When it’s time to eat, what is better than to have more than enough choice of restaurants that serve many different cuisines? The question is, how do you actually choose going to one restaurant over another?

the first things most people think about are “How much does it cost? What kind of food is it? And where is it located?”  All These play a factor into the selection of a restaurant, and clearly expressed designs easily answer all these questions.

To recap from my previous article, some of the categories of restaurants are; quick-service restaurants, fast-casual restaurants, casual dining restaurants, and fine dining restaurants. There are very clear indications that they are different  from one another. The entrance is the first indication that reflects the type of restaurant and what type of food and service you’d be expecting.

Take a look at a ‘quick service restaurant’: it is a quick, cheap, and usually very well located in most cities. Quick service restaurants have very strong corporate design guides that make  look completely standardised. This helps create visual identity for the outlets. The entrance of a restaurant can express many things. You will notice that in quick-service restaurants, the corporate signage and entrances won’t be replicated in any upscale places. Places that want to cater to more selective crowds have tactics to provide that specific exclusive atmosphere and entrance. The entrances differ from the chain restaurants to bistros to high end restaurants.

With fast-casual restaurants, entrances are also similar and very strong identity. These types of restaurants usually have a small hostess counter that would divide the outside area from the inside. A fast-casual restaurant is designed  for quick turn overs of tables. You will notice that the entrance will be very minimal to give the atmosphere of grabbing a quick bite to eat since it’s a slightly different form of fast food service.

As for casual dining restaurants, the entrance will aim to provide a separate entrance space that can vary in size and design. The arrival area serves as a transition point between the outside and to allow clientele  to be immersed in the restaurant’s concept.

Lastly, fine dining restaurants are at the top of the ladder when it comes to dining out. Usually located in a high-end area or in many luxury hotels, these restaurants  exude  strong design and  style. The entrance is usually grand area and exclusive. In the  evenings, many restaurants incorporate the use of very atmospheric accent lighting to highlight the interior ambience . Some restaurants even make an entry passage that  emphasize the feeling of entering a different location and providing an increased perception of exclusivity and luxury.

If the saying of ” don’t judge the book by its cover” apply to many things in life, it surely can’t be more wrong here. A restaurant entrance design tells a lot about food, service, and prices. 

Read my other articles in this series to see how each other aspect of restaurant design affects its  identity and its place in the food chain!