Upmarket Restaurant Chains - are there any? research for article

[JROC]

I think Mortons is a good choice as an upscale restaurant, however I wouldn''t say they are "branded" They don''t have a "Morton''s steak".

If that is what you are looking for Gary, then no I don''t think there are any "upscale" restaurant chains on a global scale and the reason being is that an upscale restaurant like Mortons or some of the others named can only grow so much due to economics. A Mortons might survive in Hong Kong but not in Bejing. The niche that they created is a VERY good steak and a good atmosphere but not a brand, they have no distinguishable product. Ruth Chris has steaks that are just as good, so which one do you choose? It all comes down to atmosphere and maybe one provides somthing on the menu that the other does not and that is what you want.
For instance, Starbucks is coffee, everyone sells coffee but they distinguish themselves because they produce (not really) and sell there own branded coffee. And more importantly it tastes the same as if you when to Starbucks.

My 2 cents.

 

[blueroses]

Ditto on Mortons.

What about fairly upmarket restaurateurs who have a "stable" of restaurants vs. a chain? Like BR Guest in Manhattan, or Sami Ladeki on the West Coast?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

ok
The point I was making is that there are very few examples of upmarket jewellers who grow globally into brands.

Tiffanies are the exception.
Mortons are not a houshold name around the world.
Rolex is
IBM is
Starbucks has become a mass market brand (love em or hate em)

the luxury brands that prompted this enquiry are known by the poorest chineese and affricans.

De Beers is telling sightholders to go down the pipeline and build luxury brands - but we in the Cut Group think it is impossible to establish a brand from a Retail focus.

All the branded companies I can think of in Luxury goods started as manufacturers.

Think about it
name some?

LVMH
Mont Blanc
Chanel
All the Swiss watch brands

some opened their own retail stores - but they were all designers and manufacturers first

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 8/9/2005 9:08:00 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)

Think about it
name some?

LVMH
Mont Blanc
Chanel
All the Swiss watch brands

some opened their own retail stores - but they were all designers and manufacturers first

actually,there''re very few "true" manufacturers of Swiss brand watches,most of them just buy off the shelf movements, put it in a case and stamp their Co. name on the dial.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Probably true DF, goods made under licence are common among all the designer clothing companies too.
But they established themselves as brands when they were capable of making the stuff themselves. And the watch companies are probably still designing and QC''ing the products, just as Tiffany will do with their new Indian jewellery manufacturing division.