How much time and effort have you put into optimising the restaurant environment? The first impression of the restaurant can determine whether a potential guest asks for a table – or moves on to the next door. In this blog post, we give you tips on how to decorate and enhance the atmosphere in your restaurant, to attract more guests!
Put extra effort into the interior
Interior design is a subject that many restaurants are very familiar with. Whether it’s furniture, wallpaper or flowers, it’s important that the props reflect the identity of the restaurant. It’s your business and you need to be able to stand up for how it looks – but try to put your guest’s preferences ahead of your own taste. You might think it’s super nice to paint the whole dining room red – without a thought that it will give half your guests a headache.
When choosing furnishings, think about what will appeal to your target audience. Do they prefer a traditional style, or intense colors and artwork? Furnishings do not have to be an excessive cost. Often it’s enough to paint the premises a fresh colour, buy some lovely plants, nice crockery and furniture to match.
If you have the opportunity to influence the layout of the restaurant, many guests appreciate the kitchen being visible. It can enhance the experience to be able to look over your shoulder and see the chefs in action! It also makes it easier for the wait staff to communicate with the kitchen. So if you have the opportunity, take down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room – or put in a window or big swinging doors! In this way, the restaurant immediately has a more open and relaxed feel.
Invest in mood enhancers
When the restaurant is at its best, it’s time to work on the feel! A bad atmosphere can bring down even the finest environment. Here too, the focus should be on the guests. What will they appreciate most? Do you want to stand out as a romantic restaurant where people take their dates? Or maybe a simple place where you can just walk in and order a burger – no fuss?
Music is a great way to set the tone for the mood you want to create. Of course, loud music is never good, but quiet music isn’t for every restaurant either. Eating pizza and having a beer to classical music can feel a bit… stiff? At the same time, the top list can be a bit much on a typical Tuesday afternoon. Our tip is to develop your own playlists that suit your concept – and why not have different playlists for different times? That way, guests don’t have to hear the same song over and over again. Good music can be the reason why a guest stays an extra hour and orders that dessert anyway, so it’s not to be underestimated!
Another simple mood enhancer is the lighting – no one wants to eat dinner (or lunch for that matter) in floodlights. Distribute the light among several smaller lamps to create a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere in the room. If you like interior design, it might be a good idea to get lamps that are also decorative. How to kill two birds with one stone!