Why Restaurant Interior Design Matters as Much as the Menu

This episode explores how restaurant interior design and front-of-house experience shape whether guests return, alongside the free business planning resources available through the Colorado Small Business Development Center serving Pikes Peak. Robin Pasley and SBDC Pikes Peak executive director Brandon Eldridge discuss the "five for five" program, where five hours of complimentary SBDC consulting can make a business five times more likely to survive five years, and why a restaurant's back-of-house investment means little without an intentional front-of-house design. The takeaway for business owners: pair a clear, well-earned business plan with a physical space that tells your brand's story, whether you're launching a restaurant or any other commercial venture.

Welcome to Design To Help Your Business Grow, where we design the unforgettable.

If you need to create unforgettable experiences, then branded interior design is your secret weapon … because we don’t do boring.  Design to Help Your Business Grow. Pasley Commercial Interiors.

Transcript

Robin Pasley: Brandon, thank you for joining us on Design to Help Your Business Grow. I'm Robin Pasley, and you are Brandon Eldridge.

Brandon Eldridge: Eldridge? Yes.

Robin Pasley: So glad that you're here.

Brandon Eldridge: Thank you so much.

Robin Pasley: Yeah. So, tell me a little about your background — what have you done, and what do you do now?

Brandon Eldridge: Do I start from where I was conceived, or how far back do we go?

Robin Pasley: Yeah, that's a good question — I was pretty open-ended with that.

Brandon Eldridge: Yeah.

Robin Pasley: Tell me what you do now, and what got you into that.

Meet the Colorado Springs SBDC: Free Support for Small Business Owners

Brandon Eldridge: Okay, awesome. My name is Brandon Eldridge, and I'm the executive director for the Colorado Small Business Development Center serving Pikes Peak, which is a mouthful to say — so we usually just call it the SBDC. If you're in the community and I call you an SBDCer, that works for me too. SBDC is a network of about a thousand offices across the country where we provide free one-on-one support to businesses, plus low-cost and sometimes free workshops. We try to keep it accessible from a cost standpoint and provide as much curriculum and as many subject matter experts to our businesses as we can. I came from a banking background — I'm a recovering banker. I did a lot of business loans and lending, and spent a large part of my career at Chase Bank, which was more of a retail bank, at least from where I sat. That's really where I started to learn more and more about this community. I've lived in Colorado Springs for 30 years, but it's probably been the last 10 years that I really ramped up my networking and got active in the community.

Robin Pasley: So what was it about the way you're wired that put you into banking, and then into small business expertise?

Brandon Eldridge: Thank you for the question. Anyone who knows me knows I'm probably the biggest extrovert in town — there's not anybody I don't want to meet. I just really enjoy people, and I enjoy community. I have a major sense of FOMO, and I want to be at all the places and all the things. SBDC has really allowed me to do that. We have nine different chambers in our community, a really awesome Visit COS, a downtown partnership, and a great BBB. When you combine the chambers, the small business resources, and the exponential impact of that whole network, there are so many opportunities to connect with the entrepreneurship community — and that's my lane. I love going to these events, supporting small business, and finding the entrepreneur who feels lost but is probably pretending they know what they're doing. That's where we get to help and give them that support.

Robin Pasley: So you're a social butterfly and you get paid for it.

Brandon Eldridge: That's right — what a great job, right?

Robin Pasley: Seriously. I want that.

Brandon Eldridge: I'm also an educator at heart — I love teaching, being a mentor, and supporting others. SBDC is heavy on workshops — we do about a hundred a year, so every once in a while I get to put on my facilitator cap and teach a couple of classes. That lets me flex in different ways — networking is fun, and it's nice to know people, but it's really about the work that goes on behind the scenes. What kind of impact are we really having? How are we creating jobs? How are we supporting the growth of a small business? It's not just who you know or how you find the next networking event.

Robin Pasley: Yeah. Now, how did we get connected?

Brandon Eldridge: Oh gosh — so your husband, HB, and I go back a few years now. I know at one point when he was working for a different firm, they were doing exit planning, and HB and I started talking about what that looks like. As a recovering banker, sometimes — this is silly, I know — businesses get to a point where they're ready to exit, and that's more complex than it may sound on the surface. Finding mature resources in that lane is important, so he and I connected over that, and it turned into a really beautiful friendship. You have an awesome husband, so I like him a lot.

Robin Pasley: I know that we really connected over our affection for small business owners, and just wanting to see them succeed — that's really what gets me out of bed in the morning, thinking about how to help them and think alongside them. I was talking with someone in the design-build industry over lunch, and he mentioned that when he's about to build something for a client, he starts by asking all these questions about their business formation. A lot of times the client says, "Why are you asking me this?" And he says, "Because I want to see you succeed."

Brandon Eldridge: Right.

Robin Pasley: It's not that I think I know more than they do, but I want to get inside their head and find out how they think about the growth of their business. How do they think about their sales structure, how they train people, how their team meets the public — all these different pieces, because we want to come alongside them and support them with the tools we have. A lot of times, once I understand that, I can say, "What if we laid out your space this way?" because of the way they're describing it. Or, "What if we added this component for your employees?" That's really the heart of commercial interior design for us — creating a space that supports what a business owner is already trying to do. It sounds like being able to think alongside them is part of what you do as well.

Brandon Eldridge: I know that you deal with place-based work — spatial branding, I guess you'd call it — you're trying to create an environment where a client or an employee feels included and comfortable in that space. A hotel might call for something different than a lounge or a bar, and I know that you specialize in that. I think that approach from an organization like yours is really important — it's like you're an extension of the marketing arm of a business, especially if it's a place-based organization. Marketing agencies often talk about what colors speak to your business, what logos or symbols represent you, and what you're looking to convey to your clients. Our work is similar, in that the core of what we do at SBDC is about business plans — helping somebody think very intentionally about their vision, what they see when they close their eyes and picture the future, and then helping them put that on paper and tell that story. A lot of times it's because they need to see it and feel it themselves. Sometimes it's because they need to go to a bank or a lender and ask for money to get some seed funding, or to a VC, or maybe to their parents and say, "I need to borrow some money because I have this really great business idea." And mom and dad say, "Sure." And you get to say, "No, seriously — look, I went to the SBDC and we made a business plan."

What Tools Help You Build a Business Plan That Actually Works?

Robin Pasley: So that's one of the tools you guys help people with — business plans. What other kinds of tools do you have?

Brandon Eldridge: Well, we like to look at a business holistically, and at the center of that is a business plan. Being able to articulate your mission and vision — what products and services you're going to sell, and do you know what you're going to sell them for — this is a question we get a lot: how much should I sell my product for? We use these tools to inform a full business plan, or in some cases what we call a pro forma. A pro forma is where you sit down and map out what your cash flow is going to look like over the next two to five years. All of the advisors at the SBDC are free to use — you just go to our website, sign up, and start getting sessions. You start with a generalist, and then you start drilling in from there. Maybe you're a chiropractor who just graduated and is ready to start your practice, but you've never run a business before — you've never done marketing, and you don't think like a marketing person. So we give you somebody who knows marketing and teaches you what a geofence is, what a real marketing strategy looks like, and how to spend money intentionally.

Robin Pasley: So, how would you describe your ideal client at the SBDC?

Brandon Eldridge: Obviously any entrepreneur is welcome — we take anyone from startup to exit planning. I'll say about 80% of the clients we serve are pre-revenue or in their first year of business. What we really don't want is somebody five years down the road struggling, saying, "Man, I wish I'd known about you guys a few years ago." So the earlier in the entrepreneurial cycle we can reach you, the better off we can be, because the more you know about our services, the more willing you are to invest some of that time with us. I like to tell folks if you get five hours of complimentary service with us in the first year, you're five times more likely to be in business in five years — I call that my Arby's deal, five for five. Come spend five hours with us, and you might be open five years from now if you want to be. When you think about a hub — a small business hub — we're not always going to be the ones who help your business directly, but we want to be the hub, the place you come to and say, "Okay, what part of the hub do I need today?" Because if you're putting up a new sign in front of your store, you're going to need a sign permit and you're going to need to talk to the city. We make sure we help you connect those dots.

Robin Pasley: Oh, that's awesome.

Brandon Eldridge: So, Robin, you talked a little bit about your business model and helping small businesses create an experience. I know from talking with HB about your business model that you guys have been dealing with a lot of restaurants — we help a lot of restaurants too. What are you seeing in that space that might help us from an SBDC standpoint?

What Should Restaurant Interior Design Prioritize Beyond the Back of House?

Robin Pasley: Yes — gosh, launching a new restaurant, there are so many things. All of the back-of-house has a number attached to it, as far as investment goes.

Brandon Eldridge: Okay.

Robin Pasley: So what I'd say is: don't forget the front of house. Everyone is looking for an experience these days, and it's important to remember that people aren't just coming in for sustenance — they're coming in for an experience. Finding the right partner for restaurant interior design — and of course, we want to be that for a restaurant — helps craft the experience that makes people come back.

Brandon Eldridge: That's really great, and now I'm going through all the restaurants I've ever been to, thinking about my front of office or my front experience. I'll say, when I walk into a restaurant and can see behind the curtain and things are out of place, you get that itchy feeling of, "Am I going to have good, clean food?" That first impression might set the tone for someone walking into a restaurant. When you do that, do you do a deep dive into their history or their concept? How does that process unfold for you?

Robin Pasley: Absolutely. Because of the branding and interior design side of what we do, we often want to talk to them and find out — because people think a brand is a logo, and it's really not. A logo should be representative of the story, which is the brand. So we drill down with them and dive into their story: what is this all about, who are you, what's drawing this out of them. That's one of my favorite things about the way I'm made, and my husband too — he's our chief branding officer, and he's wired this way as well. He loves to pull out what's in someone else's heart. What made you want to do what you're doing? Because to me, that's really important about a business — it wouldn't exist without them.

Brandon Eldridge: We talk about earning the right to a business plan.

Robin Pasley: Oh.

Brandon Eldridge: So when you talk about pulling that out — instead of sitting in front of ChatGPT and just unloading, pulling out a physical pen and paper and writing down your ideas. We've had a couple advisors talk about this — earning that right. So that's what it means: it's not just letting software design your business plan because you need one for the bank. It's pulling out those ideas and getting really authentic about your business.

Robin Pasley: That's really smart.

Brandon Eldridge: Yeah.

Robin Pasley: What's been the biggest obstacle you've seen this year in what you guys do?

What Are Small Business Owners Overlooking Right Now?

Brandon Eldridge: Oh gosh — well, this AI evolution is changing the way businesses operate, and it's a delicate balance, because we've talked about creatives, and I think it's hard because we want to be sensitive to the fact that there's an entire industry dedicated to creating things, whether it's flyers and images, brands and narratives, or text. There's a lot of industry being impacted by this.

Robin Pasley: Totally.

Brandon Eldridge: And I'm sensitive to that, but I'm also sensitive to the fact that a lot of our businesses need efficiencies and need to keep up.

Robin Pasley: Absolutely. Yep.

Brandon Eldridge: And the challenge right now is that a lot of corporations — early in the AI wave, a couple of years ago, I started to hear, "AI will help level the playing field for small business." I struggled with that, because I'm thinking, well, aren't the big businesses also investing? So it's not that it's leveling the playing field — it's helping you keep pace.

Robin Pasley: Yeah, keep up.

Brandon Eldridge: And that's terrifying, because for every dollar you spend on AI in your organization, the big organizations are probably a hundred dollars in.

Robin Pasley: Oh, easy.

Brandon Eldridge: So being intentional — spending a little bit of time, if not every day, every week, investing some time and knowledge into that industry — is going to be very important. If you're a small business and you want to streamline some of your work, whether that's a marketing plan, outreach, or any of the many other ways to use AI, you have to be intentional about it. Number two, I'm sensitive to our creative industry — I still want to use graphic designers, and I still want people and a human touch in what we do. That's been a reconciliation for me in how we use AI at SBDC. It's a challenge. People are investing time in it, and it's obviously a hot topic right now — we've been talking about it for a couple of years and have had some classes. Our partnership with the BBB is very strong, and this year we'll have our second annual AI summit for small business.

Robin Pasley: Okay.

Brandon Eldridge: Last year when we did it, it was exciting — I'll be fair, I'm kind of a nerd and a geek about this. I love it, and I think it's so neat what AI can do, but I also want to be responsible with it.

Robin Pasley: Yeah. I was thinking about how, if you can't use the tools that are coming up, you're going to be left in the dust.

Brandon Eldridge: Yeah.

Robin Pasley: However, we're all flesh and blood, and I think human beings are always going to want something influenced by a human. It's the same way my kids can spot AI images and video so fast — that's just going to keep getting better, but I think we're also going to keep wanting more human investment, more connection with one another. So, what are your clients or the people you work with consistently overlooking, outside of what we just talked about?

Brandon Eldridge: I think recently — as in the pandemic time frame — mental health became a big topic, and it's slowly, the pendulum swings. I think it's important for us as entrepreneurs to find balance in our own lives, and then also in the lives of those we influence. If you have staff, people around you, or contractors supporting your mission, find intentional ways to create balance. I know some folks will say the word "balance" is arbitrary, but whatever that looks like for you as a business owner, just be intentional about it. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day. So we started doing a monthly webinar about mental health, resiliency, and building a great company culture. People always come to us for access to capital, marketing, and recently AI, but there are so many other ways to run a business, and I don't want people to overlook HR and balance.

Robin Pasley: Wow, those are two big topics — the balance for a healthy workforce, and HR itself. That's a whole ball of wax.

Brandon Eldridge: Well, and I think that's why leadership programs are so important. When you look at Leadership Pikes Peak, CSLI, the Adelante Institute, or any of these organizations doing leadership work, that's really important for an entrepreneur. I was fortunate that I got to manage people before I came to SBDC, so I've experienced the challenges that come with that. Not every entrepreneur has had that privilege — now you're hiring employees and having to lead people you've never led before, or maybe you have, but were never really taught how. I think leadership is a journey where you have to think of others sometimes before yourself. And that's where balance comes in — how are you taking care of yourself too?

Robin Pasley: That's right on. You have so many great resources — how does a small business coming to Colorado Springs, or one that's already here and has just been dreaming, get a hold of you and your team?

Brandon Eldridge: We really like it when you go to our website — it's www.pikespeaksbdc.org — and just sign up. We've made it very easy for folks to find us and get access to us. When you sign up for a session, within 24 hours somebody on my team reaches out and says, "Tell me your journey, tell me your story." We might introduce you to some online curriculum, or to our startup day. We do a startup day the first Tuesday of every month, where you get lunch, get to hang out with other entrepreneurs, and get introduced to our advisors — it's our soup-to-nuts on how to start a business. Usually, people who've been in business for up to a year find tremendous value there too — even if you've already started, come hang out with us for a day.

Robin Pasley: Yeah.

Brandon Eldridge: And learn some things that maybe you haven't implemented yet, and pivot if you need to. And if you haven't started, great — there's no better time.

Robin Pasley: Yeah.

Brandon Eldridge: But I love that idea phase — I call it the epiphany season, the season where you get struck with an idea, you know you want to do it, and you can't stop thinking about it. You obsess over your passion, right?

Robin Pasley: Yes.

Brandon Eldridge: So your epiphany phase is a great opportunity to come hang out with us at SBDC, because we're going to help you sort through all those ideas and see if they're really viable.

Robin Pasley: Yeah.

Brandon Eldridge: And maybe help you, in the long run, preserve some relationships.

Robin Pasley: So wonderful. Brandon, thank you so much for coming on our show today and for sharing what you guys do. It's super important for business owners.

Brandon Eldridge: You got it. Thank you so much.

Announcer: If you need to create an unforgettable experience, then branded interior design is your secret weapon, because we don't do boring. Designed to help your business grow. Pasley Commercial Interiors.

TASK 5 — META TITLE: Spatial Branding Meets Small Business Strategy TASK 5 — META DESCRIPTION: Learn why restaurant interior design shapes guest loyalty, plus how Colorado Springs business owners get free SBDC planning support to grow with intention.