Restaurant design: Fast casuals need more than a good décor

A restaurant's interior can enhance a brand and invite customers in, or misrepresent the brand and drive customers out.

 

If the design does not complement the menu, the look is a lost cause — especially in fast casual. Restaurant consultant Arlene Spiegal believes operators can't just plop a sofa in a store or create an upscale design and call a fast-food spot fast casual.

 

"A fast-casual design should incorporate the best of full-service restaurant design and the convenience and speed of quick-service," Spiegal said. "Material finishes and furniture should be high quality, including lighting, art and artifacts."

 

That's what Buona went after when it recently redesigned two stores. Joe Buonavolanto's family had operated the 11-store Chicago chain for 25 years and had always served high-quality, fresh-made food like the Tuscan Harvest salad and the Pollo Pomodoro sandwich. But Buonavolanto believes the Italian fare did not receive its due recognition inside the QSR's walls. Buonavolanto sought an atmosphere to match the store's price points.

 

"We wanted to make sure value was represented and that it was a real comfortable family atmosphere," Buonavolanto said. "We wanted the design to complement our food and convey freshness."

 

Buona's new 4,000-square-foot design made the dining room more of a backdrop for the food. The flow of the store takes guests by preparation areas, allowing them to watch pizza assembly. Indeed, the open kitchen keeps the line moving while influencing purchasing decisions.

 

"Our new design is not just about the environment," he said. "It's the quality of tableware and chairs; the fresh food. It all goes together."

 

The new dining ambiance is similar to that of a high-end restaurant. Marble table tops are surrounded by dark-brown wooden chairs, and customers can look through the black-trimmed windows or gaze at pizzas baking in the wood-fired oven. Others can sit on black-leather cushioned seats at oak tables facing a white tile wall. Low-hanging contemporary lamps pour warm light onto murals, menu boards and oversized bookshelves. Two paragraphs of bold black type tell "The Buono Story" and cover one side of the white walls.

 

Self expression and fusion that relates to the brand is the new thing for today's restaurant, according to Owens Corning. In fact, the company said the hottest trend in restaurant design may be that designers aren't locked into any particular style.

 

"Today's restaurateurs feel empowered to express their personal taste and individuality on more than the menu," said Bob Heath, marketing leader for Cultured Stone, a division of Owens Corning. "We're seeing an increase in clients who are exploring combinations of color and texture in inventive ways."

 

Heath's product, Cultured Stone, has a stone texture and comes in five unique colors and in various forms like trim or tile. His veneer product could certainly give a fast casual an innovative look and feel. But when operators are at the stage of selecting construction materials, they should be thinking about their brands, not just aesthetics. It's important to choose colors and textures that draw the restaurant's target audience, said Michelle Bushey, partner and design director for VISION 360.

 

This story and all the great free content on Fast Casual is supported by: Mid-Atlantic Food,  Beverage & Lodging EXPO September 20-21, 2006

She said it also is imperative to design a store that incorporates technology like menu boards, POS systems and back-of-the-house kitchen software. These are issues that should be addressed when a restaurant owner is looking at redesigning an existing store or creating a new brand, Bushey said.

 

"A lot of people don't understand what they're getting into when designing a store," she said. "You need something that is aesthetically pleasing and functional for the back-of-house and front-of-house."

 

In the new upscale stores, Buona employees take orders on seven state-of-the-art POS systems. Menu boards and food cases are positioned throughout the store. There's even an extra POS at the catering and take-out areas.

 

Those upgrades, combined with the new look, cost more than $1 million to concept and build. But that investment has paid off. Buonavolanto said the first newly designed store's sales increased 8 to 9 percent since May 2005. The family is building a third store.

 

"This new look and direction really complements our philosophy and fresh ingredients," Buonavolanto said. "We are happy with it."