How to arrange and furnish your restaurant?

Are you starting to think about how to arrange and design your restaurant?

Good news is that the opening of your establishment is fast approaching or that your renovation project is nearing completion. Whether you run a brasserie, a sushi bar, a fast food restaurant or a gourmet restaurant, the layout and design phases are not to be taken lightly. They play a crucial role in the experience of your customers and your staff.

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How to design your restaurant?

Before you head to the store or the web in search of nuggets to furnish or decorate your establishment, it is important to think about how to organize the space: 

• Where is your kitchen located?
• What is the size of your reception room and how many guests do you want to serve?
• What is the customer journey?
• Should there be a space for delivery and click and collect?

These are some of the questions we will help you answer!

Layout, an important issue 

What exactly is meant by layout?

It consists in establishing a plan defining the best layout of the essential elements of a restaurant so that it is as profitable as possible while guaranteeing an excellent customer experience and good working conditions for the employees around you. 

Are you still unsure of the impact of your facility's layout?

We are convinced that these 9 arguments will be enough to convince the most skeptical among you.

The design of your restaurant will allow you to :

• to make traffic flow more smoothly for your staff and customers;
• optimize the number of place settings;
• make the space welcoming and friendly;
• give your establishment its own identity;
• respect the privacy of each table;
• make the customer journey intuitive;
• optimize the time between the kitchen and the tables and thus the waiting time of the consumers;
• simplify storage and cleaning;
• respect the conditions and standards of hygiene.

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Regulations in force

The HCR world, and in particular the layout of restaurants, is governed by a set of rules that you will have to take into account.

For example, you must ensure that there are separate restrooms for employees with more than 50 tables. These should be separated from the kitchen and food storage area. It is also important to design the space so that it is accessible to people with limited mobility.

Are you planning to install a bar area?

Keep in mind that a portion of the restaurant should be wheelchair accessible. Your restaurant should also have two exits and emergency access.

Here are some of the rules you will need to follow. 

The number of place settings 

The more covers you have, the higher your turnover is likely to be, so it is tempting to increase the number of tables, but you must not do so at the expense of your customers and staff. It's all about finding the perfect compromise between these 3 dimensions. 

For a romantic dinner, a business lunch or a birthday meal, customers are looking for privacy and you guarantee it by ensuring that tables or stools at the bar are at least 1 meter apart. Not overcrowding the space will also make it easier for the staff to move around, which makes service smoother.

Then take the time to do some math. Will the number of tables you have planned allow you to break even? Will you be able to handle the influx of orders in the kitchen and in the dining room?

You answered yes to both questions, so you're on the right track! 

The circulation spaces 

Once again, we draw your attention to the circulation spaces.

You don't want your staff to lose a toe or spill their tray with every order. So make it easy for them by making sure the aisles are wide enough to allow them to provide optimal and safe service. The functionality of your room is the key to smooth service.

This is especially important for establishments offering a buffet or fast food option where customers have to move around to serve themselves, pick up their order, etc. 

The course of the dish in the kitchen 

A restaurant is made up of several distinct spaces: the kitchen, the reception area, the restrooms and possibly a storage area as well as changing rooms for the staff. Once you have divided your square meters between these different rooms, it is time to arrange them one by one. 

The kitchen will need to have a "cold" area for food storage, a storage area, a "hot" area for cooking, a serving area and a pass-through area where the food is passed to the servers. The regulation area may also be part of your kitchen. 

To design this space, focus on functionality by relying on the path of the prepared dishes. Everything must be thought out to reduce the time spent between each zone and to facilitate the work of your employees. 

👉 Going further: restaurant purchase orders: paper or digital?

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The customer journey in the room

The layout of your restaurant must reflect the customer journey. The consumer must be able to orientate himself intuitively according to his position in the customer path: entrance, study of the menu, formulation of the order, service, tasting, payment, exit. 

The entrance should be your own messenger in welcoming newcomers. And for that, what better than a welcoming and spacious entrance? 

After entering your restaurant, customers will naturally look for the menu and order. The layout must therefore be designed so that they know where to go. At the counter, at their table or at the bar while waiting for it to become available? 

Then comes the time of waiting and service. If the order is taken at the table, no particular arrangement is required... Except for chairs with impeccable comfort. On the other hand, if it takes place at the counter, ask yourself if you have planned a large enough area to allow customers to wait without disturbing those who are at another stage of the customer journey. 

Let's move on to the tasting stage. Does it take place at the table within your establishment or at the customer's home(click and collect or delivery)? Don't neglect these two options in the layout of your restaurant. A space for the reception of the delivery men and the delivery of the orders must be planned if you launch into the online ordering!

The meal is over and it is now time to pay. Is it done at the table at the end of the meal or when you take the order? All this should give you clear indications as to the positioning of your cash register software and your payment terminals. To save time and reduce the queue at the cash desk, you can, for example, install a kiosk or a QR code to be scanned to pay the bill: double the advantage!

Just as the entrance has put your customers in an excellent position to eat, the exit should allow them to conclude their experience on a pleasant note. If the entrance and exit are in the same place, a double door will be enough to avoid traffic jams.

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How to design your restaurant?

Where the work of layout defines the space, the work of design stages the furniture and decoration. It is therefore impossible to talk about layout without talking about design. Here, the challenge is to create a unique visual identity and a place where your customers will feel comfortable. 

The style of the restaurant

Before you start thinking about furniture and room layouts, take the time to think about the style and atmosphere you want your restaurant to have. A restaurant specializing in meat will certainly not have the same atmosphere as a vegetarian restaurant or an establishment serving sushi or Italian cuisine.

This reflection will guide your choices not only in terms of colors (soft, acid, pastel) and materials (steel, concrete, textile, wood), but also in terms of furniture and decorative objects. All this obviously depends on the budget you have. 

Kitchen equipment

Kitchen equipment requires special consideration, so we've devoted an entire article to it, supplies for your restaurant: the complete list. 

In addition to the cooking equipment, storage supplies and accessories needed to prepare your recipes, your attention is drawn to the importance of technology. It is in fact the extension and culmination of your layout and design work.

Convinced of the impact of digital technology on the operation of your establishment, Innovorder has developed a complete range of synchronized digital solutions: order terminals, cash registers, production screens, etc. This ecosystem not only improves the customer experience, but also facilitates the management of your restaurant and boosts the performance of your teams.

👉 To go further: discover the case of Bozzolo

Solicit the 5 senses of the customer

To leave your customers with a lasting memory, the key is to seduce their 5 senses!

1. The view

By creating an eye-pleasing decor, by taking care of the presentation of the dishes and by opting for an adapted lighting.

2. Hearing‍

By taking care of the acoustics of the place by opting for materials that absorb noise.

3. The touch

It will be sharpened by the material of the napkins, the tablecloth, the seat or even by giving the customers the opportunity to grab the decorative elements of your dish, an edible flower for example.

4. The sense of smell

Let the smell of simmering dishes waft through the air, just enough to make your mouth water. Have you chosen an open kitchen so that guests can watch the chefs in action? Be sure to equip your establishment with a good vacuum and air renewal system. 

5. The taste

It's up to you to give your best in the kitchen!

Support by professionals

There is nothing to stop you from bringing in an architect and/or an interior designer . These professionals will know how to translate the experience you want your customers to have and will offer you the appropriate design. This certainly represents an investment, but you don't change the layout of your restaurant every four mornings and, considering the stakes on the functioning of your business, it's worth thinking about it.

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Do you want to optimize your customer experience? Contact an Innovorder expert and get tailor-made advice for your restaurant!