Designing the Restaurant | Tips for Starting Your Project

A quick reference for starting a restaurant design project

There is so much to think about when it comes to designing your new pizzeria. Here are some of the considerations for a new restaurant’s design: 

• Seating 

• Lighting 

• Layout 

• Flow 

• Accessibility
  
• Flooring

• Colors 

• Sound 

• Exterior and Patio  

• Waiting/Carryout Areas 

• Kitchen Layout (Put special emphasis here as how your kitchen is laid out can impact your ability to handle high volume periods.) 

• Equipment  

• Ambiance 

• Brand Alliance 

3 Questions to ask before you start designing your new restaurant

Before you can get into those design specifics, you need to answer these three questions: 

1. What’s my budget? 

2. What’s my restaurant’s service model? 

3. What’s my restaurant’s theme and its menu? 

In Restaurant Interior: By Design, we identified five common dining room design problems — and how to fix them. Get these issues right from the jump. They are: 

 Five Common Design Problems

1. light. It’s either too bright or too dim. 

2. sound. Environments, hard surfaces, high ceilings and rectangular spaces can create acoustics problems.  

3. age. While everything should look new and fresh for you, if you buy an existing restaurant, this can be an issue.  

4. impractical. Design elements should have a purpose and be strategic. 

5. overspending. It’s a common mistake to get fixated on distinctive design elements and high-end finishes. 

Any restaurant design should meet building codes and regulations.  

Another consideration is looking at trends that make sense for your concept. Read: Today’s Top Restaurant Design Trends Aimed at Elevating the Customer Experience 

Sustainability has become a major factor in restaurant design. To understand how you can incorporate sustainability into your build, read Achieve Sustainable Goals in a Restaurant Buildout or Remodel.