Hospitality by Design
by Judi Sandall
Chef School Review Columnist
Restaurant design is one of those critical, but often overlooked, hospitality functions. If done properly, the work may go unnoticed, while a poorly-executed design can leave an otherwise stellar restaurant suffering from a lack of ambience and low functionality. In a business where behind-the-scenes function is as important as the stage dressing, poor restaurant design can be a recipe for disaster.
Form Follows Function
Restaurant design involves a variety of components:
- Concept development and implementation
- Architecture
- Space allocation and layout
- Equipment
- Furnishings including booths, tables, and chairs as well as carpeting and lighting fixtures
- Workflow including customers, employees, and food service from kitchen to table
If your culinary niche is design rather than cooking, a hospitality management degree could be your entree to this fascinating field.
Clientele and Location Dictates Restaurant Design
According to Maxey Hayse, a design studio in New Jersey, hospitality business design “relates directly to…clientele and location.” An interior design that works well in a Key West bar may not necessarily translate to a Manhattan restaurant. Patrons in Kansas City are probably looking for a different experience than those in San Francisco. Great hospitality design, according to Maxey Hayse, is not about design trends, which go in and out of style, but rather about combining “different finishes and materials to add creativity and interest to a space.” You design a great space by looking at a client’s concept or image, clientele, and location.
Hospitality Design Career
A hospitality management degree can be your entree to a restaurant design career in a variety of mediums, including:
- Metal - aluminum, copper, steel
- Wood - classics like oak or mahogany or exotics like zebra wood
- Natural fibers - jute, seagrass, sisal
- Glass - sandblasted, etched, colored
- Fabrics - natural silk, cotton, plush velvet
- Colors - bold or neutral
- Lighting - gels, fiber optics, LED
- Miscellaneous - cork, leather, stone, granite
There’s room in hospitality design for the artist, the designer, the planner, and the visionary. With a degree in hospitality management and an artistic flair, a career in restaurant design may be in your future.
About the author
Judi Sandall is a technical writer and a regular Chef School Review columnist. She is a graduate of the State University of New York, with a BA in English Literature.
Source(s):
Posted on June 4, 2007 at 10:55 AM
Earlier: The Culinary Art of Wine and Food Pairing
Later: Careers in Culinology
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