Restaurant layouts need more than just a prime location to insure success. The staff at StudioAtlantis has drafted a five point inspection list that will help you find the perfect restaurant location.

5 Things to Look for When Trying to Find a Restaurant Location

The proper restaurant layouts have crossed their spatial t’s and dotted their sightline i’s, but have you ever wondered how they did it? We’ll give you an inside look at the process from the ground up. These tips will transform the way you look at commercial real estate.

1. Good street presence. This is related to the location topic we raised earlier. One of the most important things you should look for is also one of the most obvious: people need to be able to find your restaurant. Even with the help of a smartphone and a GPS, if your restaurant is difficult to get to, business will likely start slow and stay slow. Restaurants that are in easily accessible locations are the ones that thrive.
2. Adequate parking is a must. Don’t sign a lease until you’re sure the parking lot will suit your needs. This is a difficult challenge to solve or work around down the road, so iron it out before you rent a space.
3. A pre-fabricated kitchen and plumbing set-up.  Nothing says restaurant quite like a chef-quality kitchen equipped with the proper plumbing. This is your biggest, budget-friendly find. If the space is already restaurant-ready, you don’t have to sink your budget into a commercial kitchen remodel. Projects like that can quickly become a money pit.
4. Check out the restroom situation. This is a vital part of running a tight ship. It is also essential to planning restaurant layouts. All too often, we’ve seen would-be owners treat their lavatories as afterthoughts. Then, as the ink is already drying on the lease, they delectably realize that adding more bathrooms cuts down on their kitchen and dining space. Don’t make the same mistake. Plan ahead, keeping capacity and comfort in mind.
5. Get the 411 on grease. Grease traps are a reality of the food service game. They filter runoff and kitchen waste before it enters the regular sewer system. The tricky thing is each municipality has different regulations when it comes to codes, traps and source systems. Check with the city to find out where your restaurant’s capabilities lie. That way, you can avoid any hang-ups or delays during construction.

These are just a few of the building blocks that make-up beautiful and efficient restaurant layouts. If you’re interested in the play by play, check out our website: www.studioatlantis.com.

While there, you can get tips and insight from the experts, see our past work, get a quote for a project, and much more. You can own your dream restaurant.    

For example, the way we move through a space is dictated by our sightline, so this innate navigation tool is an integral part of restaurant designs.

Please Wait to be Seated

Those five little words are the perfect test of quality restaurant designs because the path from the door to the table relies on sightlines.

Sightlines are the unobstructed view between an observer and an object. They have to be created from the appealing utilization of space. This task is often forgotten because there is no tangible reminder that alerts you to complete it. The best way to keep it at the forefront of your mind is to periodically walk through the space. As you walk, think about what doesn’t work in restaurant designs.

We’ve all been there; the crowded, congested entryway with minimal seating, hungry customers milling around the hostess stand or packed into the bar. The waitress calls your name above the noise and you attempt to follow her to your table. In a crowded space like this, how do you keep up with her? You use your sightlines to weave your way through tables and chairs, other wait staff, and odd nooks and crannies. This trek finally gets you to your table. You sink into the nearest chair and reach for the drink menu.

Of course, there’s always the other extreme. You open the door and can see from the front of the restaurant all the way to the dump station in the back. There’s nothing appealing about this galley-style set up or the view. Avoiding either of these outcomes starts with changing your perspective.

Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes

Take the customer’s place and stand in every spot in your restaurant. Here’s the checklist of questions you should ask yourself while you spot test:

• When a customer walks in, what do you want their first impression to be?
• Is it easy to find the hostess?
• Is the checkout in an accessible location?
• Are the bathrooms out of sight from the dining?
• Can people easily find things?

If that first impression includes a dump station or a maze of overcrowded tables, it’s time to rearrange your floor plan so that your customer receives a welcoming first impression.

Space has a flow and a movement. In order to serve the customers’ needs optimally, restaurant designs need to adopt those concepts too.  You’ll know your sightlines are perfect when you can answer all of the above questions with a resounding yes.

For more tips and inspiration, visit: www.studioatlantis.com.  We offer design services for restaurant and retail spaces. We love what we do and we hope you will too. We’ll even bring the design to you; contact us today.

Filing the proper paperwork with the city and state is an integral part of the overall implementation process. This is a regulatory and essential part of ensuring you adhere to building codes, are legally licensed to buy and sell alcohol, and will undergo the appropriate inspections before opening for business.  

There are numerous legalities to cover during the onset of a design project, but once you cover the necessities of bookkeeping, you can focus your attention on the creative and innovative process that is your design concept. This part of the process is where brainstorming and constructing a list of “must haves” allows you to narrow down what is most important in your new space.

Experts at StudioAtlantis have put together a list of ideas to help you create a signature bar and restaurant design.

5 Master-Level Design Ideas

The key to masterful design in any space is to think about it as a whole and then break that big picture into several small, manageable snapshots. That’s what we’ve done with these design ideas. They are concepts that work together to form an optimal bar and restaurant design.

Idea #1: Make an entrance. You have arrived on the local scene; now it’s time to make your customers feel the same way. How do you do that? The secret is an inviting entry. Your entryway may seem like a small part of a much larger dining experience, but it is also a customer’s first impression of the space. Make sure it reflects the ambiance of the locale and doesn’t detract from it.

Idea #2: Make it seamless. Remember when we said to think about your menu early on? Seamless flow is the motivating factor. You not only want things to be efficient, you want to increase productivity within the space. The best way to do that is to make sure that servers have easy access from the back of the house to the kitchen and dining area. A good flow stops you from wasting valuable time.

Idea #3: Add interest with seating arrangements. Not all diners are alike. Serve both their tastes in your space by providing a variety of seating options. That way, they get to choose their preferred seating and you gain spur of the moment versatility; something every bar and restaurant design needs.

Idea #4: Update your décor. This is your chance to stand out in the crowd – use it. Create a memorable impression that lasts and keeps them coming back.

Idea #5: Layer the lighting. Divide your lighting between general, ambient, and task. Keeping it at appropriate levels will help the daily operations move more smoothly. Be sure to adjust the lighting levels throughout the day.

You’ll know your design has succeeded when these snapshots come together and re-form the big picture you started with.

For more ideas like these, visit: www.studioatlantis.com.

From Homogeneous to Rhythmic: Learning the Language of Active Space

One of the challenges for restaurant designers is to figure out how to make the space both signature and functional.

Restaurants are notorious for always buzzing with activity. Whether that activity is the comforting hustle and bustle of family style or the well-oiled machinations of fine dining, the space has to accommodate both the staff and the customers in equal measure. The best way to do that is to treat the space as interactive from the moment you step into it. Luckily, that’s a StudioAtlantis specialty.

Our restaurant designers can step into the space and not only visualize the brand and the concept, but put the picture in motion. The result is a venue that compliments the style, the staff, and the customer.

The Devil is in the Details

Restaurants are a triumph and a challenge because your brand extends from how you answer the phones to how you dress and place the tables. Everything has to work within a theme.

Believe it or not, something as simple as the scrape of a metallic chair against the floor is enough to put a crimp in someone’s dining experience. It’s a bit like a spoiler-alert during that blockbuster hit you’ve waited all year to see; there’s just something about it that pulls you out of the whole experience. The funny thing is that’s what StudioAtlantis calls a 15 cent fix.

For the cost of 15 cents per chair leg, you can put felt squares on the bottom of each chair (OK, so that’s a 60 cent fix, but you get the gist). This easy fix allows your chairs to glide noiselessly across the floor without disturbing anyone’s evening out. It’s knowing and investing in the smallest details that makes our firm unique.

The other thing that puts our restaurant designers a cut above the rest is the fact that they handle everything from A to Z. That means they not only design the interior of a space, they also design a branding and promotion campaign to go with it. What could be better? There’s no need for a third party agency to come in and “interpret” how the design fits your brand. The people who designed it can tailor the branding to fit because it’s been part of the project all along.

To see how this fully integrated approach to interior design works in a restaurant setting, please visit our website: www.studioatlantis.com. We are excited to share our vision with you!

Some of the most grating noises are in the higher register. These are the ones that just bounce around without concern for anyone else and over time can become like fingers on a chalkboard. My nemesis? Metal chairs being drug across a hard surface floor. I never seem to notice this sound until I’ve settled in, ordered a nice wine, and rrrreeeettt… rrreeeettt… somebody clears a table. Once this sets in it’s like nothing else is in the room. Well there is a VERY easy, quick and inexpensive fix to this! For about 15 cents a leg you can quickly add nylon or felt glides to the legs… And me? … back to my wine and lovely conversation.