Just don’t drink and drive

Car showroom by day, restaurant by night -- another example of smart multi-exploitation of commercial space, from Berlin to Sydney.

Car showroom by day, restaurant by night… Car dealers have the opposite problem of movie theaters (see Movie theater morphs into gamer’s paradise): car showrooms are busy enough during the day, but are empty — save for the cars — at night. Solution: build in a restaurant, so patrons (and prospective tyre-kickers) can enjoy the view of a nice sports car while sipping a good Burgundy. Peugeot, Mercedes Benz and MG are leading the way. First to kick off this trend was Sydney’s MG Garage, which opened in November 1997. More recently, Peugeot and Mercedes Benz showrooms started accommodating restaurants in Berlin. Just take a cab back home though.

Opportunities