Restaurant architecture and interior design
For individuals who intend to establish a restaurant, aside from an excellent menu, the aesthetics of the restaurant should also be taken into consideration. One of the main reasons many restaurants fail, even with excellent food, is the lack of attention to the restaurant’s interior design. The interior design of a restaurant is a key factor in attracting customers. Restaurant design should be captivating to customers and create a unique atmosphere.
Important Points in Restaurant Interior Design
If you have recently purchased a restaurant or plan to open one, it’s essential to consider the following points regarding restaurant interior design:
1. Create a Suitable Layout: Before making any physical changes, it’s necessary to design a suitable layout. The layout design should consider spacing, furniture sizes, and arrangement. For example, you may want restrooms on the side and the kitchen in the back of the restaurant’s floor plan. Or perhaps, you want to maximize the space near the windows. Adequate, well-lit paths should be provided for both customers and staff.
2. Create an Eye-Catching Entrance: An eye-catching entrance is one way to attract customers to your restaurant. The entrance should be unique, high-quality, and attractive. The restaurant’s name should be clearly visible from the street view. Ensure that the entrance design matches the restaurant’s theme. For instance, if you have an Indian cuisine restaurant, you can use colorful and glossy images of spices and plants at the entrance. However, for a seafood restaurant, a design with aquatic or oceanic themes might be more suitable.
3. Focus on the Target Group: When planning the interior design of your restaurant, identify your target customer group. For instance, if you are targeting students and young adults, it’s better to use bright and bold colors with music-themed wallpaper designs and retro-style furniture. The bar area should have informal decorations and attractive lighting. But if you are targeting a business clientele, choose a modern, clean, and elegant interior design. Use banquet seating with light colors. The furniture should appear appealing and well-organized.
4. Illuminate the Space for Customers: Proper lighting is vital in restaurant interior design. To create a calming environment, you need to achieve a balance between natural and artificial light. Proper lighting can significantly affect customers’ moods and decisions. Ensure that the lighting intensity, colors, and timing are suitable for the space. For example, for a romantic and intimate ambiance during late-night dining, you may want to use tabletop lamps in a semi-dark environment.
5. Use Colors Wisely: The impact of colors on mood and decision-making is evident, so avoid dull or depressing colors. Use colors that make the restaurant look spacious and bright. In family restaurants, opt for soft pastel colors and add some lively colors around the bar area. In general, colors should align with the restaurant’s theme and the preferences of the clientele.
6. Consider Table Styles: To reduce uniformity, use a combination of table styles for seating customers, while also considering their preferences, needs, and privacy. Ensure that the arrangement of furniture doesn’t obstruct the movement of customers or staff.
7. Heating and Ventilation Are Essential: Adequate HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) is crucial for any restaurant. Kitchens emit heat, smoke, and strong odors that can negatively impact the restaurant’s ambiance. To prevent this, ensure that the kitchen area has proper ventilation, and the dining and waiting areas have a comfortable temperature.
8. Install a Sound System: Music is an essential feature in a restaurant. It appeals to all senses and encourages customers to eat more. The type of music depends on the restaurant’s overall theme. Instead of playing music through a single speaker, consider installing a modern stereo system that can evenly distribute soothing music throughout different areas of the restaurant.
9. Don’t Neglect the Restrooms: In restaurant interior design, restrooms are often overlooked, but they are one of the most crucial aspects of your business. You need to turn the restroom visit into a pleasant experience, not something customers dread. Restrooms should be well-lit, spacious, and easy to clean. They should also have a pleasant fragrance and be free of any unpleasant odors. A dirty and unkept restroom is a guarantee that customers won’t return, even if you invite Gordon Ramsay to cook in your restaurant.
10. And Finally, the Kitchen: The kitchen is the heart and soul of your restaurant. This is where you should spare no expense. To avoid clutter, an open kitchen concept can be a good idea. Use a glass door or window so that customers can see what’s happening inside the kitchen. Keep the kitchen well-lit, adequately ventilated, and spacious. Staff should have enough room for cooking, moving around, and cleaning.
11. Create an Art Gallery in the Restaurant: Modern restaurants have become places for some of the most creative interior designs in the world. Your restaurant’s art gallery can be a strong motivator for people to come to your restaurant. Technology, art, and nature can be combined to create an imaginative world for your customers, which can be captivating to everyone’s eyes. Your restaurant’s art gallery can also showcase the works of different artists.
12. Don’t Forget About the Flooring: Lastly, don’t forget about the flooring. There are various options for restaurant flooring, but you should consider the following characteristics:
These are some essential aspects to consider when designing the interior of your restaurant. Each element contributes to the overall dining experience and should be carefully planned to create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere for your customers.
Safety: You should ensure that the flooring is non-slip. Therefore, it doesn’t matter what material you use; use an anti-slip coating to prevent accidents.
Noise: Noise is a common issue in restaurants, so you should use flooring that can absorb and reduce sound. Concrete and carpet are good options. You may also decide to install sound-absorbing panels on the walls and ceiling.
Durability: Most restaurant floors, due to high traffic and food spills, quickly wear and tear. To avoid replacing the flooring every few years, installing hard flooring (such as hardwood) is an excellent option as it is durable, attractive, and resistant to wear and tear.
Repair and Maintenance: Spills and water on the floor are common in all restaurants, so you need to choose flooring that is easy to clean and maintain.
Interior restaurant design should start with layout design. Kitchen design should not be taken lightly because it is the most important part of the restaurant. Hygiene services should be a priority as they can attract customers. Choose the restaurant’s theme based on your target customer group and increase the chances of their return visits. If you intend to build a new restaurant or even change the use of a space from your existing restaurant, we can help you do this in a completely principled way.
Plans for various restaurant spaces: Below are some examples of designs for different parts of a restaurant.
1- Restaurant Kitchen Plan: One of the most important aspects of restaurant design is your kitchen. The kitchen is primarily designed in consultation with the head chef, kitchen consultant, architect, and contractor.
Paying attention to the kitchen layout design for its staff is vital. Properly laid out kitchens increase efficiency, reduce accidents, and improve overall staff satisfaction. Below is an example of a restaurant kitchen plan, including space for receiving food, food storage, dry storage room, food preparation, cooking, dishwashing, dish storage, a restroom, and a staff locker room.
2- Waiting Area Plan: In restaurant interior design, the waiting area is often overlooked, or they decide to add it later. They think it might make the dining area feel cramped or obstruct the path for servers or other customers. But don’t make this mistake, as the waiting area provides an excellent space for accommodating guests on different levels.
3- Complete Bar Service Plan: A complete restaurant may have a bar that also serves as a waiting area, allowing you to serve more people. Below is an example of a complete bar service plan in a private restaurant.
4- Dining Room Plan: Without a doubt, the dining room is the most crucial part of a restaurant. Your dining room should be attractive and intimate, spacious yet cozy. It doesn’t matter how large the dining space is; what matters is that it should never feel cavernous to your guests.
5- Restroom Layout: A clean restroom reflects overall cleanliness and shows that you care about your guests. In many restaurants, restroom layout design is considered a lower priority. However, according to a survey, over 80% of customers say they avoid restaurants with dirty or inadequate restrooms.
6- Employee Break Room Plan: The importance of the employee break room isn’t limited to the kitchen. It’s essential to think about spaces for all your staff when designing the interior of your restaurant. Waitstaff, chefs, hosts, bartenders, and all your employees need a place to prepare for their shifts or take breaks during working hours.
7- POS System and Cash Register Layout: The POS system is like the “heart” of your restaurant in terms of efficiency. So, strategically placing POS terminals in your restaurant can significantly impact your business’s efficiency. You may need several POS terminals in different areas: one for the bar, one for the hosts, another for servers, and kitchen display screens for kitchen staff. Alternatively, you may want to minimize visible technology in your dining room and install only one terminal discreetly.
8- Outdoor Restaurant Space Plan: Your restaurant might have a patio in an outdoor space or on the street. If so, that’s great! A patio with good design can increase your restaurant’s gross profit by an incredible 65%.
9- Restaurant Entrance Design: Customers often claim that they prefer not to choose a restaurant solely based on its exterior appearance. However, they can be easily enticed by an attractive façade. Consider the exterior of your restaurant as a billboard designed to quickly attract visitors before your servers even approach them.
10- Emergency Exit Display: Emergency exit routes should be considered in the plan for all restaurants. In the example below, emergency exit routes are highlighted in red.
How to Choose a Restaurant Plan:
Now that we are familiar with the interior spaces of a restaurant and have seen some inspiring examples of layout and visual display of important restaurant spaces, it’s time to think about the restaurant you intend to start.
When designing the interior of your restaurant, consider the following in your plan:
- How much space do you have available? Consider the mentioned spaces and allocate enough room for guests to move comfortably
- Which areas do you plan to invest more in?
- Include additional contingency plans in your layout for future social distancing measures.
- Do you want to design a complete bar service for your restaurant?
