OAKVILLE, Ont. — Imvescor Restaurant Group opened its first redesigned Bâton Rouge Steakhouse & Bar in late 2016 as the prototype for further openings in the new year. The company has 12 renovations and five new restaurants planned for 2017.
Two years ago, Imvescor began a restructuring process to tackle sales declines at its restaurants. The project gave birth to Pizza Delight, Scores and Trattoria di Mikes — now rebranded as Toujour Mikes. Imvescor is now aiming to renovate 80 per cent of its 70 restaurants by the end of 2018 and has offered to pay for 20 per cent of renovation costs (up to $50,000) as an incentive for franchisees to update their locations.
“We thought it was important to put our money where our mouth is,” says Frank Hennessey, CEO of Imvescor. “We had a great look for a while, but it was very much time for a refresher.”
The company hired Nipun Sharma back in March as its brand leader for Bâton Rouge. Sharma emphasizes the importance of retaining some of the restaurant’s signature elements in the rebranding process.
“We decided to keep those elements that make it great and just modernize some components,” he says. “We actually hired a professional colourist to make sure we got all the red tones right in different parts of the restaurant.”
The new and improved Bâton Rouge includes a larger bar, an updated wine list, a new sharing-style menu and a cocktail list designed by Martini Club. The overall interior design has been revamped to reflect a more contemporary profile.
Sharma’s next area of focus at Baton Rouge is the chain’s lunch menu. “People want to have a quick lunch, a lighter lunch and a healthier lunch,” he says.
