Same Space, Different Rent—Which Game Are You Ready to Play?

Do not index

Most restaurant owners obsess over location.

And for good reason—location can bring you footfall. It can put you on the map.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t pay rent with footfall. You pay it with revenue.

And revenue has to be earned—whether you’re in a prime mall or a side street.

Let me show you what I mean.

🏗 Two Spaces. Same Size. Different Games.

Imagine you’re choosing between two 1,200 sqft locations for your casual dining restaurant:

Mall Location @ $20 psf → Rent = $24,000/month

Secondary Location @ $10 psf → Rent = $12,000/month

Exact same size. Very different stakes.

To maintain a healthy 15% rent-to-revenue ratio, here’s how much revenue each location must generate monthly:

Location	Monthly Rent	Target Revenue (15% rule)	ASP (Casual Dining)	Covers Needed (Daily)
Mall ($20 psf)	$24,000	$160,000	$25	213
Obscure ($10 psf)	$12,000	$80,000	$25	107

Now here’s where the real conversation begins.

🎯 Mall Strategy: Visibility Comes at a Price

Yes, the mall gives you footfall.

You’re near a cinema, a supermarket, maybe even a train station.

But that visibility costs you.

To justify the rent, you’ll need to:

Run at 2–3 full turns a day

Maximise delivery during off-peak

Make every seat work harder

In theory, you don’t need to market as aggressively—eyeballs are already there.

But here's the catch:

You're competing with every other F&B brand on the same floor.

Visibility doesn’t equal preference. You still need to win the booking, the craving, or the queue.

🌱 Secondary Location Strategy: Lower Rent, Higher Hustle

At $10 psf, your rent load is lighter—but your job gets harder.

You won’t have the luxury of walk-in traffic. You’ll need to create demand.

What does that mean?

Rank high on Google Maps and local searches

Collect positive reviews—early and often

Activate food influencers and online PR

Make delivery a serious revenue channel

If location doesn’t do the talking, your execution has to.

Your online presence becomes your shopfront.

🧠 So Which Game Are You Playing?

Here’s how I’d summarise the two models:

Factor	Mall ($20 psf)	Obscure ($10 psf)
Footfall	Higher, built-in	Lower, must generate
Rent Pressure	High—$160K/month target	Moderate—$80K/month target
Marketing Need	Optional, competitive edge	Essential, survival strategy
Google Reviews	Helpful	Critical
Influencer/PR	Optional	Mandatory
Delivery Importance	Efficiency booster	Core revenue stream
Brand Leverage	Location does some of the lifting	Brand must carry the weight

There’s no right or wrong answer.

Both spaces can work.

Both strategies can work.

But you need to know which game you’re in—and plan accordingly.

🛠 Two Levers That Help in Both Scenarios

Regardless of rent, two things consistently give restaurants an edge:

1. Delivery and Takeaway = Seats Beyond Your Walls

Your rent buys you a physical footprint.

But your kitchen has capacity beyond those walls.

Lunch starts at 12pm—but online orders come in earlier.

Most prep happens 11:00–11:30am, before peak dining begins.

Smart operators use delivery to:

Extend kitchen output

Fill idle time

Spread rent across more revenue

You can’t increase your square footage, but you can increase your output.

2. Data = Your Engine for Repeat Visits

Whether you’re visible or hidden, you need return customers.

That’s where data comes in:

Collect emails and phone numbers

Automate remarketing (reminders, promos, vouchers)

Convert one-time diners into regulars

We’ve seen this across 5,000+ restaurants:

The larger and more active your database, the easier it is to hit your cover targets—consistently.

Don’t rely on footfall.

Build your own traffic.

💬 Final Thought: You Can’t Complain About Rent if You Don’t Know the Game

Most restaurant owners talk about location, location, location.

But what they really need is:

Clarity on their revenue requirements

A plan to get there

And tools that stretch every dollar of rent into maximum revenue

Whether you're in a mall or a side street, the rule stays the same:

Make back your rent in 5 days—and you’re in a position to win.

Until next time,

Jonathan Lim

Founder & CEO, Oddle