There are two types of businesses in this world. The first requires functionality above all else; if the business works as it should and is capable of delivering its products or services, then how it looks in terms of aesthetics is mostly irrelevant. Sure, it’s nice if these types of business can design beautiful logos or offer a pleasant working environment to their employees, but if they prefer to focus funds elsewhere, then the business will survive.
The second type of business shares many traits with the first; the business has to work well, its operations have to be as flawless as possible, and efficiency and productivity have to be maintained. However, good aesthetics are not merely an option for this type of business; they’re essential.
If you own a restaurant, then it’s helpful to acknowledge that your business is very much the second type of business – the one where looks, design, and aesthetics matter.
Why is this the case?
Let’s compare two types of businesses: a restaurant and an SEO agency.
The SEO agency is a “function first” business; aesthetic touches and attractive design are nice to have but, ultimately, the agency will be judged on the service it provides to its clients. For the most part, those services will be provided outside of the agency, with no need for their clients to ever visit their premises; discussions and plans can be formulated online or over the phone, and the success of those plans will be judged on the results the agency can achieve in terms of ensuring the business ranks well in search engines.
In contrast, a restaurant – as we have discussed – is a “aesthetics do matter” type of business. The food that a restaurant serves and the quality of service will always be a factor, but the fact that customers visit the restaurant means that the way that the establishment looks is no less critical. After all, few people would continually patronize a restaurant that looks tired or out of date – even if the food is incredible, the poor aesthetics will significantly harm the experience of visiting that establishment.
Why is it so important for businesses to focus on aesthetics?
In the most extreme scenarios, it could be argued that focusing on aesthetics – or not doing so – can make or break a restaurant.
A night out at a restaurant is a treat; a luxury; something to enjoy. Your patrons will want to feel comfortable and at ease; essentials that aesthetics are crucial to achieving. While there’s a chance some dedicated foodies would continue to visit an establishment even if the setting was unpleasant because they liked the food, most patrons simply wouldn’t; they’d rather go to a restaurant that offers good food but in a beautiful setting, then great food in a poor setting.
As a result, we can conclude that poor aesthetics equals fewer customers; fewer customers equals less revenue; and less revenue can lead to business closure. It may sound extreme, but the way a restaurant looks really is that important to its chances of success.
What constitutes “good aesthetics”?
Thus far, we have referred to aesthetics as if there is a perfect aesthetic that all businesses should strive to achieve – but this is not the case. There is no “right” design or look for every restaurant, especially given that restaurants can be a variety of different styles – what might work for a more relaxed restaurant is not necessarily what would work for a fine dining establishment, for example. However, there are a few underlying principles that it is best to adhere to wherever possible:
- Good maintenance. Chipped table tops, broken cutlery, weak chair legs, bent menus, and frayed fabrics are all huge negatives when it comes to the overall look of your restaurant. All of these will be noticed by customers and will impact their impression of your business.
- Cohesion. When you choose a design idea for your restaurant, you need to stick with that design. If you’re going for a rustic feel, then look for heavy furniture, patterned fabric, and even niche details such as finding wood table tops for sale can help to keep the look consistent. Alternatively, if you’re hoping to achieve a more modern look, focus on light-colored metals, crisp lines, and glass table tops for the most cohesive finish.
- Wall decor. Essentially, you need some. Bare walls are the enemies of good restaurant aesthetics, so always ensure that every wall has at least a few decorative elements. If you’re not a fan of art prints, then consider frames or metal wall decorations to help cover the space.
- Lighting. Restaurants are one of the few types of business that can afford low lighting; bright, fluorescent lights can destroy the ambience and make your dining area feel too stark and unfriendly. As a result, it’s worth considering lighting options such as fairy lights, mason jars, and even neon-lighting – all of which can help to illuminate the space but without flooding the entire area with unpleasant light.
- Color temperature. You do not necessarily need to enforce a complete color scheme for your restaurant; doing so can be limiting, and create an effect that is a little too uniform to be truly comfortable. However, the best restaurants tend to remain within a specific shade of color – cool tones, such as ice blue, mint green, bright white, and so on – or warm, earthy hues such as scarlet, mustard yellow, and forest green.
- Cleanliness. Restaurants tend to focus on cleanliness in terms of meeting health and hygiene standards, for good reason – but it’s also worth considering that cleanliness also influences the way your restaurant appears to customers. Be cautious to ensure that anything customers can see – ranging from door handles to your windows – is cleaned on a daily basis wherever possible, and remove wall art once a week to clean away any dust or smudges.
In conclusion
Hopefully, by focusing on the areas we have outlined above, you can ensure that your restaurant looks just as good as your food tastes.
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