Restauratour: A Literal Translation

Germany-based Vapiano opens in the States with few concessions to American tastes.

By Lisa Bertagnoli, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 6/1/2007

Ballston, Va., got a touch of international flair in April when Vapiano, a European cafe and bar, opened across the street from Ballston Commons mall.

Ballston is the first U.S. location for Vapiano, a Hamburg, Germany-based chain that bills itself as "fresh casual," offering made-to-order Italian food in a stylish cafe and bar setting. The name, a contraction of the Italian phrase va piano, or "slow down," is taken from the saying chi va piano, va sano e va lontano, which translates roughly as "slow and steady wins the race," says Kent Hahne, president of McLean, Va.-based Vapiano International, the company’s U.S. division.

The spare and contemporary interior, designed by Matteo Thun & Partners of Milan, Italy, features white ceilings and intense yet diffuse lighting. Plants provide focal points: A huge olive tree, the Italian symbol for long life and good luck, emerges from the center of a communal table, and shelves full of potted parsley, basil and other herbs line a wall.

Few decorations interrupt the clean lines. Black-and-white photographs of Italian street scenes hang here and there, and a wall in the lounge area is covered with smaller framed photos. Deep-red walls and red leather lounge furniture add color to the room. So does a vast chalkboard mural, with food and flower drawings and witty sayings like "never trust a skinny chef," that hangs above the cooking line.

The heart of the concept is that cooking line, a 40-foot-long affair holding eight stations, where salads, antipasti, pastas and pizzas are made to order. (A bakery in Baltimore supplies breads and some desserts.) The menu is "100 percent from scratch, but we don’t want to advertise it," says American-born Hahne, who was McDonald’s first franchisee in Germany. "We want people to see for themselves."

Buildouts, American-Style

Vapiano hired Heiserman Group, a Bethesda, Md.-based architecture and design group, to transplant Vapiano from Europe to the United States. It imported most of the equipment and fixtures from Germany, including the furniture and millwork, which are made from specially treated oak. The resulting product has an aged, whitened look and feels slightly rough to the touch.

Transplanting the concept was "taxing," says Principal Herbert Heiserman. One issue: translating metric measurements to American measurements, no small matter considering the volume of millwork and furniture for the 150-seat restaurant. Another challenge: translating assembly instructions from German to English.

A design signature, black-shaded lamps hardwired into each table, also presented a design challenge. "The way you wire things is done differently in the States," Heiserman says. Plus, the lights required a different UL listing because they are technically part of the table.

Making the restaurant compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act also presented issues. The height of the counter at the serving line and table heights had to be lowered to be wheelchair friendly. Vapiano also built restaurant-level restrooms; in Europe, restrooms are on a lower level. Heiserman says that future Vapiano locations, on M Street and in Chinatown in Washington, D.C., will include both restaurant-level and lower-level bathrooms.

Vapiano encountered home-grown challenges as well. For instance, the entryway had to be relocated three times. Arlington County prohibited the first entry, on Wilson Boulevard; the second did not comply with ADA regulations. The entrance is now located in a courtyard just off Wilson Boulevard.

The total investment for the Ballston store was about $2.1 million, higher than expected because of the various challenges Vapiano dealt with. Hahne expects future locations to range between 5,000 square feet and 8,000 square feet, with buildout costs of $1.5 million to $2 million.

Minimal Changes

While Vapiano made changes to comply with local building requirements, the concept itself remains basically unchanged. Portions are still small, with pasta servings averaging 180 grams, or about 6.5 ounces. That’s big for Europe, "but not Cheesecake Factory portions," Hahne says.

Vapiano is also keeping recipes the same as in Europe, focusing on light, Italian cooking. Hahne says it will not adapt to the bolder flavors to which the American palate has become accustomed.

The concept is also retaining its European service style. Charges are loaded onto a magnetic-strip card, and customers pay for their meals upon leaving the restaurant. The service style is convenient for customers, who don’t have to wait for the check, and also encourages add-on sales, because customers don’t have to fumble with cash if they want dessert or another drink.

Vapiano, however, will make two changes to suit the U.S. market. First, the restaurant will offer takeout. "We’re going to have to," Hahne says, noting that in Europe, takeout accounts for only 2 percent to 3 percent of sales. And, while European locations sell only beer and wine, the Ballston bar will offer a full martini menu.

Hahne expects Vapiano to attract a 25- to 55-year-old demographic, including businesspeople, ladies who lunch and two-income couples. So far, he says, sales are exceeding expectations. He expects the unit to post $3 million in sales.

That is crucial, as the greater D.C. area will test Vapiano’s viability in the States. "It’s one of the big food markets," says Hahne. "If we can make it here, we can make it somewhere else."