The dining room is the centerpiece of every restaurant. As a restaurant owner, you thrive for a dining room that is functional yet efficient for your staff and entertaining yet visually appealing to your guests. However, in any restaurant, there is more to the dining room than merely arranging the restaurant tables and chairs. A proper restaurant dining room sets the theme and tone of the dining experience for your guests. A well-planned dining room can be the deal-maker or deal-breaker in your restaurant. From your restaurant’s furniture to its layout, from its ambiance to flexibility, from lighting to noise-management, there is a lot to consider while planning the dining room.
Tips for Planning an Attractive Restaurant Dining Room
Now that you know its importance, read on to know how you can plan an attractive restaurant dining room that makes a great first impression on your guests.
1. Leave Proper Space Between the Tables
As a restaurant owner, it might be tempting to cram in as many restaurant tables as possible in the dining room to maximize your profits. A comfortable dining experience in your restaurant requires leaving sufficient space between the tables. Generally, offering a gap of at least 24 inches is the perfect way of balancing comfort and profits in a restaurant. If you are running low on space, booths are a smart way to create separation between two tables. You can use booths to provide maximum seating capacity in your restaurant without compromising on the flow of service or personal space.
2. Use Attractive Room Dividers
If yours is a big dining room with several chairs and tables, using half-wall room dividers is a smart and attractive way to segregate your guests. These room dividers are effortless to install or shift and help you to set-up a cozy, private space for your guests. Whether it’s a large gathering or an intimate event, you can use them to create a theme that suits any occasion.
3. Make Sure the Wait Station is Mobile
Restaurant design on paper rarely translates and works well in reality. A mobile wait station gives you the flexibility in arranging the restaurant chairs and tables according to the rush of the customers. For example, if you are experiencing a busy night or hosting a large gathering, you can free up space by shifting the wait station outside the dining room.
4. Select Sturdy Functional and Durable Furniture
As a restaurant owner, it is your goal to provide a comfortable, sturdy seating arrangement to your guests. Additionally, the restaurant furniture you select should be affordable, long-lasting, and easy to clean & maintain. While choosing your restaurant furniture, avoid designs that involve intricate styles or carvings as can be cumbersome to clean.
The restaurant furniture you select should match the ambiance and function at the same time without compromising your guest’s comfort. For example, wood and metal are both excellent options for indoor seating. Similarly, for outdoor seating arrangements, consider extreme weather conditions throughout the year. Purchasing high-quality, functional, durable, commercial-grade furniture might seem an unnecessary investment, but it gives you better returns in the long run.
5. Set Appropriate or Consistent Noise Level in Your Dining Room
If yours is a restaurant with live music, or a casual setting, or a bar, you don’t have to worry much about noise. However, if you have a fine-dine restaurant, you have to check the sound levels. Keeping the acoustic levels to a minimum requires several approaches. Some of these approaches are cosmetic or superficial, while others are structural. For example, if you have a wooden floor, you can use carpets to dampen echoing. However, if you want to create a quieter setting, you might have to consider using sound absorbers on the walls and ceilings of your restaurant.
6. Select the Right Window Coverings and Wall Décor
Does your restaurant suffer from sunlight in the afternoon, causing discomfort to your guests? Is your restaurant located on a busy street with too much traffic or noise from the windows? Perhaps it is a smart move to install window covers or shades. For example, you can consider window films to limit the visibility from outside and block sunlight.
These inexpensive films are simple to use or clean and are available in a variety of patterns. Alternatively, if you want flexibility, you can invest in window shades that are low in maintenance and easy to use. Similarly, you can opt for wall decor objects like wallpapers, paintings, lights, etc., in the dining room of your restaurant to create an intriguing ambiance.
7. Check the Comfort of Every Seat by Sitting in Every Seat
Have you ever noticed how your customers tend to avoid some chairs and tables in your restaurant? These restaurant dining tables might appear perfectly normal to you, but your customers still don’t like to sit there. In the restaurant business, such tables are a revenue losing medium. In any restaurant, customers usually tend to avoid tables facing the washrooms, under the stairs, adjacent to the doors or passages, etc. A simple way to identify and get rid of bad table areas is to sit in every chair of table. Also check the comfort and surroundings. After noticing such tables, you can use room dividers or modify the restaurant seating layout. Transform it in a way that your guests won’t hesitate to sit on them.
8. Focus on Flexibility in Restaurant Seating Layout
Quite often, you need to change the restaurant design or seating layout in the dining room. Whether you are hosting banquets or handling a busy night, having flexibility in the restaurant furniture can go a long way in modifying the dining capacity. While choosing the restaurant interior design or furniture, look for flexible design ideas. For example, light-weight restaurant dining chairs and tables from aluminum or plastic give you the flexibility to modify the seating arrangement for different events. They are easy to shift, and you can stack them and store them away when not in use.
Conclusion
Planning the perfect dining room design for your restaurant depends on the atmosphere you want to create. By carefully understanding your restaurant’s layout and its theme, you can select the style and interior design elements.
From space-efficient room dividers to acoustic management. From selecting the restaurant furniture to space management. This article discusses some of the crucial aspects of styling and decorating your restaurant. Hopefully, these design tips help you in transforming your restaurant decor. Dining area to offer the ultimate dining experience to your customers.
