For its second location of Beatrix, multiconcept operator Lettuce Entertain You opted for a restaurant-plus model, marrying a market with a casual full-service eatery. Located on the ground level of Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital, “It caters well to the neighborhood, both workers and people living there,” says Executive Partner and VP Marc Jacobs. The trick: meshing grab-and-go and traditional service in a narrow 9,000-square-foot space, without impacting the experience for diners in either.
Location: In the lobby level of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood.
Footprint: 9,000 square feet, 1,200 of which make up the market and its small kitchen.
Sample in-restaurant price: Neatloaf (a popular turkey, sweet potato and greens loaf with braised kale and vegetable gravy): $17.50.
With thousands of people coming through the market looking to grab food fast, signage helps guests, including hospital staff, navigate the space on their own and make choices quickly. “You can be in and out in under five minutes, if you want,” says Jacobs. From listing specialty diet information to sourcing, it also adds a bit of education and encourages conversation, which he says has been well received.
Two challenges, says Jacobs, were breaking up the space and giving market guests a place to go. Beatrix worked with Northwestern Hospital to add tables in the lobby, plus it reserves 30 to 40 seats inside. Curtains create semi-private gathering spaces. “It’s working,” says Jacobs, for both neighborhood groups and departments at the hospital.
From the bar to the coffee nook—a lounge space that’s been used more than anticipated—the design allows customers to dictate their own experience and price point, a point of difference, says Jacobs. To showcase all the options, Beatrix went for transparency. “We pulled back a lot of doors and walls to give a peek into the kitchen,” he says.