How to design a restaurant floor plan in seven steps.
Mary has worked in some of the most celebrated restaurants in the world.Her expertise is featured in a number of Fit Small Business areas.
A restaurant floor plan is a sketch of your restaurant space that includes your dining area, kitchen, storage, entrances, and bathroom.Your brand is communicated to customers through the best restaurant floor plans.The industry standard for split between the kitchen and dining room is 40/60.
It's important to create a floorplan to start a restaurant.When applying for business permits in most cities, you need to include your restaurant floor plan.It is a good idea to include your floorplan in your restaurant's business plan if you are looking for investors.
The layout of your restaurant floor plan is the most important thing to remember.All of these elements should be considered for your ultimate restaurant layout.
Every restaurant needs a certain number of operational restaurant spaces.Depending on your restaurant's style and whether customers eat on-site or take food to go, the size of each will vary.
Designating staff changing areas is even more important during COVID-19.It's a good idea to provide an area for your team to change clothes and wear personal protective equipment.
Depending on your restaurant concept, there are optional areas that you need to add.These include:
Make a list of what your restaurant needs.Consider the number of people who need to work or eat in each area at the same time.It's a good idea to allocate the most space in your floor plan for areas where most people will congregate.Dining rooms in full-service restaurants where customers spend two hours per meal will be more significant than in a burger joint where most customers take food to-go.
Before you fall in love with a particular restaurant layout, you need to locate electrical lines, water lines and load-bearing walls.Get a copy of your restaurant location's blueprints, or consult with a contractor to determine the most sensible places for your kitchen equipment, restrooms, and bar equipment.Contact your landlord and local board to learn about any restrictions that could affect your choices.
Start with an existing restaurant space.It costs less to change an old restaurant to meet your needs than it does to open a new one.You can find a commercial real estate pro with restaurant experience.They can help you with loans and financing options.
The kitchen is the most important part of your restaurant.That is the reason you start in the kitchen.30% to 40% of the total space in a restaurant's kitchen is devoted to food prep, cooking, and server pickup.There is more to consider.
You are ready to think about the layout of the kitchen once you have chosen the best spot to support your kitchen equipment.The Assembly Line, Island, and Zone are the primary commercial kitchen designs.
It is a good idea to test your plan before installing permanent equipment in the kitchen.Staff should walk through the workflows to make sure there are no traffic jams.The equipment can be locked in place.
There is a pro tip about using software.Home design apps can be used to test restaurant floor plan ideas.For up to five floor plans, most let you use the software for free.
Third-party online ordering apps are used by ghost kitchens.Cloud kitchens are restaurant types that don't need public conveniences like a dining room or public bathroom.They are like food trucks.If your location permits one, adding a drive-thru window is an excellent idea.Depending on your business volume, any of the three kitchen layouts mentioned above can work for a ghost kitchen or cloud kitchen.
Around 60 percent of your total restaurant space is used for restaurant dining areas.Depending on your restaurant type, what you put in this space is up to you.Occupancy guidelines for your space are the first step in this equation.You should read the ADA guidelines carefully.Your dining area layout and floor plan meet regulatory guidelines if you have all of this information upfront.
Most restaurant POS systems and reservation systems have table layout tools.If you have a POS or reservation system, you can use the built-in tools to find your ideal table configuration.
You need to figure out how many tables you need and how to put them out.The following space allocation allows staff and customers to coexist easily.
Depending on your restaurant concept and the types of seating you use, much of your space allocation for tables and chairs is dependent.It is possible to maximize dining space by using wall space and efficient traffic flow.You can change the look of your space by moving freestanding tables.Booths maximize wall space, and mixing them in with tables gives patrons their choice of seating.There are many dining concepts that add height to their tables.
Most states require at least 6 feet between customers whether they are standing or sitting.Remove unusable tables from your dining areas or block customers from sitting in those tables to help adhere to these guidelines.
Information flow is a critical component of the restaurant dining room.If you use a POS system, you need to send order information from customers to your payment processor.Remember to place server stations with card readers or POS terminals near electrical outlets in your dining room layout.
You will need to think a lot about your walls if you use a cloud POS or iPad POS.The weaker your signal is, the more walls you have between your POS terminals.Cloud POS users can use open floor plans.Adding wi-fi signal boosters to your design plan will allow you to have a dining room full of partition and nooks.
You may need a permit if you want to create a sidewalk seating area.The image is from Pixabay.
If you use umbrellas, plan for adequate walking space between tables.Wide walkways and aisles run alongside planters and walls.Wheelchairs can pass if you leave enough room in the main thoroughfares.If you plan to accept tableside payments, you will need a signal booster.
In colder months, install outdoor Pods to support social distancing.Pop-up igloos and bubble tents hold in body heat and keep the elements out.
ADA compliant areas of your restaurant are a good idea to design them all together.You must have at least one restroom stall in each bathroom that is wheelchair accessible.
By tying into nearby lines, you can save money on your plumbing.You will have to plumb this area completely if that is not possible.This element is not easy to move about the space.At least one stall or restroom needs to be wheelchair accessible.
The ADA requires at least 60 inches of turning space.Small restaurants may only have room for one restroom.
If your entryway includes stairs or a step up or down from ground level, you need to think about ADA adjustments.The simplest solution is to fit a ramp alongside the stairs.You could also consider a wheelchair lift or separate entrance.
The entrance of your restaurant should communicate your brand and concept.This is the first visual and tactile experience your patrons will have when entering your establishment, so carry any design choices you make in your dining room forward to your entry.Or add your own touches to compliment your brand concept.
If you have a bar or countertop where patrons can wait, your entrance can be minimal.If you need a defined wait space in front, plan the area so traffic can flow in and out and seating can be accommodated.A few comfortable chairs work, but bench seating against the wall is better.Adding outdoor seating to your wait space is a good idea if it works in your location and climate.A few patio-type chairs or benches can do the job.
Encourage customers to wait in their cars until their tables are ready.You can text customers when you need to in most restaurant POS systems.
Adding a bar or countertop dining area to your restaurant floor plan is a great idea.If space allows, you should consider one.Since patrons can order drinks while waiting, it is a more profitable use of space.Diners expect a bar to have less elbow room than they do at a table, so it creates small-footprint dining space.
In small spaces, a bar or countertop that shares its back wall with the kitchen works well.You can tie into your plumbing for bar sinks or add a window to the kitchen for a diner, cafe-style coffee house, or bistro restaurant.
Quick service restaurants like pizza shops and burger joints ring in customer orders at a central counter.The kitchen and dining area are usually separated by this counter.The order counter only needs electrical outlets and an internet connection to process payments.Dry goods and paper are stored under the counter in many restaurants.
Most of the business is done from a counter.Depending on the food you serve, this counter may need to support refrigerated or heated displays.These service counters are similar to mini- kitchens in that they need access to electric and water lines.
The restaurant industry is struggling to keep up with consumer demand for online ordering and delivery.You should set aside an area for drivers and customers to pick up delivery and takeout orders if you use third-party delivery services.It makes sense for the pickup area to be in your kitchen if your delivery program is robust.
Depending on your business level, this area can be a series of shelves inside your front entrance.If your restaurant is a delivery-only concept, it would be like a ghost kitchen or cloud kitchen.Warming cabinets or countertops with heat lamps will keep your food at optimum temperature.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, many restaurants shifted to online ordering and delivery.You can convert a bar or service counter to a delivery pickup area if you don't want it to be an on-going part of your business.You can use tables that were removed from your seating plan to create barriers.
You want to include space for your managers and staff.Since they don't generate revenue and your team is not spending long hours in them, they should be thoughtfully designed.
The kitchen design includes a delivery entrance and staff locker room.The image is from the software.
Traffic jams are prevented by a separate staff entrance.A delivery entrance can also be a staff entrance.Locker rooms help your team focus by keeping employee belongings out of work areas.If health inspectors see employee belongings in food service areas, they will dock points on your health department rating.Anything that leaves your restaurant is a potential source of illness.
The back office of your restaurant needs to be secure.Sensitive information like hiring documents, tax information, and business licenses can be found in your back office.Valuable items like your back office computer, security system hub, and safe are held in it.There should be at least two doors between your safe and the outside world.The office door needs to be solid and locked from the inside.
Depending on where you are, COVID-19 regulations vary.Check with your local health department for the applicable regulations.Check the CDC guidance for restaurants to make sure your staff and customers are safe.The two most important factors in creating a safe dining environment are social distance and good air-flow.
Look at strategies used by pop-up restaurants and tactical urbanism when considering how to use the outdoors to weather COVID-19.Inexpensive materials are used to create temporary spaces.Think of the materials used at the farmers market.The table below only offers suggestions.If you want to use outdoor public space, you need to get approval from local authorities.
Your restaurant floor plan affects everything from kitchen and dining areas to waiting areas and restrooms.The industry standard is for 40% of your total area to be in the kitchen.Depending on your restaurant type and sales volume, the layout that works best for you will be different.The smooth flow of employees, customers, food, and information through the restaurant space is supported by the best restaurant floor plans.
Mary King is a writer at Fit Small Business.Mary has worked with some of the best restaurants in the world, as well as programs that are innovative and forward- thinking.Her operational experience includes highly specialized small businesses like food trucks and coffee shops, grand scale restaurants and cutting edge co-working spaces.
Krista, your 1st step floor plan is helpful for me.I am new to restaurant business.I was worried about The Entry and Waiting area.I can feel free now.I am very happy for you.Thank you with thanks.
Thanks for reading and commenting, I was glad it was helpful.Good luck with your new business.
What are the requirements to become a restaurant consultant?I have built, owned, and sold three successful concepts over the course of 32 years.I have been with the largest food service equipment dealer in the nation for 16 years.I would like to be able to charge for my services now that I have been designing layouts for free.
Expertise in helping budding restauranteurs find the right location, set it up, and launch is all you need.I am not aware of any official credentials for concept and planning consulting.You can package yourself well, market your skills and get the word out.It is not possible to bill yourself as an interior designer or other licensed professional if you are not an advisor and consultant.Good luck!