Eatery atmospheres require communication

Ben Webb, owner and lead designer of A la Carte Architects, has designed more than 200 restaurants, including Mudhouse, J. Parrino’s, Village Inn and Hinode. He said that having the owner and the architect on the same page is crucial to a successful design.

“You first have to establish an understanding with the owner as to what the theme is and what their attitude is toward their restaurant, whether it’s fast-food, casual dining, a cafeteria, or if it’s a very formal restaurant,” he said. “If they can give me some comparables that they see as their competition, then we can begin to understand their thinking and what they’re trying to achieve.”

Knowing the owner’s goals is doubly important considering that different types of restaurants require different design elements.

“Lighting levels establish whether it’s a fast-food atmosphere or a more formal quiet atmosphere,” Webb said. “Ceiling heights are important. Large expansive spaces are sometimes broken up into smaller spaces to give a feeling of more intimate spaces for smaller groups and private conversations. There’s a psychology of color – some colors generate a feeling of a cool and relaxed atmosphere, while other colors make customers want to get in and get out as fast as you can – that’s fast food.”

James Clary tried to incorporate the right elements into the design for Fish, his casual seafood restaurant in Battlefield Market Place. He said this restaurant differed from others he has opened – such as Clary’s Restaurant – in that instead of beginning with a concept, he began with a designer: Joyce Buxton of Buxton-Kubik-Dodd Interiors & Architecture. Ron Slone served as the architect on the project, which carried a price tag of approximately $800,000.

Restaurant design, for Clary at least, is a constantly changing process.

“It’s a very long process – it was months of meetings. It’s very fluid in that the concept was not nailed down in my head,” said Clary, who also operates Gallery Bistro. “I had a general idea that I wanted to do low-priced seafood (and) that I was trying to do a concept that appealed to a broader market than Clary’s or Bijan’s or Gallery Bistro.”

Clary said it was a challenge to avoid “hokey” elements like nets and anchors while still conveying the restaurant’s seafood focus.

The answer: water. The aquatic theme can be seen in large design elements, such as the waterfall behind the bar and the circular cutouts in the partition walls that mimic bubbles. But Clary said the small details – the sand-colored fabric, the lack of sharp corners and the lights shaped like water droplets – are just as important in conveying the overall theme.

“My business is about attention to detail,” he said. “It’s not the kind of thing that a guest notices. The details are more subtle. The customer might say, ‘I don’t know what it is, but this place is really cool.’ But they don’t say it’s cool because of this and this. It’s an overall perception. All the details add up to an experience.”

Interior designer Buxton, who also worked on the designs for Avanzare, Ziggie’s and the former Chardonnay, said the real challenge is in conveying a theme without going overboard. She said the trend on the coasts is to design restaurants that are either totally themed or that let the menu speak for itself.

Having a theme, she added, is less important than making sure the food offerings match the interior designs.

“If you have a very expensive menu and upscale food offerings, people come in with higher expectations in general,” she said. “I think people expect good food, good service, and people really want a good interior experience as well. If any of the legs of that three-legged stool is weak, it’s not a good experience for the diner.”

In the end, Webb said, deciding on those details and getting the feeling just right is only possible when the designer knows what the owner wants.

“It all comes down to communication – there has to be a dialogue between the owner and the architect. There has to be a rapport developed, and they have to be open about what their goals are,” he said. “They need to know where they want the restaurant to be and what they want to achieve. Just like in a retail environment, where you have to set the stage for shopping, in a restaurant, we have to set the stage for dining.”