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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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Get your customers to come back

Feb 22
Posted by Daniel in Commercial Seating, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant tips and advice

The recession is hurting many businesses, including restaurants. Losing customers can severely hurt any restaurant, but with a few changes, you can draw them back and keep them coming for more. Customers want a place that has a comfortable atmosphere and friendly staff. The two things a restaurant must offer are great food and great service at great prices. Before you start cutting staff, try these tips.

  1. Offer coupons. Coupons can really pull some people into your restaurant. Ruby Tuesday sent BOGO coupons in the mail and had people come in just to use the coupon. This was effective because it allowed customers to dine with someone and save money. If you’re near a campus, offer student discounts. If you don’t already, advertise new military or senior citizen discounts. You can also partner with another business in the area and allow them to offer coupons to your restaurant if they use that business’s services. (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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Feng Shui for Restaurants

Feb 07
Posted by Daniel in Restaurant, restaurant layout, restaurant seating, restaurant tips and advice

I know the title probably caused a few raised eyebrows. I mean, we all know that Feng Shui is used in homes and apartments to improve positive energy and create a more comfortable atmosphere in the living space, but what does that have to do with a restaurant?

Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese art that focuses on using aesthetics to improve the positive energy, or chi, in a space. It tries to bring harmony and balance to an area by using colors, décor, wholesome forms, locations, visuals, and furniture placing.

Despite the fact that we mostly connect Feng Shui with private homes, any place where people spent time can benefit from the calming effects of this ancient Chinese art. Restaurants in particular, with their large traffic of clients, can benefit from implementing a few Feng Shui ideas while decorating and designing the interior.

The following tips are a list of things to keep in mind when trying to implement Feng Shui ideas in your restaurant. In the next posts we will try to go in to deeper details about a few of the ideas.

Colors:

The different colors of the rainbow all have different meanings and we all react to them in different ways. Certain colors will evoke specific emotions or thoughts when seen. Red is a color that excites passion and love and increases appetites. It creates feelings of romance and sometimes lust. Pink is a calm, soothing color that is also associated with love. Yellow is a cheery color that promotes warmth and happiness. However, prolonged exposure to yellow can cause anxiety. (This is why fast food restaurants use red and yellow in their decoration and logos. This causes people to eat more but to leave faster thus promoting to a larger turnover.) Orange strengthens concentration and gives people a creative boost. Blue is a calming color that reflects peace, healing, trust, intellect, and wisdom. Black is not a color associated with depression—it promotes feelings of power, sophistication, modernism, and elegance. Purple evokes feelings of nobility and healing. White represents purity, cleanliness, poise, and confidence. Brown is a color associated with the earth. It represents comfort and health and wellness. Grey is a color that represents precision, clarity, and sharpness. (more…)

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Restaurant Menu Design Tips

Feb 03
Posted by Daniel in Restaurant, Restaurant Furniture, restaurant seating, restaurant tips and advice

Whether you are designing your restaurant’s menu for the first time or redesigning it, you’ll need to keep in mind a few things your customers will notice. Not only will they concern themselves with food prices, but also with dish titles, colors, and decorations. The type of cuisine your restaurant serves should match the type of menu you hand out.

Your goal for a restaurant is not only to provide people with great food, but to make a profit. You want to price your food at something your customers will consider reasonable and fair. Prices that are too high will make your customers feel they are being ripped off. Although some scientific studies show that the more someone pays for something the higher value they place on the item, this won’t be the case if what your customers pay for doesn’t match the value they think they are getting. Keep appetizers in lower price ranges than your main courses. The same logic applies to side dishes and desserts. Also, foods that are hard to come by or require more manpower to catch, like seafood, may be acceptably higher priced than other dishes.

You want to also keep in mind the type of clients you’re trying to bring in. If your clientele is mainly business executives, you want to have fine fare cuisine and simple, descriptive language for the different dishes. If your focus is on a family restaurant, you might want to consider including a kid’s section or creating a separate kid’s menu. Many restaurants create a separate kid’s menu so the children can color and stay occupied. (more…)

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