So, you’ve decided it’s time to redesign your restaurant. But where do you start? We’ve come up with the 5 most important things to consider before getting started in order to make the process easier.

First Impressions

First impressions start before your customers even walk through the door. The exterior of your restaurant should reflect the business and give customers a reason to walk through the door. The exterior of a restaurant is often the afterthought when it comes to renovations, however, it’s just as important as the interior.

If you want customers to experience your business, you’ll need to draw them in with that all-important first impression!

Layout

Carefully planning the layout of a restaurant is key to an effective design. There are many elements to consider when planning the layout, these include, the entrance, waiting stations, dining zones, bars and countertops, kitchen, back of house and restrooms. Taking all of these elements into consideration should leave you with an efficient and effective layout.

Branding

Branding and interior design go hand-in-hand. The interior of your restaurant should reflect your branding, making you easily recognisable. This doesn’t just have to be in terms of brand colours, but also by using connections between menus, signs, uniforms and your interior. Using this level of cohesion allows you to turn your brand into an experience and establish a well thought out interior with a clear brand identity.

Lighting

Lighting plays a crucial role in any restaurant. It helps to create ambience and has unexpected effects on your customers' experience. You need enough lighting so that people can read your menu with ease, but you don’t want to make a room so bright that it removes any atmosphere you’re trying to create.

Furniture

Have you ever heard of the term FF&E? This stands for Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment and refers to anything that is not permanently connected to the main structure of the interior. Furniture is a key feature of any interior and affects the look, feel and functionality of the space. Keeping your furniture style consistent makes your interiors feel coherent.

When choosing the placement of your furniture, you should take into consideration the floor plan and zones you intend to have in the restaurant. You also need to consider the habits of your customers, for example, if they will be sitting for long periods, then you should ensure your furniture is suitable for this.

Do you need help redesigning your restaurant? At Astrid Design and Build, our dedicated team are more than qualified to help so don’t hesitate to get in touch.