It’s quite common to walk into a restaurant and feel comfortable and at ease without any apparent reason. The chairs, the decor, the music… It may seem natural, but in reality, nothing is left to chance.
In that case, interior design in restaurants can be decisive in the success or failure of the business. In the world of culinary experiences, good interior design in restaurants is key and has a greater influence than we might think.
The relationship between the customer and the establishment begins through its decoration, so it partly depends on whether that customer returns to the restaurant or not.
Interior Design in restaurants with a professional
It’s not always necessary, but here are some reasons why hiring an interior designer to decorate a restaurant is advocated:
Market Research
This will be the first step a professional decorator will take to know the current trends, thus executing a personalized strategic plan for the restaurant. It’s important to have this theoretical part to later apply it, adapting to the target audience of the business.
Ergonomic Vision
A restaurant decoration professional, apart from deciding which lights and colors to use, will also consider the spaces, such as the gaps between tables. This ergonomic field will help create a more satisfying experience for diners.
Customer Experience
Professionals often play with various styles of interior design in restaurants until they adapt to the needs of the customer. They know how to combine colors to stimulate appetite in people or what lighting or atmosphere helps with that.
Budget Management
Knowing how to manage economic resources is crucial when facing interior design in restaurants. You have to plan the operation of the venue in the long term and take into account things like furniture wear and consider the use of simple and economical materials.
Brand Image
Here, a professional in restaurant interior design becomes essential when it comes to working on marketing and corporate image of the company. From menu design to aesthetic coherence are key to the final success of a restaurant.
Factors for a successful restaurant Interior design
Here are the main ones:
Understanding the restaurant business concept
Undoubtedly, this is the first step that must be taken. Knowing where we stand in the hospitality world and to which market niche we belong.
Preparing the interior design
This step comes after having figured out the concept and business model of the venue. There are three keys to work on at the beginning of the design: differentiate from the rest of the competition, create a concept relevant to customers, and achieve an emotional bond of sufficient intensity.
Dissecting the kitchen
Prior to analyzing the environment in which the restaurant is located, it is essential to dissect the type of cuisine it offers. This way, through decoration, we will be able to get closer to the target customer.
Materials
Imagine a traditional food restaurant. In a case like that, it would be helped, for example, by basic and untreated materials such as wood, iron, or stone. However, a fusion cuisine restaurant would require modern materials, coatings, or paints. With this, we will reflect the personality of the kitchen.
Knowing the kitchen team to address their needs
The interior design of a restaurant must align with the tastes and personality of the kitchen team to convey a sincere atmosphere. Therefore, everything must be analyzed deeply and personally with the chef: identifying the cook by capturing his idea of cooking to be able to capture it, interacting so that the atmosphere helps to create some personality traits and achieving that the chef also feels identified with his workplace.
Relationship between functionality and aesthetics
This marriage must be a balanced relationship to stand out from the competition, without neglecting the customer experience. In restaurant interior design, there are functionality factors that we must take into account: customers must enter through a specific, comfortable, and accessible place. Worker movements must be as short as possible; all areas, whether hidden, illuminated, or transparent, must be controlled, and focal, ambient, and indirect lighting must be managed.
Space distribution
It is an essential factor to achieve intimacy at the tables, a quality that is highly appreciated among customer preferences. Characteristics such as that, the size of the table, or the proximity to the door are key points in customer satisfaction. Although the strategy of opening doors in many businesses works, in the world of restaurant interior design, it is not recommended because here the privacy of the customers prevails.
Comfort in Restaurant design and space
Two characteristics are of obligatory attention to guarantee the comfort of clients and workers:
Lighting is a must in a restaurant
Experts refer to this factor as the most important when designing a restaurant interior. Achieving the right light focused on the type of client and making sure it has the right amount, as well as avoiding other things like dim areas, shadows, and other annoying problems.
Local acoustics
The study of sound that will make a restaurant pleasant or not is absolutely key. Calculating the type of music and the times is important as is also the reverberation it produces.
Important elements of restaurant interior design
Take note:
Architecture: It is a crucial aspect in restaurant interior design to know how to place all the elements. The customer’s comfort when walking through the premises will determine the feeling of comfort or claustrophobia. And, the design must allow workers to see customers at all times.
Colors: There are colors that motivate eating while others suppress appetite. Warm colors like orange or red stimulate appetite, as does intense yellow. However, blue is a suppressor. The colors to avoid are always grays and browns.
Smells: The aroma of the restaurant’s products will determine whether customers enter the premises or not. There are studies that say that sales can triple with the right aromas.
With all these tips for interior design in restaurants, you’re already closer to success!
