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Major restaurant chains have revamped their Butler County locations, not only remodeling the interiors but re-training staff to provide more attentive service.
Undergoing renovations have been Applebee’s restaurants in Middletown, Hamilton, Fairfield, West Chester Twp. and Fairfield Twp.; the Max & Erma’s at the Bridgewater Falls shopping center in Fairfield Twp.; and the O’Charley’s in Middletown. The locations went so far as to close for a short time, then had grand re-openings to unveil the new looks.
The remodelings don’t just improve service, but are also a sign of economic revitalization, said Kert Radel, president and chief executive officer of Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.
“I think this is another sign that the economy is starting to bounce back … they’re making improvements and a commitment to continue to do business in this area,” Radel said.
Local Applebee’s sit-down eateries are run by RMH Franchise Corp., based in Lexington, Ky., which acquired the restaurants last year, said Josh Buchmann, a marketing manager for the company. They’re the second-largest Applebee’s franchise in the country.
Most recently, the Fairfield Applebee’s, at 5331 Pleasant Ave., unveiled renovations in June.
“A lot of our motivation for revamping and putting our stake in the game is doing these remodels and reinvesting into the areas and using that to continue to grow,” he said.
That means not only a financial reinvestment — each rebuild typically costs $250,000 — but also a social one, to connect the restaurants more to their local communities.
“When it comes to our remodels, not only did we redesign the interior and give the outside a face-lift, we also looked at hiring new people. We completely retrain our staff to reflect the brand behaviors and make sure people are taken care of,” said Buchmann. He called it “see you tomorrow” behavior.
“We go out of our way to make the guest experience extraordinary,” he said.
The redesign took down the memorabilia that lined the walls, which Buchmann called “very 90s,” then auctioned them off, with proceeds going to Make a Wish Foundation.
“It’s so much brighter in there, with new colors. We put murals on the walls and all the murals are community-focused … we collect a list of local high schools and a list of local events, and we try to reflect all of that in the murals on the walls,” he said.
A similar mindset went into remodeling of the Max & Erma’s, at 3411 Princeton Rd. in Fairfield Twp. That corporate-owned location was chosen by the corporate office to undergo the makeover, said Rick Stark, the service manager. A grand re-opening party was held July 24.
“We opened up our whole bar area. It used to be kind of secluded. There used to booths there, so we changed it to round-top tables to make it more of an at-home atmosphere. We put a mirror gloss on our bar top, which makes everything look new and shiny and bright over there,” he said.
In the dining area, some booths were removed in favor of high-top tables, and a gas fireplace was installed. The overall idea is to generate more sales by creating a brighter, more open environment to have more one-on-one interaction with guests. The Max & Erma’s added about five positions, making for a total staff of about 35 people.
The O’Charley’s restaurant and bar in Middletown closed several days earlier in July, re-opening July 18 with upgrades. The new look features all new chairs and tables, more booth seating including six-seat high-top booths, and upgraded color schemes with a brighter green trademark. Customers will notice a new logo and walls that used to separate diners now removed.
American Blue Ribbon Holdings purchased in 2012 O’Charley’s and its 207 corporate-owned restaurants throughout the Midwest and Southeast United States. About 40 restaurants are being renovated a year, with plans for eventually all locations including sites in Mason, Miamisburg and Springdale to get similar upgrades.
The Middletown restaurant, at 3446 Village Drive, first opened in 1997.
“The biggest change is just an open floor concept that is more inviting for larger group settings and it’s done with a southern elegance,” said O’Charley’s Middletown General Manager Matt Stelletell.
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