"The company's mission is to help the client implement the advice to ensure the attainment of his/her goals."

Welcome to Melaniphy & Associates, Inc.

A firm of real estate counselors, site selection specialists, market analysts, retail experts, restaurant consultants, and international investment advisors, Melaniphy & Associates, Inc. has successfully advised thousands of national and international clients in both the private and public sectors for more than 40 years.

John C. Melaniphy, company founder, has been a real estate economist and market analyst for over 40 years. During this time, he has been involved in almost every type of urban and suburban development and redevelopment problem and opportunity.

  • Restaurant Consultants
  • Real Estate Counselors
  • Market Analysts
  • Site Selection Specialists
  • Shopping Center Consultants
  • Retail Market Analysts
  • Downtown Redevelopment International Investment Advisors
  • Franchise Consultants

The philosophy of Melaniphy & Associates, Inc. is to analyze a client's problems and provide expert advice and recommendations ...

IF PICKING THE RIGHT LOCATIONS IS SO SIMPLE, WHY HAVE SO MANY RESTAURANTS FAILED?

During the Recession, thousands of marginal and successful restaurants have closed because of fewer people dining out, the loss of significant luncheon business, other financial problems, lack of anticipated sales, rising gasoline prices vs. dining out expenditures, fewer frequent customers, smaller check averages, and consumers trading down, along with locational factors like poor access, limited parking, and numerous other reasons. This is the food business where every customer is a food critique.

Admittedly, in the last several years even restaurants and quick service food unit in good locations have fallen victim to the worst recession in my lifetime. However, even with economic these problems, picking the right locations given all of the problems can help to keep the grim reaper away. Up until 2009, I thought that the 1974-1975 Recession was the worst I had experienced. This one is at least twice as bad.

In my book, The Restaurant Location Guidebook and in my previous book, Restaurant and Fast Food Site Selection, I address Site Selection and Procedures that will maximize sales and minimize the recession hazard, providing some insulation from the recession blues.

THE PRINCIPLES OF SPECIALTY STORE LOCATION SELECTION

Over the years of reviewing and selecting retail locations, it has became obvious that the industry needed a set of guidelines regarding location selection. Formulated over the last 25 years, these guidelines are intended to assist specialty type retailers to prepare, evaluate and select locations To select good locations, one needs to be aware of the following:

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER 

Who is your customer?  Do you know?  Most retailers think that they do, but often they are wrong.  It is extremely important to understand, not only who is the customer, but more importantly, who is the most frequent customer? Knowing who that frequent customer is will help to identify other areas that my have demographics with similar characteristics.

DETERMINE A TRADING AREA

Trading areas come in all shapes and sizes.  They are not actually round, square, or rectangular.  Instead, they usually reflect an irregular-shaped pattern, corresponding to the road or street pattern, altered by competition, physical and psychological barriers, and the demographics of the residents and employees of the area. What is a realistic area from which your proposed store can attract customers? 

ANALYZE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Syndicate content