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Obviously, this is just a crash course and not meant to be a complete guide to restaurant design—just some helpful hints on getting started…

Your customers might think a dining room consists simply of tables and chairs, but you know there are a number of key issues that help ensure not only an aesthetically pleasing dining area for your guests, but also an efficient one.

In addition to basic space requirements and limitations, consider how lighting and color come into play, what to look for when selecting your furniture, and the relationship between flatware, dinnerware and table linens.

Where food meets customer

According to NAFEM, the dining room is the “stage,” where food, service and atmosphere come together to deliver a memorable dining experience.

Naturally, every consideration of space and construction has a corresponding operating cost. While smaller space allocations may result in reduced building costs, insufficient space can increase operating costs and lead to inefficient operation and lower profits.

Consider the number of patrons you will be serving and over what period of time; what kind of preparation methods that will be used in the dining area, what type of storage space is required, what kind of space is needed for checking, waiting areas, coatrooms and service areas.

Lighting and Décor

NAFEM identifies five basic principles of lighting, which are space relationships, perspective, contour, special details of intrinsic beauty and imaginative and subtle qualities.

According to NAFEM, guests in your restaurant will subconsciously feel the impact of light and color, associating it with their overall dining experience. A small room could benefit from brighter colors and lighter shades. Conversely, dim lighting and warm, dark colors could make a large dining room seem less overwhelming, and more cozy.

Studies show that bright lights and primary colors –blue, red and yellow- actually encourage a faster turnover in busy establishments. Often, you’ll see these combinations in fast food restaurants, commercial cafeterias and employee dining areas. Likewise, subtle colors can create a more peaceful, leisurely atmosphere.

Furniture and seating arrangements

If you have already developed a concept and central theme in your restaurant’s business plan, selecting your furniture should be fairly straightforward. It is important to pay close attention to the quality and durability of your furniture to prevent heavy replacement costs down the road. Before purchasing any furniture, ask questions about how the material will reflect your restaurant’s theme, if the furniture you’re considering is an appropriate height, and if replacement parts are readily available.

Also consider how difficult your upholstery is to clean and if it will hold up under frequent and constant use. Some states even have fire safety codes that may affect your upholstery considerations. Check with your state’s restaurant association for more information about requirements in your area.

Also, as mentioned, your seating arrangements must be compliant with ADA standards. Regulations require that wheelchair users should have easy access to the bar area as well as the dining area. The result is that most bars are being lowered to a 36-inch height. Check with your product consultant or local restaurant association for more information on these requirements.

A design consultant or foodservice industry expert can help you identify your options, and whether you should use chairs, stools, booths, or all three. According to NAFEM, booths offer the ability to maximize seating, but they are also large and rather permanent. Will booth seating enhance or detract from your décor? How formal will your restaurant be? Are you going to offer take-out service or seating in the bar? A detailed seating plan will help answer these questions.

Flatware 411

Your restaurant’s seating arrangements will help you determine what goes on your table too. Consider again the theme of your establishment. Not every restaurant requires a demitasse spoon, shrimp fork and steak knife. Make sure anything you put on the table serves a purpose. The appearance of clutter will leave a negative impression with your guests, so any piece of flatware or glassware should be absolutely essential to the meal.

Your flatware should be durable enough to withstand the level of use you anticipate. Some patterns naturally hide scratches and wear, while other styles can accentuate them.

Glassware

When you are selecting glassware, considering the following tips NAFEM offers to reduce your future replacement costs:

• Glasses that have a heavy bead or roll on the lip are less likely to chip.
• The thicker the glass, the more durable it will be.
• A straight-sided glass is more durable than a curved or bulged glass.
• Glasses that are flared (like a martini glass) are more likely to chip, crack and break.

Handle your glassware with care!

Remember to let your glasses cool after removing them from the dish machine. Thermal shock, which is basically rapid temperature change, is one of the most common causes of glass breakage in a restaurant and normally happens when you fill a glass fresh from the dishwasher with ice. The last thing you want is an ice bin full of glass shards! Last, store your glassware properly—in a rack with dividers, to prevent glass-to-glass contact.

That being said, glasses are going to break. Experts recommend setting aside one glass from each collection and writing the model number on it for easy reordering.

Make sure to order enough glassware so as not to have to rush them through the washing system, which can stress china and glassware. Maintain a simple ratio of three times as many glasses to seats to ensure a glass on every table and a complete supply of replacements even when the dishwasher is full.

Dinnerware and accessories

Table accessories like shakers, napkin rings, lamps and vases should have some visual appeal, but not at the expense of comfort or space. Again, consider whether your table accessories reflect the image of your establishment. Will your customers expect condiments and flatware to be on the table? Will a white linen table cloth create the impression of higher menu prices? Who is going to launder and iron them?

Table lamps and candles have become increasingly popular with the advent of flameless and electric lamps. A table setting can appear more cozy and intimate in the absence of overhead lighting—consider overall functionality as well as aesthetics. Also consider how often you’ll need to replace candle fuel, wax or batteries and make sure to include those costs in your budget.

Here’s Part 1 of a blog about facility layout and design– next time I’ll talk about FOH.

Facility layout and design is a complex and dynamic process. Installation will be one of the biggest expenses for a restaurant getting ready to open. That’s why it’s critical to get the job done right—the first time!

Six principles of proper design

the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) identifies six principles crucial to the proper flow of your establishment. Every foodservice project design should:

1. Have flexibility and modularity built into it;
2. Be designed for simplicity;
3. Be designed so that there is an efficient flow of material and personnel;
4. Facilitate ease of sanitation;
5. Make it easy to supervise the employees and facility; and
6. Make efficient use of the available space.

Adapt or perish

This principle is based on the idea that your equipment and materials can help you adapt to changing conditions in your facility. Can you easily make rearrangements to accommodate new operating styles, trends and menu items? The idea that if we don’t adapt, we perish, can definitely be applied to the foodservice industry. For example, a quick disconnect, in addition to being a safety precaution, also allows inexpensive changes and easy movement of equipment.

Ensuring proper flow

The following figure demonstrates the proper flow of material and personnel through the restaurant, from receiving to waste disposal. According to NAFEM, proper flow will prevent backtracking by personnel, decreased productivity and inefficient use of labor. Your design consultant can help you determine the proper flow of material and personnel when drafting your restaurant’s layout. Take into consideration the movement of employees from one area of the kitchen to another, the flow of dishes through the system and back into the service area, and the flow of various food ingredients through the main traffic aisles of a kitchen into the preparation areas.

Proper planning and design is key. Make sure the person designing the store has restaurant operation background. Too often an architect has never worked in a commercial kitchen and the flow is bad.

Things to look for are the receiving of the product into the store, how the wait staff is crossing into the kitchen and how customers are being directed through the store. A proper layout and design will address these issues.

Design with sanitation in mind

Studies show more labor hours are spent cleaning than actually preparing food in virtually every type of foodservice facility. That’s why it is so important to be mindful of sanitation considerations when designing your restaurant. For instance, what supplies will be hung on the wall as opposed to stored on the floor or on a shelf? Will your equipment have casters on it, so that it can easily be pulled forward for cleaning? Will the location of your hand sinks promote proper and frequent handwashing by your employees?

I read a survey online today, conducted by SCA Tissue, that found the cleanliness of restaurant bathrooms is a key factor in repeat business.

Shocking!

Okay, the results aren’t earth-shattering, but I don’t think I could have said it better myself: restroom cleanliness reflects the overall hygiene standards throughout the restaurant, including kitchen and food prep areas.

According to the poll, the top 10 dirty restroom factors that would
prevent restaurant customers from returning are:

• Overflowing toilets: 58%
• Unpleasant odors: 57%
• Slippery/dirty floors with buildup, gum or other residue: 49%
• Dirty partitions, doors, doorknobs, walls or fixtures: 38%
• Dirty and wet sinks and countertops: 38%
• Insufficient toilet paper: 33%
• Overflowing trash cans: 31%
• Insufficient liquid soap: 28%
• Non-working toilet paper dispenser: 22%
• Management/employees unavailable for reporting problems: 19%

In addition, the survey found that word gets around about a bad restroom experience:

• 50% of those who visit restaurants said they would tell their friends and family about a negative experience with an unclean or unsanitary restaurant restroom.
• 46% said they would avoid going to a restaurant because of a bad experience with a restaurant’s restroom that they had themselves or one they heard about from others.

Okay, here are my thoughts:

In regard to unpleasant odors, I think it’s important to note that any strong odor, including a cloying floral scent or the stench of cleaning products, is just as unpleasant as the more obvious “bad” restroom odors. An adjustable odor control system with a more subdued scent is likely to leave a better impression. In my experience, no smell at all is better than a cover-up frangrance.

My next frustration has to do with toilet paper. Yes, running out of TP is the worst-case scenario, but simply stacking extra rolls atop the dispenser is not a good solution. To me, a loose roll is a roll that’s potentially been on the floor. All TP should go straight into the dispenser, spending as little time in the open air as possible!

Last, I understand that, in the interest of cutting down on waste and becoming more environmentally friendly, many establishments are shifting to hand-dryers as a substitute for the more-wasteful paper-towel dispensers. But, some of us still find comfort in drying our hands with a towel. And sometimes, say, after you spill half a glass of red wine down the front of you, the air dryer just isn’t going to cut it.

The center-pull towel dispenser is a good “hybrid.” It dispenses one sheet at a time for portion control, and it’s hands-free for added cleanliness.

One more thing– the hands-free waste container won’t do any good if your patrons have to perch their trash atop a mound of garbage overflowing out of the top– and there isn’t any solution to that except for good ol’ fashioned vigilance.

So, the biggest lesson to learn from this survey, is that it takes diligence on the part of every single staff member to have a consistently sparkling-clean restroom. Train everyone to do a walk-through of the restrooms a few times during the rush. It’s hard to do when you’re slammed, but that is also most likely when the restroom will need attention…

Your customers will thank you for it– and they’ll tell their friends.

People toss around the terms green and energy efficient a lot these days. They are the new buzz words for many industries. But are they the same?

To me, green means friendly, and energy efficient means it’s going to save me money.

The terms are closely related, but I think it’s important to understand the differences in order to implement them effectively in your establishment, and to determine which avenue is the most important to you.

According to the Business and Media Institute, businesses can spend thousands of dollars “going green,” often waiting years to see any payoff. And CNN said HSBC spent $900,000 installing energy efficient lighting.

For restaurants and institutions already struggling with rising food and fuel costs, saving the planet may not be their #1 priority.

So what are some resources that we can start using right now?

The easiest way to conserve energy in the kitchen is to control your appliances– don’t let them control you! Schedule startups and shutdowns, and use timers. If you only use the fryer during your lunch rush, turn it off between meals. If a piece of equipment takes only a few minutes to preheat, it probably doesn’t need to be on and consuming energy all day.

According to the Foodservice Technology Center, you can save an average of $75 a year if you turn off the door heaters on your reach-ins. Generally, door heaters only need to be on if you see condensation on the doors.

Another “free” way to save energy is to set the water heaters on your dish machines only to the temperature required for specific tasks. Your dish machine’s water only needs to be at either 110°F or 140°F. A heater set even 10°F too high can cost more than $600 a year!

When you are ready to start making a financial investment toward a more efficient kitchen, it’s okay to start slowly. Most of us don’t have the resources to go all-out on a futuristic, multimillion dollar, state-of-the-art kitchen. FE&S says the best pieces of equipment to start with are fryers and dishwashers.

Fryers that are Energy Star certified are generally much more efficient than conventional fryers because they allow the operator to recycle the oil they’re using instead of paying someone to come get it and haul it away.

Likewise, energy efficient dishwashers are a plus because they save on energy and water.

Last, start with the biggest pieces of equipment that consume the most energy, like refrigerators and freezers, and, if you’re cooking in bulk, broilers and steamers.

For more tips, and a cost-savings calculator, visit CentralRestaurant.com

Here’s a list of sites and resources on energy efficiency I’ve been gathering…

• FE&S Energy Efficiency webcast.
• Performance data on commercial foodservice equipment.
• Commercial foodservice equipment rebates
• Life cycle and energy cost calculators from the Foodservice Technology Center.
• Green Restaurant Association.
• U.S. Green Building Council.
• Enodis EnerLogic.
• Consortium for Energy Efficiency.
• Video: Green is Hot.
• List of energy efficient products made by Manitowoc.
• Database of state incentives for renewable energy.
• Information about energy efficient foodservice equipment.
• FE&S Energy Aware.
• Dishwashers go high tech (article from QSR).
• The Department of Energy’s site on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Just in time for the fourth quarter, I read a press release today on PRWeb about a new tool that helps business owners identify strategies to save money on their tax returns.

According to the Business Owner’s Toolkit, these tactics often include reducing your taxable income and tax rate, postponing income, and accelerating deductions.

Here are a few things the site recommended:

• Reduce Taxable Income. Find out if you can reduce your taxable income by purchasing health insurance, investing in your retirement, or providing perks like a company car through your business.
• Postpone Income. Delay year-end billings until late enough in the year so that payments won’t come in until 2009. If operating your business as a C corporation, you can arrange for dividends to be paid after the end of the year.
• Accelerate Deductions. Purchase equipment and other large ticket items in 2008. Consider expensing the cost of new equipment, rather than depreciating it. Prepaying deductible business expenses, including rent, interest, taxes, and insurance also increases deductions.
• Be Prepared to Claim Tax Credits. Be aware of tax credits you might be eligible for and meet those deduction requirements in 2008. When they’re available, tax credits are generally better than deductions because credits are subtracted directly from the tax bill.

Check out the website, toolkit.com for more information. It looks like a great resource for business owners.

The Small Business Administration has a number of helpful resources for new businesses, including online training, information on financing, and a business plan tool: SBA.gov.

Recipes, articles and trends for anyone who is into food: The Food Channel.

The National Restaurant Association’s TakeCharge program is designed to help improve your efficiency and generate more revenue with programs such as gift cards: TakeCharge.

A bold, creative business resource for the restaurant community: Slammed.

Local resources for the foodservice industry: State restaurant associations.

According to the National Restaurant Association, food costs are one of the most important line items for a restaurateur. Research shows that food and beverage costs represent approximately 33 cents of every dollar in restaurant sales. The Association projects restaurateurs and other foodservice operators will buy $202.5 billion in food and drink from industry suppliers in 2008. It also predicts wholesale food costs and menu prices will continue to rise, in part as a result of rising energy costs.

How to save

Star Chefs is a website for culinary professionals, and lists several tools for keeping food costs manageable.

First, costing out the menu is crucial to controlling food cost. The easiest place to begin is at the bar due to price control. From there, move on to the food. Each category should be broken down into more useful ratios. Have the chef or sous chef cost out the menu since they deal the most with the product.

Scott Ebbert is a sales manager at Central Restaurant Products, and a Certified Foodservice Professional. He advises simply managing your waste responsibly. Train your staff to prepare only as much food as needed, and not to over-portion. Saving on food is as simple as accurately weighing and measuring each portion.

Products that help control portions

Many steamtable pans have portion control capacities stamped on the side. Likewise, condiment dispensers and pumps also are often designed to allow for accurate portioning. Portion control scales are specifically designed with cost-savings in mind. And don’t forget the oldest trick in the book for measuring every portion: the spoodle.

If food cost is a consistent problem, an operator should start taking inventory weekly, checking with the supplier to make sure they are not overcharging, or sending produce that isn’t fresh.

Talk to a Certified Foodservice Professional for more tips on how to save money in the kitchen.

Recent outbreaks of salmonella in the food supply have brought the restaurant and foodservice industry into the media spotlight. News of illness and recalls associated with spinach, tomatoes and jalapenos has been a serious cause for concern to those who make their livelihood in the foodservice industry. Yet, however widespread it appears to be, according to the National Restaurant Association, the U.S. food supply is the safest in the world.

While recent events have proven it is often difficult to know you’re purchasing food products from safe sources, operators can lessen the risk of receiving contaminated food products by washing hands frequently and thoroughly, not allowing employees to work when ill, segregating fresh produce from other refrigerated foods and washing fresh produce in running water before serving.

The Big Three

In addition to purchasing food from safe sources, other factors that contribute to food-borne illness in foodservice include time-temperature abuse; cross-contamination; and poor personal hygiene. The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) refers to these as the “Big Three” of unsafe food handling:

1. Time-temperature abuse occurs when cooked or raw foods are not held or stored at required temperatures; when food is not cooked or reheated to temperatures that kill microorganisms; and when foods are improperly cooled.
2. Cross contamination occurs when bacteria is transferred among different surfaces and food items. For example, using a cutting board to cut raw meat, and then using it to slice fresh vegetables is a great way to transfer microorganisms.
3. Last, your staff can transmit diseases through poor hygiene; for example, improper hand-washing, coughing or sneezing around food, handling food after touching open sores or scratches or coming to work when they are sick.

Foods most likely to cause problems

The FDA identifies several groups of foods that, by their nature, are more likely to become contaminated because of the way they are typically processed and handled during distribution:

• Milk and milk products
• Red meat and poultry
• Fish, shellfish and crustaceans
• Untreated raw eggs
• Baked or boiled potatoes
• Cooked rice and beans
• Tofu or other soy-protein foods
• Synthetic ingredients such as textured soy protein in meat alternatives
• Garlic and oil mixtures
• Sprouts and sprout seeds
• Sliced melons

It is important that these food products are properly handled, stored and prepared. According to NAFEM, most foods outside these categories are more “forgiving” when it comes to handling abuse and the potential for foodborne illness. In the next section, we’ll go over some important HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) guidelines for safely handling these types of foods. The NRAEF (National Restaurant Association Education Foundation) is also a helpful tool for food safety guidance and training. The ServSafe program provides training and certification to foodservice professionals.

The 7 Principles of HACCP

HACCP is a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation and control of food safety hazards based on the following seven principles:

1. Conduct a hazard analysis
2. Determine the critical control points (CCPs)
3. Establish critical limits
4. Establish monitoring procedures
5. Establish corrective actions
6. Establish verification procedures
7. Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures

For more information about HACCP guidelines and procedures, please visit FDA.gov.

Essential E&S

According to NAFEM, equipment manufacturers are driven more than ever before by a demand from the foodservice industry marketplace to design equipment and supplies that address these critical food safety and sanitation concerns. Here a just a few common items that promote sanitation and food safety:

• Color-coded cutting boards. As mentioned earlier, using the same cutting board for raw meat and fresh vegetables could result in a foodservice nightmare. Using a set of color-coded boards helps prevent cross-contamination in the kitchen. You should use a different cutting board for fish, cooked foods, fruits and vegetables, poultry, and red meat.
• Blast Chillers. Blast chillers are designed to rapidly chill cooked food through the temperature danger zone (135°F to 40°F) to assure food safety. Most models of blast chillers come equipped with probes for critical temperature monitoring and many even have on-board computers and printers for HACCP record-keeping.
• No-touch faucet handles. Many faucets come with an option for wrist handles, which don’t require users to touch the faucet after washing their hands. More manufacturers are designing sinks and faucets that promote proper hand washing techniques.
• Antimicrobial technology. A wide variety of equipment and supplies now come coated with antimicrobial protection to ward off bacteria. Everything from youth seating, mop handles, carts, slicers, shelving, dish dollies, thermometers, knives, gloves and floor mats are now available with Microban.
• No-touch waste containers. Many manufacturers sell “no-touch” models of trash cans and other waste receptacles that don’t required users to make contact with the container. Lids are available in a variety of styles that promote cleanliness.
• Sneeze Guards. Because the last thing you want is someone sneezing on your salad.
• Safety Ice Scoop System. Another restaurant item that often gets negative media attention is ice, but using an ice scoop holder will remind staff not to leave the ice scoop in the bin, and most models prevent hands from touching the surface of the scoop.

Recent trends reflect the foodservice industry’s hesitancy to jump onto the social media bandwagon. It could be a tremendous source of revenue for your business, or it could be a public relations nightmare, if not properly managed and monitored. According to Fast Casual Magazine, most restaurants are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Many restaurants have implemented some form of social network, whether it be an online profile or a blog, but have found it difficult to engage their audience.

Some of the advantages of social networking include taking a one-on-one approach with customers, being able to answer questions and respond to comments, and to squash criticism before it becomes viral.

However, it is important to have a clearly communicated policy regarding comments about your establishment. Tell your visitors that you will respond to legitimate complaints and criticism via your profile or blog, but that you will not allow comments that are offensive, irrelevant or just plain rude. You can respond to these users in a private message, and let them know you’d like to help resolve their issue, but it’s important to control any chatter about you that occurs on your site—after all, that’s the whole idea behind social networking: it’s a means of communicating with others about a common theme.

Take a look at this blog’s comment policy here.

Social networking can also be a way for members of the foodservice industry to communicate with one another.

The most popular social network for the restaurant industry is FOHBOH, which boasts nearly 10,000 members from 100 countries. It is the self-proclaimed “water cooler” of the foodservice industry. It can also be a great way to share ideas, get feedback, make friends and new business connections and to learn and do business.

What kind of ways are you using the internet? Does your establishment belong to a social network? Do you have a blog? As always, your feedback is much appreciated.