It doesn’t matter how beautifully decorated your restaurant is or how well themed each area of the restaurant floor is, if you can’t match the quality of design with a high standard of service.
Efficient service isn’t just integral to guest satisfaction – it is also key for operational success, with a balanced approach to design and layout supporting the creation of a space that can seat, feed, and cater to multiple groups of guests per service.
Designing a restaurant that supports efficient service flow means considering the fundamentals of layout, how orders are taken and managed, and how the different sections of the restaurant work together.
In this blog post, we’re taking you through some of the most important touch-points to consider when designing your own restaurant.
Fundamentals of Service Flow in Restaurant Design
Service flow isn’t just about getting food on plates and in front of diners in a timely manner. It’s about every component of the restaurant space working in harmonious unison, giving guests a good experience from the moment they enter your premises. This in turn encourages them to not just order more and really immerse themselves in the experience but become repeat customers.
More than that, service flow focuses on the areas of the restaurant that diners don’t necessarily see – encouraging designers and business owners to consider the role of both front of house and back of house spaces.
Typically, we recognise the key areas of service flow to cover the kitchen and bar, dining area, and point of sale. In reality though, we must not forget the placement of these spaces alongside the layout of walk-throughs, entry points, and memorable customer experience features.
Layout Planning for Optimal Efficiency
The first and most obvious place to start is with layout planning. A well-planned restaurant looks at the proposed design and layout in line with the theme of the restaurant and the experience that you want guests to have – without ever overlooking the impacts on its operational performance.
Ideally you want to create a restaurant that minimises unnecessary staff movement between tables, and that grants diners the privacy they want during their meal while still making them feel connected to service staff and to the overall experience.
The route from kitchen to dining area, from dining area to onsite facilities, and between the tables needs to be seamless, cohesive, and geared towards an efficient but professional service.
The Kitchen: Heart of Service Flow
Not only is a domestic kitchen the heart of the home, but in a business setting the kitchen sits at the very heart of your service flow. It transforms menu options into refined dishes and is integral to providing diners with the sensory experience that they are seeking.
From a design perspective, the kitchen needs to be brought to life in a way that supports efficient food preparation and delivery, considering details including where food will be collected from by service staff, how it will be kept warm, and how to keep dishes for different tables clearly separated and labelled.
Workflow and safety are also prime concerns for restaurant owners, with restaurant equipment and tools all contributing towards the way a kitchen is run.
Dining Area Configuration
As the focal space for the guest experience, the dining room matters – both in terms of configuration and design.
Some of the best ways to create a dining space that supports efficient service flow include offering different seating solutions which cater to larger as well as small groups, and which offer private dining options, more intimate tables, and more sociable diners.
Alongside the experience for guests, service flow relies on wait staff’s ability to move between tables with ease when delivering food, with clearly defined table maps for effortless service.
Point of Sale and Front of House Design
Moving away from the meal itself, designing a service-efficient restaurant also means thinking about ordering, payment, and how guests feel when they walk into and leave the restaurant.
While the efficient delivery of food to the table is important, a restaurant that doesn’t take orders quickly and deliver an easy transaction experience for customers will not last very long – or garner many repeat customers.
As such, thinking about the positioning of Point of Sale technology is important – as is a diverse selection of ways in which customers can pay (and even order!) This also includes looking at how wait staff and ordering staff communicate with the kitchen to ensure a timely transfer of order from notepad to kitchen line-up.
Integrating Technology into Service Flow
Having mentioned it a couple of times, now it’s time to talk about technology – specifically how modern solutions can be used to promote efficient service flow.
Everything from digital menus to self-ordering via a QR code and the provision of order management tablets and systems, can help to support an efficient and effective restaurant flow. There are some occasions when guests will relish ordering for themselves, and other more formal establishments where technology can help service staff to take and manage orders more accurately behind the scenes.
Either way, technology presents an opportunity to streamline the service flow and impress as well as delight diners.
Materials and Finishes in High Traffic Areas
Finally, when designing a restaurant with service flow in mind, it’s important to look at the materials used and the way the space is finished – with an emphasis on high traffic areas and walkways.
Flooring needs to be durable as well as aesthetically pleasing, with easy to clean surfaces and accessories allowing for a quick turnaround between table sittings and dining groups.
Here at Carroll Design, our team offers expert assistance and advice through every stage of the restaurant design process. Whether you want to enhance the efficiency of service or support a themed experience for guests, let us help bring your vision to life.