An efficiently operating restaurant is something toward which all restaurateurs strive; however, the restaurant’s layout has much to do with the operation of the business. Designing the restaurant so that it accomplishes this does not need to be difficult. A few great tips are all one needs to create an ambiance that is not only efficient, but also welcoming to his or her customers.

Devise a plan that illustrates the type of clientele and business that you wish to run. The menu and the restaurant seating layout are both very important concepts to consider. The location of the building is also important. For example, if your goal is to cater to upper class clientele, the building should be in an upper class suburb. Understanding the different needs of each type of customer will dictate the design of everything from the entranceway to the kitchen, dining room, and rest rooms.

The design of the entranceway will come first. An entrance that is wide enough to house customers that are waiting for an available table and for exiting customers to pay and leave comfortably is very important. Having a crowded area in the entrance/exit of your restaurant will enhance customers aggravation and will eventually harm your business.

Figure out the layout of the kitchen next. There should be easily accessible shelving units and enough room to house cooking equipment. Walk-in style refrigerators and coolers are also needed. There should be enough room for staff to move quickly and efficiently. In order to efficiently send out food and minimize the potential for slow service, separate areas for different jobs in the kitchen should be designed as well.

Perhaps the most important of all is the restaurant seating layout and design. The flow of traffic from the front door and kitchen to the restaurant chairs and tables and vice versa needs to be taken into account. Aisles should be wide enough to allow for ease of movement and comfort of both diners and serving staff. Keeping aisles free enough to facilitate free movement can easily be done using dining booths on one side of the restaurant and chairs and tables on the other. Also, creating the relevant dining ambiance is done by correctly choosing the restaurant seatings colors to match the dcor in creating the desired mood (business, romantic, family friendly, etc). Themes and details are crucial to the opinions that each customer will leave with after visiting the establishment.

The final touch is the decoration and layout of the rest rooms. Even though this is not a place within the business that experiences a lot of consumption, the comfort level in these rooms is still very important, along with the cleanliness one experiences. Putting a lot of thought into the statement that one wishes to make is very important when creating the layout of a successful restaurant.