Dining by Design

Book excerpt: Abstract: Guidelines for creating the special mystique that marks a successful restaurant are outlined in this beautifully illustrated guide for interior designers and restauranteurs. A combination of factors related to design, table service, and food work together to make a restaurant successful. Designers, clients, and restauranteurs must be willing to take risks in order to create a facility that is novel enough to be entertaining and memorable. Descriptions are provided of well-designed restaurants, how they were conceived, and the factors that led to their success. Characteristics important to restaurants' success such as ambience, lighting, acoustics, graphics, and budgets are discussed in in-depth interviews with experts in these fields. Categories of restaurantsfor which specific descriptions are provided include fast food facilities, hotel dining facilities, ballrooms, clubs and discotheques, bars and cocktail lounges, and corporate dining facilities. Restaurants with unique themes, architectural approaches, or historic designs are also described. Beautiful color photographs and design layouts of selected restaurants supplement the text. (aje).