If you are, a restaurant owner that is, you have a lot of decisions to make before the opening of your restaurant. Many having to do with whats on the menu, where the building will be located, and who will be the perfect employees. But when it comes to the design of your restaurant, or any other business for that matter, there are many nonverbal aspects to consider.
For instance, if you were to consider putting round tables in your building you are actually encouraging communication between the people who choose to sit at them. A longer table establishes more of a business setting by having two “heads” of the table and allowing for a larger group to sit at them. A booth generally encourages conversation and keeps customers sitting longer because of comfort. You should also consider the lighting of your building, if you have bright lights people will feel the urge to leave as soon as possible which may or may not be the result you want. But if you happen to be in the restaurant industry you most certainly want your guests to stay as long as possible to enjoy great food and a great environment. (The longer they linger the more they are going to want to taste off the menu!).
Another nonverbal to consider when opening a restaurant is the scent or smell you give off to customers. Your memory is triggered at a much higher percentage by smell than any other sense, so you want to give off a smell in which could be triggered by many other things. The key to your scent is to create an emotional connection. Maybe you own an Italian restaurant and the scent you give off is garlic and fresh-baked bread, then any other time the customer encounters this scent he or she will recognize it in connection with your restaurant. Another scent an owner might choose to put throughout their building is lavender, which tends to make people feel relaxed and at ease (always a good thing).
Lastly, the color scheme of your restaurant is very important. This includes everything from fabrics, decorative items, all the way down to employee uniforms. First and foremost the color white represents cleanliness which is a good quality for any business to have. Next, if you are opening an upscale restaurant perhaps you want a color that represents prestige. Purple would be the color to go with since it is highly associated with royalty, although this is a misconception. The color blue was actually the color for royalty which is where the term “royal blue” derived from. Gray and black are associated with many different qualities such as sternness, dependability, businesslike, and reliability.Yellows and reds create energy and green represents growth, wealth, and nature to name a few.
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Overall, if you are or plan to be a restaurant owner the decisions you have to make are manageable! But pay special attention to detail, nonverbal design could be the key to your business’s success.