The Significance Of Interior Design For Restaurant Owners
Restaurant owners are often categorized as overzealously acute to attention-to-detail, experts in stress management, social butterflies and culinary avant-gardists. Although many of these character traits are true, what many people don’t realize is how interior-savvy restaurant owners are at designing their place of business.
There are approximately one million restaurants scattered throughout the United States, each trying to distinguish itself flavor and uniqueness from the next. If there is one thing all restaurant owners know it’s that a successful business doesn’t just depend on taste, it relies on marketing, customer satisfaction, price, and menial things such as waiter wardrobe and silverware.
Yet, one of the overwhelming aspects of restaurant failure (that routinely gets overlooked) is, of course, its interior design.
If you’re in the midst of designing your own restaurant, or thinking about bolstering its look and feel, here are some essential elements that can either make or break your restaurant before anyone even walks through the door:
Restaurant Furniture
Besides the eloquent arranged artwork, menu options and atmospheric ambiance, restaurant goers want to be comfortable. However, comfy seating isn’t the only quality that customers deem important. Restaurant furniture should also match the personality and tone of the space as well. Many owners settle for inexpensive options when shopping for seating, which is a drastic mistake. If your place of business contains an outdoor seating area, consider incorporating these types of patio furniture for your restaurant, providing your customers with comfort while providing you with more money in your pocket.
Ventilation
Proper installation of ventilation equipment is a rarity in most restaurants in America, which in turn affects the smell and temperature—assuring many customers that they may not want to come back. This is especially important regarding where your place of business is located. For example, if your restaurant is situated in the hot n’ sticky southeast of Florida, humidity becomes an overwhelming problem that requires appropriate ventilation flow. Strategize as to the best areas to install the ventilation system, as incorrect positioned ventilation can be a smelly and expensive mistake.
Light Design
Do you own a coffee shop? Then fluorescent, flickering lighting can all but ruin its ambiance. Similar to restaurant furniture, its lighting helps to set the mood and feel you want to produce for your customers. Is your restaurant an upscale and romantic? Then dimmed, low lighting or boldly arranged candles can help to enhance the restaurant’s tone.
Music
A restaurant utilizes all human senses: taste, smell, sight and sound. Awkward, loud or unfitting music can be an immediate turn off for many customers. Remember, you want to enhance the restaurant experience via music, not overpower it. Just like every other aspect to your restaurant—the musical design should capture its character and charm.
Aroma Arrangement
There may be nothing worse than poorly positioned aromas in your restaurant. Between mopping, cooking fumes, smokers outside, bathroom stalls and floral design, there may be too much smell combinations that you need to consider. Subtle, pleasant and strategically placed aromatic items will ensure that not one will be offended.