Retail Spotlight: The Little Beet

Their Success…Trends usually only last a limited time, until a new trend surfaces. While juiceries were once a major trend around the world, slowly a decrease in performance sales are hitting the market, with numerous juicing locations closing. The Little Beet, however, bets that healthy organic eating will be a long-lasting trend for New Yorkers. The organic market is still growing, and organic eating has become more of a lifestyle then just a trend for New Yorkers. The Little Beet recognizes this new lifestyle choice that New Yorkers are developing and successfully aligns its concept to it. From their menu to their interior design, the brand embodies their organic ideals “Fast, Farm, Fresh.”

All of the ingredients on their menu are sourced from farmers and local purveyors. The Little Beet’s menu items are all 100% gluten-free, and promotes that customers will feel “guiltin’ free,” and have wholesome food after eating their products. Customers can “create their own plate” and order their choice of proteins, sides, or salads. To the customer’s content, they can choose to have a serving of protein and up to 3 sides, just sides, salad and protein, soup and sides, or beet roll and sides. The sides range from roasted sweet potatoes to quinoa, and there are a variety of proteins to choose-from chicken to salmon.

Not only is their menu “wholesome and organic,” but their interior design accentuates organic ideals. The store’s color-scheme is brown, green, deep red, and other complementary “natural” tones. Large stalks of plants are aligned against the seating area of the ground floor, next to the entrance. The chairs, lighting fixtures, and stools are all in a “deep red” color. While the tables, walls, and ceiling on the ground floor are wood. The yellow lighting creates a softer atmosphere, and keeps the store being “hipster” and doesn’t give off industrial, or chain-like vibes.

Take Aways…The Little Beet attracts many customers because of their transparency, their atmosphere, and their theme. The menu items are all gluten-free, which opens their target market to include customers who cannot consume gluten, and consumers who align with healthy eating. However, more than just using organic ingredients, the transparency in preparing each meal is what potentially attracts consumers to eat at The Little Beet. After ordering your plate, consumers wait as they watch employees cooking the proteins, the sides or tossing salads. The display and dish that employees place each individual side creates an idea that consumers are eating “home-cooked meals.” The clear casing between the consumers and the food allows consumers to watch the process of their food. Moreover, while waiting for their choice of plate, consumers are easily seen making additional orders of sides after seeing, smelling the other choices of food. There is another cash register at the end of the line, where consumers are encouraged to make additional order of food, cold-press, and coffee. The placement of two cash registers before and after the display case potentially creates more orders.

The Little Beets’ overall ambiance, and its theme attract a variety of customers, leaning specifically toward women. There is a distinct difference in ratio of women and men in the restaurant. Women are more easily seen enjoying their plate, with friends and then sipping on coffee, after, while talking to their girlfriends. The portion size, the menu items, and the soft casual vibes of the restaurant are the primary factors that potentially attract female consumers more than male.