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7 Differences in Designing a Restaurant vs. a Doctor’s Office

When you’re designing, there are always different factors to consider. No two spaces are alike. You have to view all of the different types of people coming into the space. A doctor’s office is likely to see various people: some who come in for check-ups and others who come in for emergencies, some with kids and others without. On the other hand, a restaurant is typically one type of person: hungry people on dates or family outings.

1. Customer Profile

The customer profile at a restaurant is typically more diverse, whereas the one at a doctor’s office is more homogeneous. A restaurant might have customers come in for brunch on the weekends and dinner during the week. A doctor’s office will have patients coming in at set times throughout the day with appointments.

2. Number of Customers

Restaurants usually have an open floor plan, which promotes interaction among strangers and allows for easy movement of customers through the dining area. The larger space also means more tables and chairs to accommodate more customers. With doctors’ offices, it’s essential to design with an eye toward efficiency because they see patients on set appointments throughout the day. Doctors’ offices often have a closed floor plan since they don’t want large groups of people coming in all at once.

3.Health vs. Restaurant

Most restaurants have some form of liquor license. Restaurants can serve alcohol, making them a more relaxed environment. Doctor’s offices do not usually have liquor licenses and are in the business of prescribing medicine to people who might be struggling with addiction issues or alcoholism. There may be particular areas set up for patients who come in to get their monthly prescriptions in some doctor’s offices.

4. Functional vs. Ornamental Design

In restaurants, the goal is to create a comfortable and inviting space. The design should be functional but also ornamental in that it has everything the customer needs at their fingertips. In a doctor’s office, however, the goal is to create an environment conducive to healing. While it should be functional, ornamental design is not as important because patients are there for a specific appointment and won’t need many amenities.

5. Themes and Moods in Designing

The mood of your restaurant will depend on what kind of theme you decide to go with.

Designing a medical office depends on how you want your patients to feel while waiting. If you wanted visitors to feel relaxed, you could go with shades of blue that promote peace and tranquility or wood furniture that invokes feelings of warmth and stability.

6. Waiting Room

The waiting room is one of the essential parts of a doctor’s office. It serves to greet patients, provide them with magazines, and offer them a comfortable place to sit while they wait to be seen. A restaurant’s waiting room would be its bar area where customers can enjoy themselves and wait for their table.

7. Time Spent in Room

In doctor’s offices, patients tend to come in at a set time for their appointments. This is different from restaurants, where customers come and go throughout the day. This difference in customer volume can impact the design of the space.

One area where this has a significant effect is in exam rooms. Doctors’ office exam rooms are designed to feel more clinical and sterile than in restaurants. The exam room should make the patient feel comfortable and relaxed during their visit.

In the design process, understanding a customer is essential. A restaurant has a very different atmosphere than a doctor’s office, as customers in a restaurant typically want to feel relaxed and enjoy their experience. On the other hand, a doctor’s office needs to be more functional and practical.

5 Ways to Use Hats to Help Market a Restaurant

If you want to make sure your restaurant is successful, you might want to start by incorporating a little hat awareness. From promotional products to good-wanting photographs of delicious food, hats can do wonders for putting a spin on an old idea. Here are five ways that a restaurant owner can use hats to help market their establishment.

1. Creating Custom Promotional Products

Hats are a great way of making anything look more appealing and eye-catching. If you think your restaurant is worth promoting, create custom hats for clients, employees, and customers. These hats can be made from felt, felt flowers, sandpaper, or even dryer-safe paper instead of regular cotton. For more information on how to make custom hats for promotional products, check out this article.

2. Customizing the Menu

Nothing keeps a customer coming back like a delicious meal. And nothing keeps a customer from returning to a restaurant that is advertising with hats. Any good-wanting photographs of the food served at your restaurant can be used as hats to advertise it. But be sure to use hats you have custom-made from the menu items. This will make them distinct from generic promotional products. You can also use hats as a way of updating the menu itself.

3. Using Hats as a Motivational Tool and Promoting the Food

All businesses, especially restaurants, need the motivation and inspiration that comes with consumers’ continued patronage. And nothing helps motivate customers to continue returning to a restaurant than hats made from the food served at the establishment. But be sure not to get too creative with your customized hats, or it might backfire on you. If a customer sees a hat made from a favorite food item, they would likely order that item when they visit your restaurant.

Restaurants are about the food. And when it comes to finding new ways to promote the food at your establishment, there is no better way than making customized hats from an original photograph of it. This will ensure your message sticks in consumers’ minds when they see other people wearing these hats. If the food pictured in the hat is something customers usually order, they will be more likely to order it when they eat at your restaurant.

4. Creating Bonuses

While custom-made hats are ideal for advertising different menu items, there is no reason why you can’t make promotional hats by taking an actual hat and adding new elements on top of it. But be sure to use hats that are the same color as the business’s logo or that can easily stand out. After all, it is difficult for consumers to tell the difference between a custom-made hat and one that happened to be added on top of another non-customized hat. Taking the time to order hats that are the same color and style as your logo will help promote your restaurant and keep consumers coming back.

5. Doing Market Research

Believe it or not, some people pay attention to promotional hats instead of food. So to get a better idea of what will sell at your restaurant, you can use market research to find out what hats people are looking for. By asking customers if they have any favorite hats, you can determine if they would like to see more promotional hats at the restaurant or see the best-looking hat. The more hats you can incorporate into your marketing plan, the better.

Hats can help any business bring in more customers. Whether you are looking to promote your menu items or need an incentive for people to continue patronizing your restaurant, hats can create much-needed excitement about your business. It is important, however, to always make the hats yourself instead of buying cheap promotional products.

5 Things You Can’t Skimp On In Your New Restaurant

While there are many factors that are important in the success of any restaurant, five factors are essential. Not only do these guidelines assure success, failure to meet any one of them may be fatal to your fledgling enterprise.

Customer Service

Prompt, friendly interaction with customers establishes the foundation of an enjoyable experience for your customers. Train staff to remember “ABC” in any situation: Always Be Courteous. Regard problems as a challenge to meet, not as a disruption to routine. Take complaints seriously, and address problems as soon as they are discovered.

Kitchen Staff

One of the most disruptive conditions in the restaurant business is high turnover among kitchen staff. There is a learning curve in both preparation, and presentation of your menu items. Hire good people; train them well; let them know how important they are. While adequate pay is important, intangibles such as expressing appreciation for a job well done, and making sure that unpleasant tasks are assigned fairly will inspire loyalty and minimize costly turnover.

Food Quality

There are many factors to consider in menu planning: freshness, flavor, current food fashion, and attractive presentation. On the practical side, you also need to consider cost, preparation time, and potential waste. Developing a few unique items can help set your restaurant apart from competitors. A favorite family dessert, or Aunt Gertrude’s Secret Recipe Salad Dressing can have customers coming back for more.

Kitchen Cleanliness

While most customers don’t see behind the scenes to know whether or not your kitchen harbors dirty little secrets, a dirty kitchen poses health and safety hazards, and can negatively impact employee morale. Most Health Department violations are a matter of public record, and can be a source of bad publicity for months after violations have been corrected. The only thing worse than a Health Department violation, is the potential financial liability for a food-borne illness affecting one or more customers.

Appearance

Finally, the overall appearance of public areas are vital to success. Plumbing leaks in bathrooms, or cracks in sheetrock on dining room walls creates a bad impression. Fresh, clean decor affirms the impression of fresh, clean food. Attention to detail in maintaining the overall appearance of your restaurant indicates that you pay attention to detail with the menu as well.

Opening a new restaurant can be an exciting experience. By paying close attention to these basic success factors, you can overcome the many challenges that often follow.

Fancy Food: What Every Restaurant Business Needs for Success

In general, restaurant owners are very capable people who possess an abundance of optimism, creativity, motivation, and dedication. They are not afraid of long hours and hard work to achieve success. However, many new restaurant owners discover that even the best restaurant presents challenges when striving to become a truly great business. Opening the eatery is the easy part. Developing long-term success with a loyal customer base takes additional skills. Here are ten proven tips to keep your restaurant on track to success.

Know Your Consumers

It is important to tailor your menu and service towards the customers living within your zone. Are the neighborhoods filled with young families, or retirement communities? Is there an industrial park nearby? Answering these questions will help you develop a menu. If the customer base is primarily business people, then a strong lunch menu, and early happy hour appetizer selection makes sense.

Frequent the Competition

Be aware of the menus and service levels at your competitor’s restaurants. Typically, restaurants will share some of their customers since diners enjoy a little change. However, if your customer count is falling, eat at a thriving competitor and do a thorough comparison to your own restaurant.

Ensure Quality Service with Every Meal

Hold weekly staff meetings to address their challenges and encourage prompt, courteous service. Be open to suggestions on running a more efficient kitchen, or eliminating unpopular items from the menu. This will support the wait staff in providing a great meal in a happy, positive environment.

Serve Excellent Food

This sounds obvious. However, many restaurant owners fail to reassess the food quality on a regular basis. In addition, make an objective evaluation of the freshness and appearance. Compare your own food to your top competition as well.

Cut Costs Through Better Controls

Many costs can be cut by regularly meeting with vendors to negotiate pricing. Stay current on prices by contacting the competing food suppliers and asking for quotes. In addition, evaluate costs such as employee perks. Frequently free meals cost more than they return in better morale. A discount may work just as well.

Market Your Business With Specials

A special menu for slow nights can help bring in new business. In addition, coupon deals work well for bringing in a potential new customer, who would not have tried your restaurant otherwise. Make sure the specials change frequently and can offer something unique from the other food you serve.

Establish a Catering Business

If your restaurant is near a business district, pick up additional revenue by establishing a catering venture for business luncheons. This can build up your business and help you to make more use of your food.

Advertise

Low cost methods of advertising include setting up a chalkboard menu outside the door, or using window signage to promote daily specials. If local zoning allows it, put tables and chairs out for sidewalk dining. Take a restaurant management course to hone leadership and communication skills as well so you know what’s going on in the community and competition.

Make Use of Technology to Improve Processes

Many restaurant owners will improve efficiency by utilizing solutions such as facilities management software for managing janitorial services. This will improve cleanliness standards, and will help when cutting costs. The owner can then focus on expanding a small enterprise into a thriving chain.

If you rely on proven methods for running a successful food service enterprise, your dedication and hard work will pay off. While the effort and time invested may be significant upfront, you will establish a strong position from which to grow a successful restaurant business.