Dedicated Parking

With the popularity of food-delivery apps, ample parking isn’t just for customers anymore. Drivers for third-party delivery apps will need somewhere to park while picking up orders – and if that parking spot is close to the front door, your delivery customers will get their food that much sooner. Of course, there is no guarantee customers will abide by the rules and leave the designated spots for delivery or pick-up orders, so it’s important to ensure there is sufficient overall parking before signing a lease. Staenberg also recommends potential tenants observe whether the parking lot appears striped regularly with fresh paint.

KATE LAVIN is Senior Editor at Pizza Today.