It's not enough for the food to be delicious, the staff to be friendly, the atmosphere of the restaurant has to be such that the guest feels immediately at ease. We'll help you find out what to look out for when designing the interior.
The psychology behind the image
The interior design of the restaurant is more than just a pretty lobby and colourful chairs. Just as we need to feel comfortable in our homes, we need to feel comfortable in the places where we go to relax, talk and dine. Guests can't quite put their finger on what makes them feel good when they enter a space, a living room, but interior designers and architects can. They pay attention to harmony, to the proportions of contrasts, and at the same time they make the space livable. Restaurant owners should bear in mind that this is also a living space, not „just” a place that serves the function of being a place for guests to eat and drink their food and drink.
A good image is in line with the communication of the restaurant, the attitude of the staff, the food and the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant.
Jude Kamal, owner of Sansa Interiors, says: „Dining in a restaurant is a holistic experience that goes beyond the food. The dining experience for guests starts when they enter the restaurant (and sometimes before they even go in). Things like ambience, lighting, furniture, acoustics and other sensory elements of the space need to work together to create a concrete experience for each guest.”
Jude swears by 5 important points to keep in mind when opening or redecorating a restaurant.
1. Colour - cosy and appetising
Three colours are considered the best colours to use in restaurants as they help to stimulate the appetite. Red, orange and yellow. Red is one of the most effective appetite stimulants, bright red gives a strong signal of appetite in the human brain. This is the reason why most food packaging and fast food restaurants use bright red as a distinctive colour (e.g. Coca-Cola, McDonalds, KFC, Kit Kat). Orange and yellow are also appetising and the brain associates these colours with happiness and warmth. Of course, this doesn't mean that the whole of my ether has to be ablaze with these hues, just that they need to be smuggled into the design.
2. Lighting - visible, atmospheric in the for a wow effect
There are also three main types of restaurant lighting. These three types of lighting must work seamlessly together to create the desired ambience. Ambient lighting - i.e. the main illumination of the space. Functional lighting - to see the menu, to hang up your coat, i.e. not to be in the dark when doing essential tasks. Highlight lighting - highlight lights are interior design features that can transform a space and create a „wow” factor.
3. Smell - neutral!
One of the main elements that can have an impact on the guest. There should be no smell of food, no excessive perfume smell, and perhaps no smell of many guests together. Research has shown that a pleasant and memorable smell in a restaurant is likely to make customers return. Smell is one of five scenes that are closely linked to memory, and thus determine how guests recall their dining experience in a restaurant.
4. Acoustics and music - the balance!
It should be neither too loud nor too quiet, as both can be distracting. If a restaurant is too loud, it can distract people from their food and interrupt their conversation. So can background music or a live band if the volume is not set at the right level. Conversely, if a restaurant is too quiet, it can make the place unpopular or leave guests feeling frustrated and isolated. It can also make diners feel they have no privacy because people at other tables can hear them when they talk.
5. Furniture and layout - every table should have a „good seat”!
When planning the layout of the restaurant and choosing the furniture, the main rule is: every table should be a good table. Regardless of where a guest sits in a restaurant, they should feel that they have excellent seating and therefore an excellent dining experience. All tables should be sturdy, chairs comfortable and stable. Inevitably there will be hiding places or central seats, but privacy is the most important consideration for guests everywhere.
I know a good place to go!
Getting the interior design of a restaurant right is half the battle. It appeals to the senses, recalls the guest and stays in the memory so that they immediately remember when they are in the middle of a good place they are looking for. When you think about it, the psychology of this is interesting, because we do leave home, but we are still looking for a homely, family environment where we have our privacy. We would move out but stay within our comfort zone. It's not easy for restaurant owners, but that's what excellent professionals, designers and interior designers are for, who can condense this small bottleneck and the 5 basic elements into a small space.
