Owning and operating a restaurant is hard work and requires a lot of dedication. The foodservice industry is a very tough one because most businesses don’t last longer than 5 years. One of the biggest challenges of starting a new restaurant is to create the perfect functional and aesthetically pleasing interior design.
An original menu, great cooking, and incredible customer service will go a long way in the restaurant business. But if you’re in it for long-term success, your restaurant needs to have style, ambiance, and unique and attractive decor that sticks in people’s minds.
When you do restaurant design and decorate with your customers in mind instead of only your tastes or trying to be utilitarian, it creates an inviting and enjoyable atmosphere where people will want to spend a pleasant meal.
In this article, you’ll find a few guidelines for designing a restaurant that will keep your customers happy and your restaurant thriving for as long as you want.
Combine Your Brand, Theme, and Cuisine
It’s important that the brand you created, the theme of the restaurant, and the type of cuisine make a united front and complement each other in a way that people who visit know that the whole place just makes sense.
If seafood is the primary type of food you sell then your restaurant design, decor, and brand need to reflect that particular style of cuisine. That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have pictures of ships and crabs all over your walls, but it does mean you have to keep a very gentle navy type of theme. If your cuisine and theme are more formal, then your decor needs to be fancier or more luxurious, as well as your staff’s style of dress.
Just like that, if you have a small deli or a casual smart foodservice business, interior design elements such as tea candles at the tables, dim lighting or expensive tablecloths will look off-putting and out of place.
For small establishments that do a lot of take-out or pick-up orders, a food pick-up locker from Grubbrr is an excellent way to offer convenience for your guests while adding to the theme at the same time. It’s all about finding a balance that makes people feel comfortable and in tone with the food.
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Create an Exceptional Entrance
Your restaurant’s entrance will influence how your customers feel about your restaurant’s service, food, and cleanliness. You could say that the entrance of your restaurant is the first impression they’ll get of the overall experience. An exceptional entrance that’s clean, well lit, and exceptionally decorated will tell your customers that you put a lot of care and attention into your establishment. People who walk in there will be eager to get to their table and see what else is also amazing.
Balance Seating Capacity with Setting
You don’t want to crowd your dining area with as many tables as you can to maximize seating capacity and profits. Remember that, while a restaurant is a business as any other, you’re more likely to succeed if you really think about what your customers might enjoy. People feel more comfortable with more space and privacy when dining around others. Keep your tables appropriately spaced apart to allow for privacy and comfort. If possible, you should also have a separate dining area for large groups and families. Another important aspect is to keep the smoking area away from the non-smoking area and the children’s area, if there’s any. These are important for restaurant design.
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Don’t Neglect the Restrooms
Bathrooms are often an afterthought to most restaurateurs. With so much work to do on menu design, food selection, dining and kitchen layouts, hosting, and many other tasks; restrooms often get put on the back burner. But the truth is your restrooms will see a lot of traffic, and if they’re in poor condition or poorly designed and decorated, it will reflect badly on you and your restaurant. Nothing’s more disappointing than enjoying a nice meal and going to the restroom only to discover the conditions of the place make you lose your appetite.
With this in mind, make sure your bathrooms are large enough to accommodate your total seating capacity in an alternate rhythm. No one likes to wait in line to use the restroom but you also won’t invest in a restroom for 60 people. You should also keep your restrooms clean and in working condition. For better effects, you can also add plants, nice restroom partitions, extra mirrors, and custom sinks to make your restrooms more attractive and appealing, and a comfortable place that keeps in line with the rest of the decor.
Putting your customer’s comfort first means designing your restaurant with them in mind. Bathrooms, waiting areas, dining areas, and kitchens all play a key role in how well your restaurant can care for your guest’s needs. It doesn’t matter if you have a huge or small budget, it only matters how well you figure your layout, functioning and interior design to make guests feel relaxed and taken care of. By putting some thought and planning into your restaurant design, you can create a space that’s functional and pleasing to your guests.
