Entrance: Come on in?

The entrance of a restaurant is ones first experience with the place. It is obviously an important element of a restaurants design, but how elaborate or thought out does this space really need to be?

The entrances to Chili’s and Training Table are very different than that of Paradise Bakery. Although all three restaurants have an abundance of windows on the same wall as the entrance, the interior of Chili’s and Training Table is hidden from the street. One would need to really come close to the buildings to be able to see inside. At Paradise Bakery, however, the entrance wall is made mostly of glass, and the whole interior space is quite visible before entering the building. Based on observing behavior of restaurant patrons, each type of entrance seemed to promote a different type of activity. The entrances at Training Table and Chili’s invited the customer into the space, and encouraged a relatively lengthy visit. The open and undistinguished entrance of Paradise Bakery promoted quick “in and out” visits. All three restaurants had two large doors for their entrance – pretty much a standard for that type of commercial space. Overall, the entrances to each of the restaurants was successful, and promoted a theme and use of the building that was appropriate for each space.

Therefore:

Successful restaurant entrance design does not need to be elaborate or grandiose. Depending on the intended use of the restaurant, a simple glass or wooden door is sometimes the most successful design for a restaurant entrance.