restaurant layouts and arrangements

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3 Tips for Maximizing the Space of a Small Venue

Aug 26
Posted by Daniel in bar tips and advice, Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant layout, Restaurant Seating Design, restaurant tips and advice

Designing a small restaurant or pub can require creative thinking to make the most of a limited space; knowing how to select the right furniture and layout is essential.

Small restaurants can have very big advantages for entrepreneurs, but can also present them with very difficult design challenges. A smaller venue brings with it lower costs and less overhead. The price of rent, as well as utilities such as heating and cooling, can be significantly lower. A much smaller wait staff and kitchen staff is also an advantage of a small restaurant or pub, and initial design costs will often be significantly lower in a smaller space.

Choosing the right layout and restaurant furniture for a small venue is essential to a customer’s impression of the establishment. A small venue done right can come across as cozy, intimate and comfortable, whereas a badly designed small venue will seem cluttered, crowded and unpleasant. The following are three tips on how to choose the right furniture and layout to make a restaurant or pub a big hit in a small package.

1) Utilize bar and counter seating

Bar and counter seating is a great way to get a lot of people seated at your establishment, while still offering wait staff and customers ample space to move around. A bar placed on one side of the room adjacent to the kitchen with high bar stools is great not only for spacing – it also can establish a venue as a place to congregate in the neighborhood. Customers who might normally just be ordering food and soft drinks are much more likely to order alcohol while eating at the bar, which will definitely boost profits.

Counter seating along the restaurant’s front windows is also a great way to save some space, and offer diners who value their privacy an appropriate seating option. Seating with a street view is pleasant for diners in your restaurant and can serve to pull foot traffic in from outside.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Install banquet seating

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Restaurant Patio Design: The Basics

Jul 10
Posted by Daniel in Restaurant Furniture

outdoor patio furnitureThere are Hundreds of Options for Beautiful Patio Design

Much like the layout of a restaurant’s interior seating area, there are endless options to beautifully design a restaurant’s patio area. The right patio design can enhance the business of any restaurant. Small restaurants can look bigger with sprawling patio designs. Large restaurants can look even larger and grander with beautifully created patio designs. The extra seating created by a well-planned and carefully laid out patio design can help to enhance your revenues. You can do just about anything with your patio space. After all, patio designs can only be limited to the space that you have, the type of atmosphere that you want to create, and the amount of creativity you put into it.

Patio Designs and the Works

There are so many patio designs that you can choose from for your restaurant. For smaller restaurants with smaller areas, garden or sidewalk patio designs are the most popular choice. You can also opt for those charming courtyard patio designs if you have a nice little garden with a perfect spot for the sun. There are sidewalk patio designs which you can also choose to make that space in front of your restaurant come alive. If you love holding events and providing entertainment at your restaurant on a regular basis, decorative concrete patio designs will be perfect for you. They are great for hosting bands and entertainers. They can even serve as outdoor lounges to wait in with a drink or outdoor kitchens to stage elaborate public cooking exhibitions.

The Benefits

Having patio designs that work means additional and more flexible seating for your restaurant. A patio can be an extension of your interiors and double as a lounge, bar, seating area for families with children, buffet space or outdoor kitchen. Great patio designs can turn an otherwise boring exterior into an amazing pebble garden. Great patio designs can also maximize the use of an otherwise unusable and unattractive space on your property and turn it into a working and beautiful space for customers.

Some Tips

Your patio designs should not look like just a slab of concrete strategically dropped on a space outside your restaurant. It should look natural, beautiful and not overly done. The most functional patio designs should consider the amount of exposure to sun and shade. You must avoid placing your patio in a place where you get too much sun or too little shade. Otherwise, it would not be a very comfortable spot to eat in at a particular time of day. Also consider its proximity to the kitchen.

Remember, the patio is the extension of the interiors. You really do not want to walk a couple hundred feet from the kitchen to the outdoor seating area when you are trying to provide quick and efficient customer service. (more…)

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Metal vs. Wood Restaurant Chairs

Nov 07
Posted by Daniel in Commercial Seating, Restaurant Chairs, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant seating, restaurant tips and advice

wood and metal restaurant chairsIf you own a restaurant, you might be wondering whether you should get metal or wood furniture for your venue. It’s a tough decision, but by taking a few factors into account that decision could be a little easier.

First, you should know that metal chairs are more durable and can withstand more wear and tear than wooden ones, it is also easier to clean and maintain as it does not require the same level of care as wood. An added bonus is the stackable metal chairs which can be stacked on top of one another very easily, making them a great fit for storage purposes. So if you want to take the practical, cost effective route, metal is likely your best bet. However, metal is often times not quite as stylish as wood.

This means that if you’re running a high end, fancy restaurant, you’ll obviously want everyone to realize just how fancy your restaurant actually is. Quite frankly, metal chairs can come off as a somewhat cheaper option and also have a colder less personal feel. Your customers will know you’re cutting corners to lower costs, rather than going all out to ensure your restaurant is a lavish, exciting experience for them.

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Restaurant Safety Tips – Fire

Feb 24
Posted by Daniel in restaurant layout, restaurant tips and advice

No ire image - by Kriss Szkurlatowski

In previous posts we discussed the importance of design on the success of the restaurant. But there is another aspect that many people don’t think about too often: Safety.

We all want to think nothing bad will ever happen but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be prepared for it in case it does. And we do hope it doesn’t.

So here is an important post about an unpleasant subject that we all need to keep in mind at all times, and even more so when restaurants are involved.

Restaurants are some of the most fire hazardous places in the world, especially in the kitchen. The fact that a restaurant is usually a busy place with many costumers makes it even more dangerous.  That’s why it’s very important to install fire extinguishing systems in all restaurants.

The importance of the restaurant seating layout in a case of a fire

If you’re a restaurant owner you must realize that the way you design your restaurant seating layout, as well as the placement of the other restaurant furniture, could be a matter of life and death. First of all, to ensure a safe way out if a fire starts, make absolutely sure that the path to the restaurant’s main door isn’t blocked by anything! You must realize that when a fire breaks loose and the fire alarm starts ringing, people usually panic and seek the way out of the burning structure. Therefore you must ensure a clear, safe path for them to do so!

Wood and Fire don’t mix (more…)

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Feng Shui and Restaurant Furniture

Feb 17
Posted by Daniel in Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant layout, restaurant seating, Restaurant Seating Design, restaurant tips and advice

This is the last part of our Feng Shui Tips (for now) and this time the main focus is on the restaurant furniture and their placement.

Basically, using Feng Shui can make your restaurant more inviting, welcoming, and pleasant for customers to dine in useing both the laws of Heaven and Earth to help improve life and atmosphere by receiving positive Qi which means “life energy”. Furniture are an integral part of Feng Shui. Colors, materials, and furniture are all going to change the dining experience in your restaurant.

The entrance to your restaurant is considered the Mouth of Qi. What you have near the restaurant entrance and what is visible by the entrance will affect your Feng Shui. The entrance should be vibrant and easy to find and access. The style of your restaurant needs to match the energy of your cuisine and the dining experience you’re offering. The signage and menus should use colors and styles that convey that to your customers.

Tables should not be near doorways or between access routes to the restrooms, kitchen, or back areas. This makes moving about difficult and dampens the experience. Toilets and restrooms should not be visible from the entrance way. You must think of the visual clues customers expect when they first walk into your restaurant. The restrooms are not one of them.

For your restaurant seating layouts, find a way to maximize comfort, mobility, and capacity. Your restaurant seating should mix different items like booths, bar stools, and tables to create an atmosphere of versatility and comfort. When placing chairs and tables, take care to notice the distance between a chair and the next table. There should be enough room for two people to pass by without bumping into furniture. A person should also be able to sit without being grazed by other customers walking past. (more…)

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Using Feng Shui Colors in Your Restaurant

Feb 14
Posted by Daniel in Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant layout, restaurant tips and advice

In the previous post, Feng Shui for restaurants, I wrote about several things that you can do to improve your restaurant’s atmosphere and appeal. This time I want to focus on colors.

Colors are especially meaningful even when it comes to food. People assign meaning to colors through cultural experiences. Colors also have energies that express different emotions and evoke different feelings in people.

When looking to use feng shui to find new colors for your restaurant, take time to understand what type of cuisine works well with certain types of colors. You should use warm colors for the interior of your restaurant and menu and a yellow-based lighting instead of a blue-based lighting. Yellow and warm colors bring more light and positive energy to your dining area. These colors also encourage appetite.

The colors for your restaurant should match the type of dining experience you’re offering. If it’s a family-style restaurant, have colors that attract not only the parents, but the kids as well. Restaurants with lots of tie and suit clientele should focus on sleek colors that reflect functionality and formality. Romantic restaurants should use lots of warm colors with heightened emphasis on reds, pinks, and whites. (more…)

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