The quality of the customer experience depends on many things. Your food, the prices, the professionalism of your staff, the geographical location, your customers evaluate all these criteria to decide whether or not they will visit your establishment. They also consider the location itself. The way you've decorated your restaurant and the atmosphere it exudes is of crucial importance.
Encourage your customers to choose your brand over the competition's, make them feel comfortable, immerse them in your concept and, in the end, offer them an optimal customer experience - you have a lot to gain! So, would you like to get started?
The importance of decoration in the restaurant business
In view of the stakes, the decoration of your restaurant is a phase not to be neglected.
A way to improve the customer experience
After the layout stage, to which we have already devoted an article, comes the decoration stage. The floor, the walls, the furniture, the accessories, the decoration designates any element that will make your restaurant a unique place where your customers feel good. Because, yes, this is the first challenge of decoration: to make sure that your customers spend a pleasant moment and that they remember it even after leaving your establishment. So of course, it doesn't depend exclusively on the beauty of a place, but it counts a lot.
To put your customers at ease, to help them immerse themselves in your concept, to invite them to relax, decoration has an immense power and all this allows you to accomplish one of your main missions as a restaurant owner: to offer an optimal customer experience. And the more satisfied people are with your establishment, the more loyal they will be to you.
👉 To go further: how to arrange and design your restaurant?
A promotional tool
If decoration is mostly useful to improve the experience of customers already on site, it can also be used to attract those still hesitating about their choice of restaurant. To do this, you will need to showcase your decoration on different communication channels. It is time to mobilize your photographic talents or to call upon a professional and take beautiful pictures of your establishment. Once these pictures are taken, go to social networks, your website, your Google Business profile or review platforms like TripAdvisor. You will see, they are great selling points!
Just like the photos of the dishes that are enough to entice the taste buds, these allow your future clients to get a feel for the atmosphere beforehand and to project themselves into it.
👉 Going further: 11 Instagram post ideas for your restaurant.
A differentiating factor
The decoration of your establishment can help you stand out from the competition. In your sector, many of you may have a similar positioning, serving similar dishes at the same price. Know that decoration can help you in your quest for differentiation and offer you the little extra that will tip the scales in your favor.
Be creative and create a visual identity that represents you and sets you apart from other establishments.
The choice of style
Before you start decorating your restaurant, it is imperative that you choose a style of decoration that will best express your concept and contribute to the atmosphere of your restaurant.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of questions to ask yourself:
- Who is your target audience? Young people, working people, families, middle class people, etc.?
- What are your opening hours? Are you more of a daytime or evening restaurant or both?
- What is your concept and what decorating style best represents it? Bohemian, industrial, contemporary, vintage, Scandinavian?
- How can you express your positioning and your values? How can you translate a friendly and relaxed, elegant and romantic atmosphere, etc.?
Interior design
Lighting, colors, furniture, floor and wall coverings, accessories, sensory experience, we review the components of your restaurant's decoration.
The lighting
There are 3 types of lighting:
- Ambient lighting refers to the type of lighting that provides light to a specific space. The brighter the light, the more stimulating it is for customers and the less likely they will stay in the restaurant. The lower the light level, the more likely customers are to relax and want to extend their experience.
- functional lighting allows customers and employees to do their work, read the menu, move around, etc.
- Indirect lighting completes the decoration of your restaurant by highlighting a painting, a wall, a decorative object and by reinforcing the intimacy of a place. Its interest is therefore purely visual.
These three types of lighting are to be taken into account and depend on many parameters such as your opening hours, the atmosphere you wish to create and the configuration of your restaurant. Daytime establishments with a very relaxed atmosphere will prefer natural lighting thanks to large bay windows and transparent curtains, while intimate restaurants that make most of their sales in the evening will prefer artificial and subdued lighting.
The colors
The choice of colors is crucial, as it has an important impact on customer behavior.
- Stimulating colors : yellow, red and orange.
Yellow makes you happy and energetic. Red, on the other hand, increases heart rate, blood pressure and therefore appetite. Orange is a comforting shade reminiscent of fruit and sugar.
- Medium colors like green evoke health and organic and give the feeling of eating healthy.
- Inhibiting colors such as blue or brown are less common in the restaurant industry unless they are combined with other colors.
In general, it is advisable to opt for neutral colors that are unlikely to go out of style and that will help you achieve a harmonious look. To obtain a coherent colorimetry throughout your establishment, don't hesitate to call upon a decorator or an interior designer or to create a moodboard.
The furniture
Here again, the range of possibilities is immense and depends on the style of your restaurant and your concept. For a bohemian atmosphere, choose natural materials (macramé, rattan, wood, linen, etc.). For an industrial look, go for steel, waxed concrete, leather and cold tones, all enhanced by a few green plants. For a Scandinavian spirit, it is towards wood and pastel colors that you should turn.
Don't be afraid to mix styles and give your establishment a soul! Play with textures to bring relief, with materials to underline the character of your decoration and with angular or rounded lines. Why not furnish your restaurant with pieces found at flea markets or custom-made furniture? You will offer your customers a unique experience that they will not find anywhere else.
Walls and floors
When it comes to the colors of the wall and floor coverings, the possibilities are endless. However, we recommend that you choose a neutral color so that you can change certain elements without disturbing the harmony of your restaurant.
You will certainly want to renew the tablecloths, dishes or curtains of your establishment before changing the floor or repainting the walls.
You can perfectly opt for neutral walls and add frames, travel souvenirs if you specialize in a certain type of cuisine, graffiti for a street art spirit, textile frescoes, minimalist paintings, an original wallpaper panel or even a wooden base for a cosy chalet atmosphere.
The accessories
As with furniture, we recommend that you choose decorative accessories that are both trendy and timeless and that will last. You can still take more freedom than for the floor or large furniture, because the latter can be replaced more easily and at lower cost.
Think, for example, of the ecological and "healthy food" trend. This is expressed through the choice of raw and natural materials. Unvarnished wood, rattan, concrete and linen are all in vogue.
Try to find accessories (tablecloths, napkins, dishes, menu cards, candles) that match the dominant color
The sensory experience
A good decoration is one that offers a real sensory experience and appeals to your customers' 5 senses. We have already discussed visuals in this article, but don't forget that visuals also happen on the plate. It is imperative to take care of the presentation of each dish.
Once the dish is served, it is the sense of smell and taste that take over. As for hearing, it can be solicited by background music that reinforces the feeling of comfort. You should also consider the noise level of the place and install, if necessary, anti-noise paint, panels or acoustic absorbers.
You can also stimulate their sense of touch by carefully choosing the material of seats, tablecloths and towels.
Exterior decoration
Are you lucky enough to have a terrace, a balcony or even a garden? Your mission: make sure that the decoration reveals all the potential of the place.
This outdoor space convinces smokers, people who want to spend time outdoors after a day at the office or those who want to enjoy the sunshine all year round. It is therefore a strong selling point, provided that it is used to the full. How do you do that? By decorating it.
Outside as well, lighting is important. You wouldn't want to make your customers eat in the dark, unless that's your concept? Beyond the practical aspect, these light sources will help you to install a very particular atmosphere. Candles for a romantic atmosphere, a garland of lights for conviviality, a neon light for a trendy side or lanterns for a bohemian style.
Outdoor space often means nature. So try to always bring some greenery into your outdoor space, even if it's downtown. For that, you don't have to look far: plants. Potted, hanging, climbing, they will help you create a little green corner. They can also be useful as a view breaker and offer a little privacy to your customers. If the configuration and the surface area allow it, even dare to create a small vegetable garden where the kitchen team will be able to stock up on aromatic herbs.
Last recommendation, think of choosing furniture resistant to bad weather and UV like teak, rope, synthetic rattan, acacia, steel and to maintain it regularly. It should not give a bad impression after two years spent outdoors.
The facade of his establishment
The exterior of a restaurant also refers to its façade. A facade without any decoration, or even worse, poorly maintained, sends a bad signal to passers-by : that of a restaurant owner who does not take care of his establishment and the risk that this is reflected in the quality of the dishes served.
A facelift, a well-signed entrance, a designer menu, a few lights accompanied by various decorative elements such as plants or neon lights can make a huge difference. This will have a considerable impact on the perception of your target audience.
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Do you want to optimize your customer experience? Contact an Innovorder expert to get personalized advice for your restaurant.
