Choreographing the total experience beyond the plate
In the theater world, there’s a saying that no one leaves a show humming the scenery. While it’s true that great performances usually take precedence over set design, the latter can still have a profound impact on an audience’s imagination and experience - consciously or not. The same is true for the look and layout of a restaurant, which is itself a stage for a different type of performance. In an era where customer experience reigns supreme, orchestrating the restaurant journey is critical for meeting expectations and optimizing operations.
The evolution of the restaurant industry in some ways mimics the trajectory of the entertainment industry. In those early days, people went to the movies several times a month. However, with the advent of video entertainment, visits to the cinema drastically decreased. Video enabled us to see films at home or on the move – even in our cars.
The same could be said for prepared food. Reshaped by Gen-Z (20% of the population) with their distinct preferences, fast food outlets with drive-thru enhancements embody high-tech advancement with low-tech hospitality. People can now conveniently order online or over the phone and sit at home until their food is delivered. Hence, people now visit a regular restaurant far and few in-between and nowadays every diner who comes in through the door, matters.
The emphasis is no longer solely on the quality of cuisine
If you say, “Think of a restaurant,” most people will imagine of a place preparing food for someone to consume on-site. Only a few would envisage a room with tables bearing meals. Whilst the restaurant industry is primarily about preparing food, it is also about shared public spaces that hold essential props (tables, chairs, etc), whilst setting the stage for a culinary experience that will delight all the senses.
But if you think about restaurants you've been in that make an impact where certain things stick with you, they are those restaurants that tell a story. From what is the first view, to how you are invited in? Does the setting appear welcoming, is the furniture and lighting arranged in a sequence of spaces that, even within very tight spaces, every table is an Island. Something as simple as chairs and tables - those are really the backbone of a restaurant. How do you sit there… when alone, as a couple or in groups?
The same is true about seating. There’s a very different kind of strategy when you're creating a restaurant where people are going to spend two-and-a-half hours eating dinner than in a place that has a one-hour turnover and where the chairs are more vertical. The tables are hard surfaces.
In an era where customer expectations are high, choreographing the restaurant experience reigns supreme.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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