Serve yourself : Restaurant chains that allow the customers to do the work

First of all, I think it is important in considering this patter to think about the reasons why we go to restaurant chains versus fast food hotspots. If we want quick, cheap and easy food, we will generally run our car through a drive through at a fast food restaurant or go in and quickly order. We don't expect much service outside of what we receive as we walk up to the counter. However, I believe the reason we move from this fast food environment to a restaurant we actually consider "sit down", is because we want a higher dining experience (even if this is to simply eliminate the activity of obtaining our food ourselves).

I find it most appropriate to start off with the Training table in relation to this subject. Their entire restaurant theme is built upon the idea of "self service". The intention, I believe, is to offer a sit-down restaurant which is a step above fast food. However, I don't know that every aspect of this intention works in the actual design. The first time I ever visited the Training Table, I was extremely confused as to what to do when I walked in the door. I could see a service counter a long way off at the back of the restaurant. Probably 50 tables filled the restaurant, most of which were unoccupied. I wasn't sure if I should wait for a hostess, or if I was supposed to find a table myself, or if I should first go order from the counter. It wasn't until I actually sat down at a table and opened a menu that I was given instructions on how to place the order by phone. I find the phone ordering unique and fun, and I can see how this would be a large draw for families that come in and want an extra level of entertainment. However I felt like I was brought back to a fast food restaurant when they called me and I was forced to walk all the way up to the front counter to pick up the food and pay. I feel like this restaurant is trying to be more upscale than a regular fast food chain, however I think they lose this intention when they ask you to come up and get the food yourself. I think if they want to separate themselves from the fast food realm, they should offer a delivery of food to the table. "I find it annoying to get comfortable and set up at my table, only to have to get up again to retrieve my food from the front", said Dave Knoll, a father of three who rarely frequents the restaurant.

Moving to the opposite extreme, Chilis has successfully removed itself from a fast food restaurant to an experience which is full carried out by a waitress. From the moment you are sat at a table to the moment you leave, the waitress takes care of everything for you, including running the check. I think this is nice and appropriate for this restaurant, as it allows the patron to have a true experience without having to do any of the service themselves. However, one thing that can be confusing (as seen in the picture above), is the drink station. It is located directly outside of the restrooms in a main thourough-fare that customers are forced to use to reach this area. The drink machines are completely exposed to the public, which takes away some of the "restaurant mystery", and almost implies a self serve station. I believe this is located for the servers convenience, but would be more visually beneficial if it were located in a more hidden located, like bhind the kitchen doors.

Paradise falls somewhere in the middle between Chilis and Training table. They are a self-serve restaurant with an option for sitting and dining in. I think what works about their set up is how clearly everything is marked so no intentions are misread upon entrance. It is clear that ordering from the restaurant should occur to the right of the entrance as that entire side of the restaurant is occupied by a large, clearly marked menu and ordering counters. This is extremely successful for Paradise because it allows the patron to first make their order from the menu (each theme is divided up into sections: lunch, breakfast, bakery), and pay at the end of the line. They can then continue on to the drink station, take their food to go, or choose a seat from the dining area. I think these same principals would be succesfully applied to the training table, if they were to make the restaurant intentions clear upon entrance, and allow the self service to occur before the patron sits down, so they're not required to get up on multiple occaisions, interrupting their experience. I think anything as simple as a sign or plan redesign, would convey this idea for Training Table as it has for Paradise.