Description
What do restaurant interior designers do?
To come up with and then implement a restaurant interior design is quite a task even for experienced restaurant interior designers. However, the young and competent specialists at Wallpaper Kenya have sufficient creative potential to successfully implement such projects. We make restaurant interiors convenient, comfortable, and memorable. It is necessary to make sure that the design of the entire restaurant matches the cuisine. Such a union will be evidence of the high class of the establishment. And this is the key to future popularity. It is no secret that those restaurants that are unique and comfortable enjoy success with visitors.
What is the average restaurant visitor like, and what are his wishes and requirements? There must be an answer to this question, which will determine the work of the restaurant interior designers when creating a design project.
The second important aspect is the specificity of the cuisine. It can be African, European, or Indian. But in any case, a special conceptual approach is needed. For example, it is planned that the cuisine will be Eastern. This means that the interior design of the restaurant will be developed in the same style. If the cuisine specializes in pizzerias, then the design will be in the Italian style.
Our task is to attract business for you
Understanding your business is the first factor we consider before starting to design your restaurant. Starting with the hospitality sector in general and ending with the niche of the restaurant we are going to design in particular. That is, its concept and specific business model.
We understand interior design as a commercial weapon with great potential. Therefore we use interior design to help you sell more, sell more expensively, and sell more often. This would be impossible to achieve if, before sitting down to design restaurants, we did not understand the business model we are to work on.
There are three key elements that a restaurant interior designer must focus on:
- Differentiation from the competition.
- Relevance to the customer.
- Intensity of emotional bond.
To do this, we need to know your business inside out. That is why prior interviews with you and/or your chef, analysis of published information on the subject, and careful observation of direct competition are essential.
What lighting to choose for a restaurant?
A competent lighting solution makes a big difference. As a rule, natural light falls from one side of the hall, but sometimes it illuminates the hall from two or three sides and even from above. Window displays allow the designer to connect the interior with the surrounding landscape, to create a panoramic view. This is especially effective in the evening when the dim light in the restaurant hall allows visitors to admire the view of the night city.
Well-placed artificial lighting can create the impression of a more spacious room. Light actively affects visitors, it can set the mood for a quiet conversation or a festive animation. The main thing is to be guided by the time and the environment, to know when full light or colored spotlights are needed, and when subdued light is appropriate.
The role of furniture in the interior of a restaurant
Furniture that harmonizes with the general character of the room aesthetically complements the interior of the restaurant. Its decorative design is very important for a complete interior. It is also responsible for a person’s mood, and the completeness of his rest. Only comfortable, beautiful furniture can provide all this.
The designer faces the primary task of determining what is special about your particular restaurant. For example, it is a good bar. This means that this advantage should prevail in the design project. In this designer’s work, everything should be connected: furniture, lighting, decoration, doors, windows, and decorative elements. And, most importantly, it should emphasize the unique style of your restaurant.
What restaurant interior designers account for
Restaurant Design is a complex discipline because to design a restaurant that works, you need to know NOT only about interior design, you need to understand the hospitality industry and master the language that emotionally engages customers with the restaurant’s business strategy.
When working on the interior of a restaurant, we take many factors into account. The designer ought to know the quality and level of service to visitors, what the operating hours of the establishment will be, what its pricing policy is, and what similar restaurants are located in the same area.
In the old days, most restaurants looked like one huge hall, in which a person felt lost. There was no talk of coziness and comfort. In modern interiors, it is common to divide the premises into separate zones. These are small halls, divided very conditionally, but with meaning.
Unique interior design and happy visitors
Restaurant interior designers at Wallpaper Kenya pursue the main goal in their work: to create a restaurant design that, as soon as they cross the threshold, visitors feel themselves in a world of coziness and comfort. Such a design is a complex and at the same time harmonious composition on a given theme. At the same time, it should gradually, without abrupt transitions, transform into an exterior design. This is a subtle nuance, accessible only to professionals.
Kenya as a whole and Nairobi in particular have a large and developed network of restaurants. Becoming part of this business, opening a restaurant that will not be like the others and thus attract visitors is not easy. It will require solid financial investments, as well as time, patience, and a large reserve of energy. You can’t do without the support of the aces of the restaurant business. All this lasts about six months or more.
Why do you require professional assistance?
The financial component of this project can be judged by the cost of one square meter of the premises (the cost of the building is not taken into account). The business project has a chance to be successful if its initial idea is to create a cozy original establishment intended for both a meal and a pleasant rest. This means that you must have an accurate idea of your financial capabilities, where exactly the restaurant will be located, what target audience you are focused on, and what the cuisine of the new establishment will be. Based on these prerequisites, the idea and concept of the restaurant business are built. Wallpaper Kenya restaurant interior designers will provide professional assistance in the preparation and implementation of any ideas of future restaurant owners.
It is necessary to start with the creation of a specific, detailed project. At this stage, close cooperation between designers and the customer is necessary. The contractor must clearly understand all your requests and requirements to fulfill the main component of this business – the restaurant project. The specialists of Wallpaper Kenya are engaged not only in the creation of the project, we also take on the long procedure of drawing up all the documents necessary for opening a restaurant.
Professional commercial kitchen designers
Having specialists in the design of restaurant kitchens, highly qualified industrial technicians, and expert personnel in assembly and installations, allows us to implement a team for your project that will accompany you throughout the entire restaurant interior design process.
From the first meeting with you and the first visit to your premises to the start-up and training of your workers in the optimal use of each catering machinery, of each element of your new restaurant kitchen.
And of course, specialized technical services to resolve any subsequent incidents.
You have surely thought a lot about what you need and what you want to achieve, so with your ideas and our experience, we will be able to put together a great project.
After meeting our restaurant interior designers, we will know exactly what your objectives are. And, we will be able to suggest innovative solutions that will surely optimize the functioning of your kitchen and make the work of the cooks easier.
Because we are always up to date on new machinery, its use, and its quality-price ratio.
Designers’ zoning of a kitchen in the restaurant
What, no less than inventory and equipment, affects the efficiency of personnel work? That’s right, kitchen layout. That’s what restaurant kitchen designers take into account at the stage of room design and design development. A poorly designed space, where many people work with knives, fire, and hot liquids, can cause a lot of problems. And can also cause low labor productivity, loss of income, and the threat of non-compliance with safety standards. So what should you pay attention to when planning a kitchen in a restaurant?
Size and space
Regardless of the size and type of restaurant kitchen, you must have enough space to store products, prepare food, and assemble orders. According to the main rule of thumb, the kitchen should occupy 30 to 40% of the total space of the restaurant. The remaining 60–70% are intended for the hall, toilets, bar and lobby. Thus, it is not the actual size of the kitchen that is important, but its proportions relative to the rest of the space.
Kitchen interior design style and regulations
The first thing to do is to find out what rules and regulations apply to the restaurant’s kitchen. In a restaurant kitchen, the distance between food preparation areas and storage areas should be considered in the context of the work triangle and the ergonomics of the space:
Work triangle
Using these standards, the restaurant kitchen interior designer will create drawings that must be approved by the relevant authorities.
Restaurant needs and ergonomics
It is important to think in advance about the necessary equipment, what products will be prepared in the kitchen, how many people will work in the room at the same time, how much space will be needed to store perishable products, and much more. After all, any restaurateur tries to equip the kitchen in such a way that his employees do not have to run back and forth or mindlessly carry heavy boxes and equipment. And, of course, restaurant kitchen designers strive to minimize the probability of an accident at work. Based on this, we come to the need to study the most effective options for the layout of a commercial kitchen to choose the one that is best suited for your restaurant.
There are computer programs that illustrate the layout of space and restaurant ergonomics. In any case, together with the designer, you should consider a variety of kitchen layout examples. Here are some options.
Island Kitchen layout with a working area in the center of the kitchen
The plan of the kitchen island provides for one main block of workspace for cooking in the center, and all the preparation stations and equipment on the outer perimeter. With such a layout, the cooks will be able to move easily if there is enough space around the island table. This layout is suitable for both large and small restaurants. A plus is that such a kitchen is easy to clean.
Zone Kitchen layout with zone breakdown
This layout involves dividing the kitchen into different zones depending on the task at hand. Thus, the room can be zoned for preliminary preparation of products, their grinding, and mixing. All necessary tools and equipment will be placed directly at this station.
The second zone, cooking, is also equipped with the appropriate inventory and equipment. This layout is suitable for restaurants that serve several items from the menu that must be prepared immediately upon ordering. For example, salads and smoothies. Thus, cooks have access to both cooked and still-to-be-prepared dishes. And each of them can focus on their work without interfering with each other.
Assembly line layout – assembly line
Installation of an assembly line is ideal for an establishment with a large flow of preparation of the same dishes in several stages. Such a line is installed in one long row. Starting from the ingredient preparation area, moving to the hot food preparation area, and ending with the order assembly and decoration area. The layout is convenient for quick-service restaurants. But also effective in any restaurant with a simple menu. Perhaps one of the styles described above will be suitable for your restaurant.
When planning the kitchen, as well as in the second stages of preparing the establishment for the launch/relaunch, remember that your ultimate goal is to ensure the safety and optimal efficiency of the work of the staff in the kitchen. By managing the process in the kitchen and outside it, it is possible to increase the level of satisfaction with the working conditions of employees, reduce the amount of food waste, increase labor productivity, and ultimately increase profits by providing the guests with the best quality product.