Inland Empire Restaurants Find Ways to Survive

The Inland Empire—which had seen a surge of new retail and dining before the pandemic struck—is making it through the pandemic. Restaurant tenants are finding creative techniques to drive business, working closely with local municipalities and restructuring leases to survive the pandemic. Still, according to a recent report from JLL, lease rates are down compare to 2019 and vacancy rates are rising.

“The Inland Empire is unique compared to other markets within Southern California due to the heat,” Blake Kaplan, VP at JLL, tells GlobeSt.com. “They are working with cities to get temporary outdoor seating with tents/tarps to cover the outdoor seating area to maximize the amount of revenue. Marketing is challenging for many of these smaller businesses, but a lot of promotional discounts, third party delivery and larger catering packages are common.”

For retailers looking to drum up business during the pandemic, Kaplan recommends restaurants rely on a variety of resources and think of new models. Chili’s, for example, launched It’s Just Wings, a delivery concept. “Restaurants can continue to pass word of mouth, make it a weekly routine to order from there, buy the catering packages and post on social media platforms to support local businesses,” says Kaplan.

While restaurants in the Inland Empire are making it through the pandemic without shuttering, there is no escaping the impact of the pandemic. “The truth is, no tenant is not being affected by the long-term situations of COVID. Everyone has had to evolve/change their business plan to cater to the customers,” says Kaplan. “Drive-thru’s are excelling and have been during COVID. The future of restaurants will make it a bigger priority to have patio seating with a certain level of ambience to avoid the horrific situations such as COVID. This will be an amenity where it previously was a luxury.”

Looking ahead, the recovery timeline and speed is still unknown. “It’s too soon to know. Drive-thru users are thriving in this time as many are getting over there own meals and want something quick and affordable,” says Kaplan.” Waiting in a 45 minute line at Raising Canes/In N Out is not an issue currently because the everyday customer does not have plans. Fried chicken seems to be trending and is a concept that will continue to grow as it’s affordable, tasty and easy for families to agree on something.”