Casual Restaurant Dining Room Essentials
Before fast-casual restaurants became popular for being the better quality dining alternative to fast food, casual restaurants were the only thing that separated fine dining and fast food. The thing that makes casual dining so lovable is the fact that you can come as you are and not have to adhere to whatever rules a typical fine dining restaurant has. Also, you get your choice of great quality food that greasy fast food restaurants cannot compare with.
When you decide to venture out into the restaurant business and create a casual dining place, you have to make sure that you make it the embodiment of “casual” – laidback, relaxed, and comfortable while maintaining quality. Your customers will expect this “casual” atmosphere so make sure you fulfill their expectations.
Dining Room Essentials for a Casual Restaurant
The whole casual dining experience in your restaurant is centered mostly in the dining room. While the food is made in the kitchen, it is consumed in the dining room – along with drinks and conversations. That is why it is important to pick the right furniture and implements in stocking your casual restaurant dining room.
The Dining Room Checklist
To help you out in stocking your restaurant, here’s a short checklist of everything you need:
Cozy, comfortable furniture.
Casual restaurants allow for longer, heartier, merrier conversations than a fine dining restaurant. Make sure your tables and chairs are comfortable enough to make your guests enjoy sitting on them for as long as their good conversation requires. Add some soft elements to it to help in noise absorption.
Good lighting.
Visuals are an important part of any meal, and food presentation is not enough. You need just the right amount of lighting to highlight the food and enjoy the conversation without feeling like a deer caught in headlights or lost in a total blackout. Your lighting should also match your concept.
Table setting to match
Forget about the crisp white napkins, or the expensive table covers. With casual dining, you can get away with more fun. You don’t need a complete table setup of three kinds of plates and a hundred little utensils. You only need to serve the basics, or likely only the ones that need to go with the food your guests ordered. And don’t forget a discreet little station for your plates and cutleries just around your dining room area.
Uniform for your wait staff.
Unlike in fine dining facilities, casual restaurant wait staff doesn’t need to wear tuxedos or black ties. They can do away with a semi-formal look – a long-sleeved button down, black trousers, and a barista apron, or something that matches the concept of the restaurant better.
Menu.
Make sure you have an ample amount of menus available so patrons do not have to wait their turn to use the menu; it’s long enough a wait for their food, don’t make them wait to have their orders taken.
Décor.
Complete the look of your dining room with appropriate decors. You can go elaborate and deck the entire wall with whatever you have, or you can take a minimalist approach – it’s your call. What matters is that the decors you have will match the entire concept of your restaurant.
When stocking up your dining room, remember this rule: Form should follow function. This is especially important if you have a limited space, and limited budget.
