Trends
Roberto Valbuzzi and his restaurant, the restyling of Crotto Valtellina by Restylit.
Getting in touch with Roberto Valbuzzi and his family means realizing the meaning of the great passion for catering that the family has passed down for three generations. In their eyes you can see the half-century-long love for an ancient and authentic profession that can be felt in every corner of the Crotto Valtellina restaurant, wherever your eyes fall. Roberto Valbuzzi's philosophy goes beyond his restaurant and the care for his guests. It is in fact a broader concept that starts from afar, from the land, from the raw materials that he chooses and often grows personally and from knowing how to enhance them with care in his dishes. You can perceive the desire to accompany the whole family towards the future with awareness. The Power of Interior Design, When the Past Meets the Future When we met Roberto Valbuzzi and his family they were exactly in the phase in which many historic Italian restaurateurs might find themselves. The desire to renovate their place with the fear of losing the elements and atmosphere that have made it great up to now. Roberto Valbuzzi's innovative spirit emerged more than ever when he turned to Restylit, the Italian online interior design startup, for the renovation of his restaurant. Not only, therefore, betting on the future of his restaurant but also on the future of interior design dedicated to hospitality by relying on a 100% "online" company made up of talented professionals who are able to interpret the dreams and desires of their customers. His great openness towards the future has been rewarded with a project that has thrilled and amazed, ready to ferry Crotto Valtellina towards another 50 years of history of Italian catering. Renovate Roberto Valbuzzi's restaurant , our promise Our promise to Roberto Valbuzzi and his restaurant was precisely to preserve the historical elements and accessories, innovating in line with the past. We created contrasts between ancient materials such as wood and terracotta and other sophisticated and beautiful materials of deco inspiration such as the decorated ceramics on the floor and the majolica tiles in the bathrooms. The result is an effect that maintains its roots in the rustic style, but with an eclectic and characterful cut, which is difficult for a customer to forget . An atmosphere with an Industrial - Deco style that, thanks to a mix of eclectic furnishings and enveloping colors designed by Restylit, gives the right connection to the two different styles, giving great personality to the place. This was our wish to accompany Roberto Valbuzzi and his restaurant for the next 50 years, looking to the future. Buy furnishings inspired by Crotto Valtellina and ask our interior designers for advice!
Learn more
A post-Coronavirus restaurant
Will our habits change? Will we still go to restaurants after Coronavirus?! With the Coronavirus forcefully entering our lives and the desire to resume our daily routines, it is natural to ask ourselves what the future of the restaurant sector will be. Will we still go out to dinner? Starting from an interesting article published by Rakuten Ready that interviewed a sample of people asking them about the impact that Coronavirus will have on their future behaviors and restaurant outings. We deduce that over 40% of us will change our habits due to the Coronavirus, avoiding restaurants and other crowded places, and over 30% will favor dining at home from now on. The starting point in the future management of a restaurant The statistics outline the somatic features of what will be one of the greatest challenges for the sector in recent centuries, but now let's roll up our sleeves and understand how to face it. The starting point is certainly the simplest and most obvious. We must become aware of the measures that will impact the restaurant industry such as social distancing between tables, the maximum number of customers allowed and stringent hygiene standards, as underlined by Susie Fogelson, Founder/CEO , F&Co . Until yesterday the key pillars on which we reviewed a business were mainly related to the culinary experience and the location. Tomorrow perhaps we should add a third element: the safety with which this experience is lived. The communication of an Italian restaurant in the time of Coronavirus will certainly have to go through transmitting to its customers that the pre- COVID-19 experience will be the same as the post . The only difference will be the hygiene and health standards adopted for everyone's health. Let's consider it a plus! Practical tips for managing a restaurant in the time of Coronavirus Having read and reread the most recent interviews with important players in the sector, including Bo Peabody ( founder of Seated and co-owner of two international restaurant chains ), Patrick Hardy, Rolyn Stone ( founder of Zedic ), we can summarise the advice that seems most accurate and immediately achievable: Automate: necessary for as many operations as possible. Let's think about automatic order taking devices at the tables, perhaps with built-in chat to ask for information directly to the staff. Let's discourage cash payments by encouraging contactless via app or card. Sanitize: every area of your restaurant to deal with Coronavirus but especially tables and chairs at the end of each shift. Place sanitizing and disinfectant devices on every table so that customers feel safer and more protected. New Service Standards for Staff : define a new code of conduct and service within the restaurant, ensuring that all staff respect and enforce it. For example, always leaving guests adequate living space (read social distancing). A new business plan: it will be necessary to distance the tables and this will certainly mean having to manage more shifts or create new moments of consumption. So why not integrate your offer with a Sunday brunch? Communication: Customers want to know that they are safe and can enjoy a well-deserved moment of relaxation with their partner or family without any worries. Interior design in the future of catering It is natural to ask ourselves this question when it comes to our work, but in reality we are touching on a much more important point than one might imagine. It will be essential to review the management of your spaces to remain profitable in the business in the coming months and perhaps years. At Restylit we have seen an increase in requests for intervention from Italian and European restaurants since the beginning of the Coronavirus emergency. Many ask us for help in renovating their premises by expanding the spaces or creating new ones to avoid the loss of seats. But above all, going towards the beautiful season, it will be essential to furnish the outdoor spaces , those spaces where customers can feel safe. But be careful, these spaces must not be neglected or furnished roughly, but must represent the soul of the location as much as the historic interiors. This is why our role becomes fundamental ! In addition to our commitment to online design , we are studying some subsidiary services to support our customers in managing their restaurant in the time of Coronavirus. In particular, we are talking about a new ad hoc business plan that includes: correct table rotation, optimization of consumption opportunities, entry into the world of home deliveries, adequate marketing communication. Return to home or check out our selection. Buy Now
Learn more
Coronavirus Catering and Interior Design
Will we still go to restaurants after Coronavirus?! How will our habits change ? With the Coronavirus forcefully entering our lives and the desire to resume our daily routines, it is natural to ask what the future of the restaurant sector will be. Will we still go out to dinner? We have analyzed several international and Italian studies on the impact of the pandemic on the restaurant industry and especially an interesting article published by Rakuten Ready that questioned a sample of people on the future impact of the Coronavirus on their restaurant outings. We find what emerges to be also applicable to the Italian market according to the data in our possession. Over 50% of us will change our habits due to the Coronavirus, avoiding restaurants and crowded places, favoring home deliveries or dinners at home, with family, for a period of time that is not well identifiable but which will last a few months. The statistics outline the somatic features of what will be one of the greatest challenges for the sector in recent history with an estimated drop in Italy of at least 70% in the first half of 2020, equal to over 7 billion euros . Interior design in the future of catering It is natural to ask this question to those who make this their profession, but in reality we are touching on a much more important point than one might imagine. It is clear that it will be essential to review the management of your spaces to remain profitable in business in the coming months and perhaps years, to cope with the rules imposed by social distancing. Restylit for example, an Italian online interior design startup, in the last 7 weeks of lockdown has experienced a significant increase in traffic to their portals (about 50%) and a multiplication of requests for intervention from more or less structured Italian restaurateurs intent on thinking about how to keep their business profitable in the months to come. Interior design therefore comes to our aid in this delicate historical context, due to the need of restaurateurs to renovate their premises by expanding the spaces or creating new ones to avoid the loss of seats imposed by social distancing, which will often require at least a new arrangement of the paths and tables, up to the entire layout of the premises. As for the interiors, it will be necessary to find intelligent solutions by creating niches and using space-saving furniture, or even mezzanines and architectural tricks. Interior design will therefore be essential for the study of every precious centimeter. But moving towards the warm season, there are many requests received by Restylit to design and furnish outdoor spaces , those spaces where customers will feel safe and to be exploited to 100% of their potential. We will certainly witness a marked shift of activities towards the outside of the premises even more than in the past, during the warm season and not only. But be careful, these spaces must not be neglected and furnished roughly, it is not a question of conquering it but rather of care and study. They must absolutely represent the soul of the location as much as the characteristic interiors. Even more so if we will have to deal with COVID-19 for a long time, perhaps until autumn, and we want to continue to exploit the outdoor spaces as already happens in many cities around the world (see Paris). It will be one of the most important missions of restaurants and bars in our country to guarantee an experience that lives up to the past. The location has in fact gradually taken on an ever-increasing importance in the overall evaluation of a place, we absolutely must raise the standards of our dehors, private gardens and outdoor spaces in general. A curious and encouraging trend for the period is to be highlighted, namely the response of many players in the sector, not only interested in interior design as a pillar of the strategy for the coming months but also for the opening towards online design, "due" to the impossibility of addressing someone in person. A flywheel that could perhaps trigger interesting developments for the sector by bringing many professionals closer to interior design, thanks to the possibility of containing the cost of an intervention with online design. There will be a pre and post Coronavirus, we understood it immediately, but it is up to us to transform this very difficult challenge into an opportunity as is happening for us and for many other people ready to start again. And how much does it cost me? A legitimate and pertinent question in a financially complex moment. But let's remember a very important concept: investing during crises, those potentially lethal for a business, is always the winning strategy. Of course, you have to invest in the right direction but what has been said so far we believe is particularly pertinent to the historical period. When talking about an interior design intervention, there are all the opportunities to obtain great results and high-level consultancy without crazy expenses, for example an online interior design company like Restylit, and others, allows you to significantly reduce the average cost of a high-level project depending on the scope of the intervention (from a soft restyling of furniture to a real renovation). But there's more, for a quick and immediate response Restylit has just created a section within the online shop dedicated to the hospitality sector where you can buy furnishing accessories with the free support of their interior designer, from 9 to 22 and weekends included. The possibilities are there, the important thing is to start investing now to build the near future. Some practical tips for a post-Coronavirus restaurant Among the countless amount of information circulating online and offline, we have summarized the advice that we believe to be the most useful and immediately implementable. Some ideas to immediately focus on to be ready for reopening. Automate : necessary for as many operations as possible, such as automatic order taking devices at tables, perhaps with built-in chat to ask for information directly to the staff, encouraging contactless payments via card or app as much as possible. Sanitize : every area of your restaurant but especially tables and chairs at the end of each reservation. Place sanitizing and disinfectant devices at each table so that customers feel safer. New Service Standards for Staff : define a new code of conduct and service within the venue, ensuring that all staff respect and enforce it. It will be necessary for guests to have the correct living space at all times, the famous social distance, because they will have the right to feel safe and relax with their family or friends in such a stressful period, at least for a few hours. A new business plan: we know that it will be necessary to distance the tables and this will mean having to manage more shifts and create moments of consumption that did not exist before, for example proposing a Sunday brunch. Marketing and communication will have to follow all this by reinforcing the most important message at every opportunity: the pre-Coronavirus experience will be the same as the post-Coronavirus one in terms of the quality of the food, the drinks and the location; it will simply be lived even more safely! Go back to the home page , read the original article on mixer planet or check out our best sellers !
Learn more
Interior design in the time of Coronavirus, the story of our startup
"Behind every challenge there is a great opportunity" We are scared, it's true. And we are talking about the health aspect of the epidemic. But as the Coronavirus advances, even the future of a startup becomes more uncertain. The feeling is that of seeing your plans soon delayed or canceled, indeed it is a certainty. The period also seems little inclined to allow us to cry on the shoulder of a friend while we find ourselves isolated in our homes (and please let's stay home!). But behind every challenge there is a great opportunity. Boredom seems inevitable these weeks, at least partially, but so should our well-being and comfort. Since the beginning of these difficult days we have experienced a strong increase in traffic to our shop page with a consequent significant increase in conversions and orders for the same marketing investment. We are talking about about 30%, good news. During During this period of mandatory confinement we promised to do everything we could possible to further improve our service. Here are the main lessons we are taking home from this complex historical moment. We want to make plans for the future, and to distract ourselves Our killer feature has never been so effective and appreciated. We were born to make the support of an interior designer easy and immediate and these days our customers are really enthusiastic about it. On our Whatsapp line, where our interior designers support customers in real time during online shopping, conversations are going from “The blue sofa I just saw on your shop is beautiful, I would like to put it here (picture of the living room), what do you think?” to “The blue sofa I just saw on your online shop is beautiful, I was thinking of buying it and maybe changing a few other things, can I call you? Obviously I pay for the consultation!” We all have more free time and with it the desire and need to take care of what makes us feel good like the environment in which we live, now forced for weeks. We want a dream house, because you never know There's no point in denying it, our homes have become a bit like prisons, we can't go out so as not to risk our lives and those of others (and again, everyone stay home, the Coronavirus is a serious thing!), but the risk of going a bit crazy is there! And that's where the power of online interior design comes into play! We said it when we started Restylit (beyond conspiracy theories): we all deserve to live in a dream home, and it doesn't have to cost us a fortune. We therefore believe that this sad historical moment can also bring with it something good for our sector, teaching us that taking care of our home is definitely worth the money spent, and we can do it without breaking the bank. The positive vibrations and well-being that come from living in an environment that we can be excited about every evening when we return – or in the case of forced stays – have an extremely positive impact on our lives. Italy has become familiar with online interior design It is a great victory for us, having fought since our birth to gain the trust of the general public towards the possibility of having an interior design project done by an architect remotely. Our clients have a single point of contact in our team and we can demonstrate some experience in the sector with our client feedback which is a great calling card, but let's face it: not having a real person to talk to is a major deterrent for most of us. And even the objective economic convenience in the face of a project of great value is often not enough to overcome distrust. In these days of forced domicile due to the Coronavirus, however, Italians are becoming convinced that everything is possible, even the most skeptical, since they are forced to use the network as the only means of interaction and contact with the outside world. And therefore also in the case of small or large interior design projects. What this all means for a startup in the time of Coronavirus We have experienced an increase in traffic to our portal of about 40% in the last month or so of lockdown and a +30% in sales with the same marketing-advertising investments and with a rather stable and high average ticket. What we expect in the next few days is a new and in some ways physiological increase in traffic to our website and social platforms but a drop in orders and average ticket due to the growing uncertainty about the future. A situation that will last for a few months but that we hope will be mitigated by the newfound interest in taking care of your home online. All this will probably be followed by a recovery towards the end of 2020. Using the conditional is still a must, we will certainly do our best to convey our universal message of believing in the power of quality interior design! This bad period will end soon and we will leave it behind us, with scarred hearts but with the opportunity to build a new, more fluid and connected economy and trusting types of “online” services that we had not even imagined, as long as they contribute to our well-being. Read the original article or return to the home page . (#stayhome but #decoratewell, Coronavirus is a serious thing)
Learn more