Setting up and planning the layout of your restaurant can be both exciting and a bit daunting.
How do you know if you’re choosing the correct plan? Is there enough space for any booths? Are you being efficient with your space? What kind of furniture and decor will help make the space more comfortable and inviting?
How to Design A Restaurant Floor Plan
All of these are valid questions and concerns, but try not to worry. Before any big project, it’s important to take a step back, breathe deeply, and create a plan of attack.
When planning the layout of a restaurant there are some things to consider.
- The restaurant’s original floor plan.
- The space between tables.
- The right type of tables.
- And how many can reasonably fit in your restaurant’s available space?
Depending on the size and shape of your restaurant, you could have several different possibilities for the main layout. While this is the case, the restaurant’s floor plan is a huge factor in determining what you can actually create in your space.
If you have an open floor plan, most things would be possible for you, in terms of decor and furniture choices. On the other hand, if you have some strange corners to deal with or support beams or walls in your restaurant, things can be a bit tricky, as your options might be limited.
It’s always possible to have some construction done, but that can be expensive and time-consuming. As not every place has a completely open restaurant floor plan, be sure to focus on the other two factors of laying out a restaurant. Additionally, always look at the restaurant’s floor plan before taking the space, to ensure you have some idea beforehand.
So, after reviewing your floor plan, the second thing you should focus on is the space that’s available.
This doesn’t just mean looking at the size of your restaurant, but actually measuring how large your tables, chairs, and booths are, while also looking at different parts of the restaurant.
Spatial awareness doesn’t just include furniture either; you have to be mindful of spaces in the kitchen, in the waiting area, and in between tables, to ensure that wait staff and guests can comfortably and efficiently get through these spaces.
Along with spatial awareness, finding appropriately sized furniture is another way to optimize the layout of your restaurant. Again, if you have an open floor plan, buying normal tables, chairs and booths is an option and can really fill up the area. However, if this isn’t the case, some creative thinking might need to happen.
Whether that means mixing booths and high-top tables, or adding more bar stools to the bar area, measuring and trying a variety of furniture is the best and most efficient way of figuring out which pieces you should choose.
While planning the layout of a restaurant is hard work, keeping these factors in mind will help you in the long run. When it’s finally all planned, decored, and done, you will know that all of the hard work was worth it.
