For U.S. Restaurants, Expansion Abroad Means Adapt and Adjust
Photo Caption: International locations of U.S. favorite Applebee's have adapted store design and menus to reflect local norms and preferences.
Skift Take
Expanding abroad is a big step for any restaurant, but they have to to tweak details from portion sizes to design in order to satisfy local customers.
American restaurants can be found in nearly every corner of the world, from big chains to small, family-owned operations.
But success usually doesn’t come by plunking a cookie-cutter version of the original in a foreign locale. American operators have found that adapting to local markets is a necessity.
Clinton Street Baking Company is a boutique, family-owned restaurant that opened in New York City in 2001, serving comfort-food classics like pancakes, fried chicken and waffles, and brioche French toast.
Located on the Lower East Side, a popular tourist destination, co-founder and co-owner DeDe Lahman noticed that Japanese visitors were increasingly filling the dining room. By 2013, Clinton Street Baking Company had signed licensing agreements to open in Tokyo, Dubai and Singapore.
“Just lik
