3 Tips to keep in mind when designing your F&B outlet

Well designed F&B shop interior is just as important as its good food and service. One of the first things customers notice about your F&B outlet first is its interior design. It often plays an important role in the decision making of customers choosing between your F&B business and your competitor’s. Interior design plays an important role in the decision making of consumers who have little or no prior intention to dine at your F&B outlet.

Hence, a good interior design sways consumers’ interest towards your F&B business instead of your competitor’s.

Here are 3 tips to keep in mind when designing your F&B outlet.

Your F&B Concept & Target Audience

Understanding your F&B business’s target audience is important when choosing the most suitable interior design. For example, the interior design of an Italian restaurant and a coffee cafe would greatly differ from one another as F&B restaurant’s customers are seeking different experiences from each. 

A cafe's customers may be looking for an Instagram worthy place to enjoy good food and company while restaurant customers expect a place where they can enjoy a peaceful ambience with good company, service, food and drinks.

Therefore, F&B owners should tap into their target audience’s expectations from their F&B concept.

Decide On An Ambience

The ambience of your F&B establishment is made out of 4 factors:

1. Background music
2. Scent
3. Colours
4. Lighting

Background music

By choosing the right music for your F&B establishment, it sets the right mood that allows your customers to enjoy their time at your cafe or restaurant. An example of mismatching background music to an F&B establishment would be a cafe or restaurant whose customers are there to enjoy a quiet environment to socialize playing loud and upbeat music. This will cause an unpleasant atmosphere for consumers. 

Loud and upbeat music would be more suited to bars and pubs where customers are there for music, entertainment and drinks. On the other hand, restaurants and cafes should opt for soft and calming music so that customers can work, enjoy a peaceful environment and socialise.

To select the best background music for your business, it is important to understand what your customers look for when they dine at your restaurant or cafe.

Scent

Smells affect human psychology in one way or another. Different scents used in your restaurant and cafe will trigger different impulses. For example, some restaurants use a specific scent to trigger hunger. While coffee cafes tend to have a strong coffee scent to attract coffee lovers.

When using scents in your restaurant or cafe, it is important to moderate and not use in large amounts as strong scents may trigger headaches for some customers.

Colours

The right colour combination is important to get your concept across. Shades of yellows and reds are known to be appetite stimulating colours. However, try to blend these colours in with softer pastel colours to create a comfortable environment for your customers.

Lighting

Super bright lights in a restaurant or cafe may attract the attention of consumers who are passing by, but do not sit well with customers in your restaurant or cafe. Well designed lighting will have a psychological effect on your customers, making them feel like they have stepped into another realm, away from the outside world.

Many cafes and restaurants use dimmed lighting to create a rustic and comfortable feel that differentiates the cafe’s interior from the outside world. But dim does not mean low visibility. Ensure that your restaurant or cafe has adequate light for everyone to see comfortably.

Furniture Choice & Arrangement

You will want to make sure that your customers are comfortable in your restaurant or cafe. This is where furniture choice and arrangement makes a difference.

While it is important to maximise space to accommodate as many customers as possible in your restaurant or cafe, you should not be cramming different groups of people too close to each other.

If you have speakers in the restaurant, it is important not to have them too close to tables as it would be too loud for customers seated near the speakers, resulting in an uncomfortable experience.

The colour and style of your furniture should also match your F&B shop’s concept. Dark wood and old style furniture goes well with a restaurant or cafe with a rustic concept while light colour furniture with simple lines goes well with F&B shops with a minimalistic concept.

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