Content area
Full Text
BRAINTREE, MASS. - Trying to erase the signs of age that have dogged the Ground Round concept for a long time, the company's current owners say they have begun a comprehensive overhaul of the 145-unit chain in a bid to restore the dinner-house trailblazer to its former glory.
After three years of study and planning, American Hospitality Concepts Inc. has scheduled for next month a debut of a new Ground Round Grill & Bar prototype, which it says will boast a lighter interior, a brighter exterior and a more sophisticated casual menu.
Although AHC's new Ground Round model, in Maple Grove, Minn., will depart dramatically from the brand's traditional image, company officials stress that the concept will remain solidly casual with a check average in the $10 range.
"We didn't want to alienate the 18 million to 20 million customers we currently serve while attracting new customers," explained Michael J. Nolan, AHC's senior vice president of development. "The menu is updated, but there are no new price points. And the atmosphere remains casual and is geared toward an adult audience although families are welcome. We want to appeal to a broader audience as opposed to changing audiences."
According to AHC's plans, visitors to the new Ground Round restaurants first will be struck by the large entry towers in the front of the buildings. They also will notice that the structures no longer are cloaked in dark wood, nor do they wear the chain's oncetrademark green and yellow awnings. Instead, new restaurants will feature tan, burgundy red and brick exteriors highlighted by ruby-red neon lights.
Officials also developed new signage and updated the Ground Round logo, giving the ring that used to enclose the restaurant's name an artistic tilt and placing...