When designing a small restaurant, there are several key elements that should be considered to create a cohesive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing space.
Read MoreWhat Are The 5 Elements of a Small Restaurant Design?
restaurant architecture
What Are the Factors to Consider in Designing Layout of the Restaurant?
Are you planning to open a restaurant? Whether you're just starting out or are an experienced restaurateur, one of the most important aspects of your business is the layout of your restaurant. After all, the layout of your restaurant will determine how easy it is for customers to move around and how close they are to the action in the kitchen.
Read MoreDo You Need an Architect to Design a Restaurant?
Building or remodeling a building to become a restaurant takes a lot of planning and specialized features. Besides serving its practical purpose, the structure and design of a restaurant must guide the patrons and offer a particular ambiance.
If you are only renovating an existing restaurant, you probably don't need an architect. But, as long as you change the vision and arrangements, an architect will bring your ideas to life. They will also create plans that are structurally sound, practical, and compliant with regulations.
Why Hire an Architect?
An architect is trained for both the technical and aesthetic aspects of designing a restaurant. The purpose of a business like a restaurant is to serve as a place of production, as well as provide the customer experience. You can see how an architect is perfect for this task.
When designing a restaurant, an architect covers the following points:
Constructions and utilities
What is needed to install kitchen equipment
Consistency of design
Coordinating the work of independent contractors
How well the site fits the project
How Much Does an Architect Cost?
The cost of hiring an architect depends on many variables, starting with the experience of the firm and the size of the project. For an assembly building (a definition that includes restaurants with 50 or more seats), the law requires you to hire an architect.
Architects work with different types of payment plans. Some work for an hourly fee, others for a fee per square foot, and some prefer to calculate their fee as a percentage of the building’s total value. It depends a lot from one architecture office to another, so it's best to start booking discussions with architects in your area early on.
Typically, you can expect 10 to 15% of the building’s total cost to go on architecture plans, design, and engineering plans.
Are You Designing a New Restaurant?
If you are an entrepreneur planning to open a new restaurant, get the advice and service of an architect. Henderson Architect is your expert in Santa Rosa, California. We specialize in commercial buildings from the tourism and hospitality sector. Our clients include wineries, commercial centers, event areas, and other projects.
We look forward to learning about your vision for your restaurant project and offer consultation if you need an architect’s expertise. Contact Henderson Architect online, or at (707) 237-5240, and bring your new restaurant to life.
How An Architect Can Help You Plan And Design Your Restaurant Layout
If you’re looking to open a restaurant, one of the best decisions you can make is to have an architect help create the layout.
Restaurants have a lot of moving pieces. The wrong plan could end up hurting your activity, but also offer a bad experience for your guests, which can be enough to ensure the restaurant activity is short-lived.
Here are 5 ways an architect can help make sure that doesn’t happen:
1. Plan for Comfort
The food aside, the restaurant must also offer guests a welcoming and comfortable experience. The architect knows this and envisions the layout of the dining area to ensure guests can have easy access to their table and the other facilities they need (such as the bathroom) without bumping into other tables or guests.
2. Easy Circulation
The architect will also take into account the high amounts of movement inside the restaurant, especially in terms of the waiters coming and going to the kitchen repeatedly.
Waiters need to have easy access to the kitchen and a way to enter and exit while holding people’s food and drinks, so the floor plan should include a set ‘path’ to support this.
3. Better Safety
Creating a safe work environment isn’t just about training staff members on how to properly use the kitchen equipment - it can also start from the floor plan.
An architect will design the layout based on key safety requirements of restaurants, and make use of the available space as efficiently as possible.
4. Special Attention to the Kitchen Area
A good kitchen layout is just as beneficial as the dining layout. Even small restaurants have 2 or more staff in the kitchen, so ideally you want to give them plenty of space to perform their tasks without constantly bumping into each other. The architect can help design the kitchen floor plan for maximum efficiency.
5. Other Facilities You Might Need
If you want your restaurant to have extra amenities like a space for children to play or a waiting area, the architect is the one who can make sure these ideals fit into your plan from the very beginning.
Henderson Architect’s Restaurant Plans
Henderson Architect can help you leverage your space and create restaurant layouts that support your business goals.
To learn more about our services, fill out our contact form or call us at 707-237-5240 to get started on your design.