Training for chain theme restaurants comes from completing required courses at accredited culinary institutions and from hands on experience in the restaurant business. Like other medium to large-scale retail food businesses, nationwide themed restaurant chains operate through experienced owners and managers.

Positions at chain theme restaurants do not overlap to the same extent that they do in independently operated restaurants. Managers at themed restaurants are required to have experience in handling the specific responsibilities upper management designates for them, whether that means skill in supervising cooks on the line or expertise in dealing with customers in the dining room. There are many training opportunities available to those desiring to work in chain theme restaurants:

1. Complete formal and on the job training in restaurant management so you can own theme restaurant chains.

2. Focus on becoming a hospitality manager at themed restaurants.

3. Prepare for a career as a kitchen manager in the theme restaurant business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get the management degree that theme restaurant organizations prefer for their owners

Most chain theme restaurants require that prospective owners have had between two to five years' experience in operating restaurants. The focus is on the major parts of the restaurant business-hospitality, culinary and budgeting. If you've already developed your culinary skills through on the job training, pursue a two-year program that gives you business and management skills.

I recommend: California Culinary Academy offers a program of studies for restaurant management that provides students with training in both the hospitality end of the business and the nuts and bolts of overseeing an operating budget. Westwood College offers an associate's degree in restaurant management that provides you with the business skills that will complement your culinary expertise.

Train in the kind of hospitality management that theme chain restaurants offer

Hospitality managers at chain theme restaurants focus on the 'front of house' end of the business. They ensure high standards of consumer satisfaction, serve as the liaison between employees and higher management, write and supervise shift schedules, and supervise other management personnel in safety and training.

I recommend: Find out more about the hospitality management training courses offered by All Culinary Schools, which provides two- and four-year programs. The University of Massachusetts offers a Bachelor of Science degree when you complete a distance-learning program in hospitality management.

Study to become a chain theme restaurant kitchen manager

Kitchen managers perform a vital role in themed restaurant chains. They train kitchen staff, order food and kitchen supplies, ensure that kitchen personnel follow food safety standards and proper use of kitchen equipment.

I recommend: The Institute of Culinary Education offers six- and eleven-month programs that train students to become culinary managers. The Art Institutes offers its highly regarded kitchen management programs in many states. Each program prepares students for entry-level positions as kitchen managers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Training for chain theme restaurants doesn't stop once you get a formal degree. Most of these restaurants require their prospective managers to complete an extensive training program so they become acquainted with the company's specific approach.

Theme restaurants are a popular eatery choice for many consumers. Themed restaurants serve a specific target market, particularly in the United States, where many consumers seek fun themed restaurants for their casual and relaxed atmospheres.

There are a number of theme restaurant chains throughout the world, particularly in larger metropolitan cities. For successful theme chain restaurants, their staying power lies in their ability to attract a steady stream of visitors and tourists from other areas where theme restaurant chains are not present.

1. Some theme chain restaurants satisfy the need for some consumers to reminisce and to experience a wave of nostalgia.

2. Chain theme restaurants often attract tourists because of their degree of exclusivity and uniqueness.

3. Themed restaurant chains continue to grow and expand throughout the world.

Action Steps
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Develop theme restaurants that offer music or other forms of entertainment

Many themed restaurants offer music and entertainment as a mainstay in their daily operations. Businesses should view these as opportunities for growth, as music and entertainment are staples of daily living in many societies.

I recommend: The Hard Rock Cafe is one of the most popular casual theme restaurants with a music-based theme, with locations throughout the world. Planet Hollywood, owned by some of Hollywood's most famous names, remains a popular choice for moviegoers and television fanatics.

Hire a consulting firm when developing a theme restaurant concept

Many restaurant entrepreneurs might find it difficult to break into the theme restaurant business without outside guidance. Restaurant consultants are available to address concerns and to evaluate the potential for success in the theme restaurant business. Consultants also consider how past successes in theme restaurants may lead to future successes and opportunities.

I recommend: The Restaurant Expert provides training and instruction in order to earn a respectable living in the theme restaurant business. Quantified Marketing Group offers similar options, with the opportunity to address all areas of theme restaurant development, including sales and marketing.

Research themed restaurants to identify successful marketing concepts

It is important for businesses to evaluate the successes and failures in the theme restaurant business prior to making a decision regarding a theme restaurant of their own. These activities ensure that a concept is not duplicated and has the potential for long-term success.

I recommend: Restaurant Masterminds offers consulting and market analysis services for a variety of restaurants and themes. Landry's Restaurants provides a strong example of a successful seafood-themed restaurant throughout the United States.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Develop theme restaurants that have proven to be popular in the past, or consider an entirely new concept altogether. Make certain that your theme restaurant concept has a desired target market and a strong business plan for development and execution.

Nationwide themed restaurant chains have been the nation's fastest growing concepts in the food service industry for several decades. Once confined to burgers and fries, themed restaurants now specialize in ice cream, pizza, Mexican food and family dining.

Succeeding as a chain theme restaurant owner requires just as much effort as does succeeding in an independently owned restaurant. You must know how to introduce new menu items, train your employees, use your managers' time effectively and implement energy cost controls. Whether you're a business owner now or are planning to jump into the themed restaurant business, staying informed of chain theme restaurants news and trends helps you respond to these challenges:

1. Go to leading trade journals for up to date market forecasts and up-to-the-minute reports on nationwide themed restaurant chains.

2. Follow live blog discussions between diners for their unedited reactions to themed restaurants.

3. Consider the latest ideas for developing new theme chain restaurants.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out the news and trends sections for chain theme restaurants reported by trade magazines

Written with industry leaders in mind, these informative journals help you stay informed of acquisitions, expansions, increases or decreases in sales and operating reports from the major players.

I recommend: Reed Business Information publishes the online trade magazine, "Foodservice Equipment and Supplies." The publication offers a special section on chain news, devoted to current issues facing theme restaurant chains. Subscribe to the Growth Chain's Email Newsletters published by the Nation's Restaurant News, a weekly magazine serving the foodservice industry.

Read or respond to live blog discussions between theme restaurant diners

Blogs give you a great opportunity to find out what diners are saying about themed restaurant chains as they share their dining experiences. If you're looking for ways to improve your theme restaurant, find out what your potential customers are saying about what works and what doesn't work.

I recommend: Join the discussion at the Sun Sentinel.com blog where chain theme restaurant owners and diners share ideas for new theme restaurants. Check out what bloggers are saying about theme restaurants by accessing Blog Catalog.com.

Discover the fastest growing concepts in the theme restaurant business

Survey the most recent news reports which focus on the future of chain theme restaurants. For example, what does the latest market research data suggest about consumer satisfaction at these restaurants? Do diners prefer American themed restaurants? Which chain theme restaurants are reporting the most growth?

I recommend: The Restaurant News Resource highlights emerging concepts for new themed restaurants in the United States. Access the press releases at Restaurant Chains.net for updates on fast growing concepts for theme chain restaurants.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Staying tuned into the latest chain theme restaurants news and trends is easier when approached in a systematic way. This industry changes on an almost weekly basis. That's why some owners are requiring their managers to monitor the trade literature.

While food and service are always important, chain theme restaurants offer something more - a unique sensory experience. For example, ESPN Zone offers sports television coverage and games, Planet Hollywood offers entertainment memorabilia, Hard Rock Café trades on rock and roll nostalgia, and Chuck E. Cheese specializes in kiddie games and puppet shows designed to delight toddlers.

To better understand chain theme restaurants you should familiarize yourself with some different restaurants as well as the key terms associated with the industry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a yearning for the past, often a past seen in a highly favorable light. Chain theme restaurants like Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe cash in on nostalgia, as do diner style theme restaurants like Johnny Rockets which aim for a general setting that recalls days gone by.

I recommend: The power of nostalgic themes for chain restaurants is captured in this BNET article about a 1950s themed McDonald's.

Memorabilia

Memorabilia is artifacts that relate to famous people or events. Examples might be Mick Jagger's guitar, Babe Ruth's bat, or Judy Garland's ruby red slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

I recommend: Las Vegas may be the worldwide capitol of memorabilia-oriented theme restaurants. Reviews and descriptions are available in the LA Times.

Franchising

The chain theme restaurant business is usually based on a franchising model. Those without experience operating franchises should understand the benefits and limitations before getting started.

I recommend: The 19 most commonly asked questions regarding franchising are captured at the International Franchise Association (IFA). These make for a good litmus test for potential franchisees.

Planet Hollywood

Planet Hollywood is one of the most popular themed chains in the world and has been since its beginning in 1991. The restaurant was originally backed by many stars including Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. It offers customers an inside look into Hollywood with movie and actor memorabilia.

I recommend: See photos of Planet Hollywood restaurants at the official website.

Hard Rock Cafe

Another popular themed restaurant is the Hard Rock Cafe, which focuses on American Rock 'N' Roll as its theme. It opened in 1971 and has grown world-wide, offering customers music memorabilia that rotates between locations, including instruments, hand-written lyrics, posters and more.

I recommend: Get more information about the Hard Rock Cafe chain from the website.

Rainforest Cafe

Rainforest Cafe offers a jungle theme to its patrons. The restaurant is set up like a rainforest with animals, volcanoes, deserts and more.

I recommend: Rainforest Cafe provides more information on the chain on the website.