I was recently interviewed for an article in QSR about the ever-expanding trend in pop-up restaurants. I think the writer has done a good job in explaining the pop-up restaurant craze from an industry perspective.

You can read the article here.

I am personally a big fan of this trend. As a culture vulture, I love experiencing new culinary concepts, especially ones that are here today and gone tomorrow. As a foodie, I love trying out innovative concepts in food by chefs who are trying new things or by potential restauranteurs who want to test the waters.

Occasionally, brands in the food & beverage category manage to succeed in putting together an occasion- or theme-based pop-up, and of course there are the artists-pranksters out there who use the concept as an experiential art project. The danger lies in the temporary food spaces that pop-up as a directive from a brand’s higher-ups who want to partake in the fun. It’s easy to see through the shoddiness of the me-too pop-ups and they do nothing to promote the brand equity and lots to discredit it. A branded pop-up restaurant or food space needs to have a raison d’être beyond capitalizing on the trend. Consumers have seen enough and they’ll only use their power in word-of-mouth and social networking recommendations only if there is a novel POV behind the pop-up.