Indoor waterfalls, warm earth tones, whimsical tableware, oversized furniture, eclectic art objects-today's restaurants often look like modern-art museums rather than dining facilities, a fact that sometimes generates more comments about their decor than their menus. Consumers now expect an entertaining atmosphere to enhance the entire dining experience, and more restaurateurs are catering to that desire with innovative and exciting designs. According to the National Restaurant Association's 2001 Restaurant Industry Forecast, restaurant operators are investing more than ever before in restaurant design and decor as they strive to create a setting that will set them apart from the competition.

"With the restaurant industry growing and the emphasis being put on total entertainment, restaurant design is becoming even more exciting with new approaches to dining," says David Schultz, who — with his wife, Susan Davidson — runs DAS Architects, Inc., in Philadelphia. For a dozen years, the pair has been designing restaurants on the East Coast, such as Le Bec-Fin in Philadelphia.

"Our design makes it more exciting for people to come in," says Dan Toland, general manager of Atlantic Restaurant in Baltimore. "When they walk into a restaurant, they should find it unique — their experience starts immediately." Housed in an old cannery on the waterfront, Atlantic has a spacious interior with panoramic curved walls and sailcloth sculptures hanging from the ceiling. Wooden tables, Italian rope chairs and simple tableware complete the setting, which also includes an indoor waterfall. Atlantic serves fresh seafood dishes such as "Atlantic Crab Cake" and "Mussels in Riesling" and also has a raw bar.

"Even restaurants with low budgets are paying more attention to color palettes and furnishings, recognizing that design is a major component in a restaurant," says Paul Lukez, principal of Paul Lukez Architecture in Somerville, Massachusetts. Lukez recently designed the Monsoon Restaurant in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and Cecelia's in Somerville.

Aesthetics have become an integral part of dining out, and more operators are placing as much importance on the setting in which they serve their food as they are on the food itself. According to the 2001 Restaurant Industry Forecast, a majority of restaurateurs report that they have remodeled their dining areas since 1996. This increased interest in interior design has both fullservice and quickservice operators looking for additional ways to provide a feast for the eyes.

Millennium style

Restaurateurs and designers agree that design trends for the 21st century include a more natural look and exhibition kitchens. "Everybody is struggling to reinvent the wheel, so to speak," says Schultz.

"Restaurants are using very sophisticated design elements, like natural tones and an overall sleek look," says Lukez.

"People are veering away from metals and glass, and [using] fabrics and colors to create warmer and more intimate environments," says Brian Stubstad, director of design and architecture for P.F. Chang's China Bistro, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. P.F. Chang's, an upscale restaurant with more than 50 locations, serves traditional Chinese cuisine such as "Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps," "Mongolian Beef" and "Orange Peel Shrimp." The contemporary design — which is different at every location — features slate, stone and wood with warm, rich tones of gold, amber and red. Chinese sculptures and custom hand-painted murals depicting ancient Chinese stories complement the Oriental motif.

Olives in Washington DC also capitalizes on the trend toward earthy hues. The restaurant's interior is accented by dark woods, antique objects and rich fabrics in warm tones. Owned by chef Todd English, the restaurant's main floor features an exhibition kitchen with a countertop chef's table. "We love having [an exhibition kitchen] here, and people love to see their meals prepared," says General Manager David Pressley. Olives' downstairs level boasts a martini bar, subdued lighting and jazz music for a quieter atmosphere, and the mezzanine level has a glass-enclosed private dining room with a bird's-eye view of the main floor. Olives serves food with a Mediterranean influence, such as "Ginger Barbecued Tuscan Meatloaf on Cheesy Israeli Coucous With Thick-Cut Buttermilk Battered Onion Rings."

Creating the right look

"You need to have a vision of what you want to create and not get off the path you've set for yourself," says Ken Wooten, general manager of Metropolitain, a fine-dining restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia. At Metropolitain, guests dine in a large, open room with high vaulted ceilings and watch dishes such as "Shoestring Sweet Potatoes" being prepared in the open kitchen. "The idea behind the Metropolitain is a sleek, elegant environment without extravagance," he says, adding that most of the decor is beech and black wood with vibrant accent colors like reds, yellows and greens in abstract paintings by local artists Graham Sykes and Laura Edwards.

Lukez first asks his restaurant clients what story they want their patrons to experience. "Restaurateurs should consider the flow of the space, lighting, materials, tables so that everything works together as part of a larger narrative. . . . Think of it as creating a theater experience."

For example, at Pan-Asian restaurant, Monsoon, Lukez oriented the dining room around an open kitchen to create a theater-type atmosphere and used reds and browns to imbue the space with an Oriental feel.

"Keep in mind what kind of restaurant you are when you think about decor," adds Joy Bellington, owner of Cafe Periwinkle in Lone Jack, Missouri. Housed in a two-story colonial, Cafe Periwinkle consists of six separate dining rooms, each with its own theme and decor. For example, the Library Room has dark-wood furniture and old books scattered about, and the Garden Room is decorated with floral-print materials, a lattice ceiling and a floral border. "People come to dine and relax, and they want things around them that are pleasant," she says.

"Your restaurant should have a happy atmosphere," advises Sirio Maccioni, owner of Le Cirque 2000 in New York City.

Le Cirque 2000 redesigned its interior three years ago to adopt a more futuristic — and circus-like — decor. Stainless steel and neon lights add a high-tech touch to a row of clownish barstools in the cocktail lounge, while oversized, multicolored buttons adorn the chair backs in the stately Madison Room. Designed by Adam Tihany, Le Cirque 2000 serves dishes such as "Pied de Porc Farci aux Truffes Noires." "We're housed in a historic, 19th-century landmark hotel, so we have very old, stately marble next to very modern fixtures," says Maccioni. "It's a big contrast — the first time you see the decor, you're shocked; the second time, you try to understand it; and the third time, you don't want to leave."

The color of money

Color can enhance or detract from the dining experience. It can entreat customers to linger over dinner or bolt out the door. "Color is one of the most significant things in design," says Stubstad. "Colors can make or break a restaurant." P.F. Chang's uses colors to create a "warm and comfortable feeling," he says.

"The psychology of colors has proven that warm earth tones — ranging from pale yellows to deep-tone reds, browns, russets and purples — are more appealing in a dining establishment, and they also enhance the physical environment, hence making [customers] feel more comfortable and attractive," says Davidson. "Cool tones such as blues, greens and steely earth tones, when used in great quantities, can make a space feel cold and uninviting. These colors should be used sparingly as relief tones."

Bold, vibrant colors convey high energy and invite interaction; flesh tones like browns, reds and ambers are appetizing colors, because they harmonize well with food colors, as opposed to purples and colder colors. "Remember that colors vary across the country based on climate. For example, in hot climates, colors tend to be lighter because of the overall heat aspect; in the North and colder climates, deeper tones can be used," says Schultz.

When Burger King Corp. rolled out a major redesign of its units in 2000, the colors included crisp reds, yellows, blues and greens. "We wanted to stay within the more timeless colors like reds and blues," says Ceres Wood, director of architecture and engineering for Burger King Corp., headquartered in Miami. Currently, the hamburger chain has remodeled a few hundred of its 8,400 U.S. locations, with plans underway to redo the rest during the next few years. The new decor style features bright colors, rounded countertops and tables, and pendant lighting. "We chose bright colors, because those help to enhance your mood and make you a happier person," she says.

The icing on the cake

In the quest to impress guests, restaurateurs are turning their restrooms into works of art. "Bathrooms are becoming beautiful, kind of like dessert, an extra," says Tom Sietsema, Washington Post food critic. "Usually, when people are designing restaurants, they cut corners in the bathrooms, but not anymore."

Stubstad agrees. "Bathrooms generally are the first areas to receive budget cuts in a restaurant or retail environment, but restrooms are significant-design does not have to stop at the threshold of the restroom door."

For example, P.F. Chang's ladies' room has custom-colored concrete sinks with exclusive hardware, a full-length mirror, millwork and wood finishes, stone tile, and incandescent lighting. "I believe restroom design plays a role in our guests' overall experience," says Stubstad.

"Restrooms reflect the restaurant," says Toland. The key to the distinctive design of Atlantic's ladies' room is comfort, he says, from the custom-made mirrors and unique sink fixtures to the natural lighting. In the gentlemen's room, an aquarium with tropical fish adds a whimsical and unexpected touch. "People have really complimented our restrooms," he says. "It's another big part of the restaurant — it's someplace a guest is perhaps going to be, and you want them to see something great."

Other restaurants that haven't skimped on bathroom design include House of Blues in Chicago, which boasts a bathroom attendant and amenities such as hairspray, gum and perfume, and Red Light, also in Chicago, which has an Alice in Wonderland feel with oversized fixtures and skewed mirrors.

Makeover missteps

These designers and operators concur that a restaurant's design and decor should tie together to create effectively communicate the operation's concept to customers while avoiding design missteps that can turn guests away.

For example, experts recommend keeping a restaurant's design simple and focused. "Try not to incorporate too many ideas into the restaurant," says Wooten. "Your eye is constantly distracted and it detracts from the overall dining experience."

Schultz and Davidson have identified several common design mistakes restaurants fall prey to: inconsistent ambience, too many designers, not identifying the target audience, inappropriate table spacing, inefficient traffic patterns, poor lighting, unrealistic budgets and offensive colors. "Successful design is not an immutable destination, but rather a continuous process of fine-tuning," says Schultz.

A setting with good taste

Creating a restaurant setting that reinforces and enriches the overall dining experience can translate into more satisfied customers and thus more business. "People are saying that they like a place, and sometimes the last thing they praise is the food," says Sietsema.

"There are a lot of choices today for people who want to dine out," says Schultz. "Restaurateurs need to be thinking all the time about how to create a fantastic restaurant experience — making a restaurant visit more than just a good meal."

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