When it comes to our favorite restaurants, there’s one thing we can all agree on – positive dining experiences are rooted far deeper than just the food on our plates or the wine in our glasses. It’s the little details in a restaurant that make a lasting impression – from the beautiful entrance that greets you, to the smell of fresh pastries coming from the kitchen, the sounds of laughter and soft music, and the warm ambiance radiating from the lighting. This week, we’re spotlighting the ways that lighting impacts your dining experience – whether you even realize it or not! Because sometimes, the best lighting design goes unnoticed – intentionally.
Designing Restaurant Lighting Through a Theatrical Lens
In a theatre, directors cultivate their vision for a show, and actors and technicians must be able to recreate that same show every night. Each movement, emotion, and action is scripted so that the all-encompassing sensory experience is consistent for audiences. The restaurant equivalent of the director is the chef! Just as the way our lighting has to set the stage for actors and performers to shine for the audience each and every night at the theatre, in a restaurant, it’s our mission to bring the chef’s menu to light. This includes illuminating the entire cast of characters including the staff, your family and friends, the food, cocktails, and the environment so the all-around experience is impeccable.
Wayfinding Meets Plating
Starting with the basics of wayfinding, guests must be able to visually experience the meal. From the moment they’re seated and glance down at the menu, there must be enough light for them to comfortably read all the options. Light also has to be ample enough that guests can engage with the restaurant staff, from the host to the server and sommelier – it’s hard to make connections when you can’t see someone’s face! But of course, too much light can take away from the ambiance and mood, so it needs to be a careful balance. And finally, the food needs to look appetizing! Proper lighting can really compliment the chef’s presentation on each plate and make the dining experience that much more enjoyable.
Losing All Sense of Time
A restaurant has a surprising amount in common with a casino: just as dealers want you to flesh out all of your chips at the blackjack or poker table into the late-night hours, restaurants want you to be enjoying yourself (and your tab to be growing) as long as possible. So, if the lights change abruptly, the first thing guests will do is break away from the moment and meal they’re sharing and check the time. Rather than ordering one more bottle of wine and some dessert, they’ll realize that they should be heading home to relieve the babysitter. To avoid this, our restaurants use smooth deep dimming and preset controls with 90 second fade times. This way, the next thing you know you have been enjoying yourself for three hours… with a hefty tab to boot!
We all can think back to performances we’ve seen, whether it be on Broadway or our local family theatre. The environment and stage play just as big a role in our memory as the cast as the actors – and the same goes for restaurants. Our hope is that patrons of our restaurants will leave with the same lasting impression of the space and meal, with a full belly and happy memories!