Ritu Bhatia Kler, Managing Director, TID, India shares more on the latest trends in restaurant’s design to get more clients to eat out and enjoy your restaurant ambience.

A DESIGN STORYLINE

Elaborating on their strengths in terms of hotel and restaurant design, Ritu Bhatia Kler said, “Our strength in hospitality and restaurants is to understand various aspects of the project before commencement of design. In the case of restaurants, it remains important to understand the following: Understanding the cuisine. Having a design storyline: The kind of market position and approach – is it a dining space, is it a fun place with music or live performances, is it a full day space then what is the lunch and dinner   menu and customer target like, will there be families at dinner? Where is it located, in a commercial hub or tourist spot or residential locality. We always give the client a questionnaire to answer.” 

Sharing the latest trends in restaurant design, globally and in India, she added, “Communal eating spaces on high tables, rooftop dining, designated waiting and ordering spaces, shipping container or mobile trucks as F&B outlets, handmade tableware, biophilic elements, different forms of timber elements, mix and matched furniture, asymmetry in design, eye catchy retro lighting, colourful / jovial spaces within muted zones, bold graphic wall paper, retro finishes and strong story telling in the overall ambience are few of the popular trends.”

CONSTANTLY EVOLVING CONCEPTS

On the restaurants they have designed, she enlisted, “We had designed the iconic Konkan Café at Taj President, Mumbai around year 1998.  We have designed a wine lounge and restaurant at Global Business Park, Gurgaon, called L’Angoor – this was a great concept much before Cyber Hub came up.  We have designed smart casual restaurants at Lucknow. Most of our restaurant projects are part of hotels. We are currently renovating the restaurant “The Gourmet” & the Deli “BnC” at Swosti Premium hotel at Bhubaneshwar. We have designed theme food courts at RMZ Ecoworld and RMZ Galleria. These are quite different from regular food courts seen in the country.”

Requirement of a proper brief for any project is paramount. She further added, “A restaurant concept has to be always evolving as it is intrinsically related to the location, the target demographic and the cuisine.  It is imperative to have these clear before designing. It should not be a “multi-concept” else it will have a short life.”

RENOVATE AND REENGAGE!

On budgets and renovations, she added, “While renovating, the question asked should be: purpose of renovation, are you giving a fresh look to your customers from design point of view and therefore may only need a change of colour or refurbishment? Are you expanding the space?  Is it due to a change of cuisine?  accordingly, one can draw up the plan / direction and budget.”

On renovations keeping social distancing in mind she said, “At the moment we have not carried out any renovation with social distancing and we don’t recommend it done as a renovation but for the current situation some furniture can be removed. A further call can be taken the later part of 2021 depending on the pandemic or vaccine situation and then a renovation planned accordingly. For new restaurants, layouts can be planned differently with flexibility of moving furniture should there be a need of “physical distancing” at any time. New ways of semi-partitioning are being thought of in design. I always recommend a semi or full private dining space and I feel it will do very well even in standalone restaurants.”

DESIGN ASPECT IMPORTANT FOR THE SMART CUSTOMER

On how restaurant design and ambience can really influence footfalls, she added, “It is like dressing up to go to (for eg ) a wedding, you would ensure every aspect of your self is well groomed – clothes, shoes, make up , accessories , hair and your mood!  There can be many analogies. Yes, good food is paramount, but design and ambience play an equally important role for today’s “smart customer”.  I have gone to restaurants where everything is perfect but the music too loud, so often the acoustics and a good sound system is not thought through. I really like the food there, but I will not go again if I want to catch up with friends.  It is all integrated. The bathroom experience too!  Lighting plays a big role. You can have a well-lit space during lunch and then dim down the lights in the night-time especially if you also play music after 10 or on weekends. Design and ambience are considered USPs of a restaurant in today’s time.”

BUDGET AS WELL AS LUXURY DESIGN ADDITIONS

Elaborating on what can make any restaurant top notch, she said, “A Restaurant budget can vary anything from 6000 per sq.ft. to 20,000 per sq ft. It all depends on the kind of restaurant the client is executing. A fine dine restaurant would always be costlier to execute than a Fast-Casual type. In the luxury segment, Michelin star restaurant, where the restaurant is under a Celebrity Chef’s guidance with innovative dishes, everything has to be well integrated, iconic locations, bespoke furniture, lighting and above all unforgettable dining experience. Each item that plays a role, from the menu card, table setting, crockery, right from the moment the guest is greeted by the host/ess, the experience counts.  The luxury comes from quality whether it is quality of food or ergonomics of furniture or quality of light setting.”

“For a regular restaurant too, keep in mind quality lighting, plan for the acoustics, these are luxury items that are indirectly impactful to a great experience. For example, one recent trend is industrial design, which needs hard finishes as a concept so how do you ensure your guest still gets a great experience while enjoying the design? Another great feature which does need more budget is a Display or Show kitchen with dramatic showcase of food preparation. It is always able to create a lot of excitement and interaction among the guests,” she stated.

Even if it is not a luxury segment, Ritu Bhatia Kler feels the following important points should be factored in and planned:

Design & Layout: Layout of a restaurant needs to be well thought-out, as this would be critical for making the space look well planned and spacious, comfortable for ease of movements during busy hours, people and staff should not be bumping into each other. 

Furniture: Furniture style should be in accordance with the type of restaurant. A fine dine restaurant chair can be well cushioned and comfortable with armrest, whereas a fast food joint can have stackable chair.

Lighting: Lighting is very important to set the mood of the place and will always be one of the deciding factors in making the space look cozy, warm, relaxed, inviting etc. 

Aroma: The design and location of kitchen is important for circulating the scent of food in the right proportion which helps in stimulating the senses and appetite of the guest. Bad ventilation and foul-smelling toilets can do the opposite and can spoil the mood and appetite of the guest.

This article was published in BW hotelier issue dated '' with cover story titled '6TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL ISSUE VOL 7, ISSUE 1'