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The imminent return of the hospitality sector has given Britain a sense of joy. Boris Johnson has stated that outdoor hospitality can reopen on 12th April, with indoor hospitality set to reopen on 17th May. Uk based insight service, Lumina intelligence, suggests that the value of the UK restaurant sector is expected to sky rocket to a value of £11.7bn, with an increase of 30% compared to 2020. There is no better time to start refurbishing or opening a new restaurant in order to take advantage of the predicted financial increase.
Restaurant fit-outs can be very expensive. A small cafe or wine bar of 20-50 covers started from scratch with new equipment will often cost about £150,000 to £300,000. Whereas a larger scale restaurant (150 covers+) can cost anything upwards of £750,000. These figures are high because of the need for restaurants to keep up with their competition and partly to comply with all the rules and regulations that are getting more stringent every year.
GSM can provide you with a financial solution to help get your restaurant refurbished and up and running. GSM can finance everything that is required for your fit-out, from furniture to up-to-date kitchen equipment, we can also delivera financial package that includes labour costs. Have a read of the innovative ways you can make your customers satisfied. If you think your restaurant needs sprucing up why not give us a call today to discuss your requirements.
Nail Your Look
The large numbers of UK-based restaurants opening in the last two years have risen by over 25%. The market is crowded and often brands will look to mimic and copy larger brands to gain success. Consumers will often relate a restaurant with a specific colour scheme or logo. For example, London-based Bread Ahead is renowned for its light blue donut boxes (see image below).
Finding and creating a unique colour scheme to match your company will allow your restaurant to become easily identifiable. The colour you are surrounded by affects your behaviour and your mood. Warm colours such as red, yellowand orange have been scientifically proven to promote a person's appetite. Neutral colours such as black, white, beigeand grey are seen as ideal for fine dining restaurants due to their association with cleanliness.
Feature Furniture
Furniture is a vital part of successful restaurants. Furniture can help portray a different ambiance and help dictate the character of the space. Variations in furniture can help you vary the perception of your restaurant to the public. A fast-food chain will have a varying decor style to one of a fine dining restaurant. Popular fast-food restaurants will often require diner-style booths whereas the norm in fine dining restaurants is often large circular tables. Your choice of furniture must be based not on your personal taste but more on creating the desired ambiance.
Matching furniture can demonstrate an uptight ambiance whereas a mixing and matching table and chairs can give off a more homely relaxed vibe. Customers will want to be able to associate the furniture with the dining experience. When looking to obtain furniture, you must take into account the size and area available. Too many tables will make your customers feel cramped and it will make your restaurant look overcrowded. However, a lack of furniture will make your restaurant look empty and unpopular. Striking a balance is key in obtaining optimal customer satisfaction. Updating your furnishings by having your tables refinished and chairs reupholstered can go a long way toward increasing customer satisfaction.
In everyday/fast-food restaurants, turnover is quicker meaning customers are not expected to stay for large periods of time. This often means that seating and tables are closer together compared to upmarket restaurants who often leave a vast space between each table to promote customers to stay for longer periods of time. If space is limited, consider using straight-backed chairs which still allow an elegant look while using up limited amounts of space.
Jazz up your Lighting
Proper lighting is a key element of any successful restaurant. Though understated, lighting can help dictate people's moods and feelings, create the desired ambiance, and guide your customers into specific areas. Lighting can be heavily affected by factors such as the height of your ceiling, the colour of your walls and floors, tiling and carpeting, and of course your furniture arrangement. This is important as a lighting layout that you like, may not have the desired effects due to some of the mitigating factors mentioned above.
Having an even base of lighting is vital in a restaurant. You do not want any excessive bright spots or dark spots. Restaurants will often create an even lighting foundation. Once you have your lighting foundation it's time to start tweaking elements. A common theme in restaurants is to have slightly brighter lights placed in the reception area. Bright lights often help the initial communication between both staff and customers as both parties are clearly visible to one another.
Lighting must also assist in the dining experience. Under bad lighting, food can look bland and washed-out whereas good colour rendering allows for colours to pop and for subtle colour differences to appear more, adding more nuance to the dish. Finding lights that cover all the tables individually but do not overpower the dining experience is key. A recommendation is to use dimmer switches to adjust the lighting to best suit the time of day/service you are providing.
You should use light as a method to reflect the character of the restaurant to the customers. Often within casual establishments, you will find various forms of lighting such as pendant lights, wall lamps, and recessed lighting. Fine dining restaurants will often have chandeliers and track lighting. Though these are the norms, restaurants have also found success mixing and matching their lighting options.
Another consideration is natural light. Firstly, the great thing about natural light is that is free! You can use this to your advantage by installing tall windows or doors with large glass panels within your restaurant. Sunlight will also positively affect your client's mood, with scientific studies suggesting that sunlight increases happiness. You should also consider the seasons and the weather, which are other factors that will affect the natural light shining into your restaurant.
Outside Space
With the imminent reopening on the 12th of April, outdoor space is a great way to get your doors open quicker and have money rolling in. Though this will be beneficial, there will be other restaurants taking advantage of their outdoor space. So how can you make yours stand out? Greenery is inspiring, it encourages the recharging of our brains and allows us to refocus back onto the job on hand. Plants such as lavender and chamomile are seen to help calm people's anxiety and lower stress levels.
Also, take full advantage of your outdoor space by providing a restaurant-style service. Restaurants have installed bars and outside grills to provide a full dining experience, while still adhering to the Covid-19 rules set out by the government.
At GSM we are here to help no matter what your situation. We can arrange restaurant finance from £10k to £5m+. We have over 20 years of industry experience and have worked with some of the UK’s biggest restaurateurs. To see who else we have helped head to our Clients and Testimonials page.
Our aim is simple: fast, friendly and efficient finance.