Thursday, 3 April 2008
Restaurant & Bar Design (Leisure Design) has evolved as
specialised service generally out of Retail Design and Hotel
Design, it also has links to Graphic Design for corporate
identity of projects and Design Companies may offer a combination
of all these disciplines. Some Restaurant & Bar Designers can
offer Architectural support while others may have a stronger
background in Branding and Identity, but generally all will be
able to cover a wide scope of work to provide the Restaurateur
and Bar owner with a complete Design service solution. In
addition, most designers offer Project Management or Supervision
of their own work and should be experienced with the contractual
procedures required to undertake the project through to
completion.
When necessary, designers specialising in bar design will probably
have links with an independent Catering Consultant that can
advise on behind the scenes operational matters and Kitchen
layout details. This can also be carried out with a Catering
Equipment supplier, but remember they may try and sell you
unnecessary expensive equipment rather than good independent
advice. The same advice also goes for Kitchen & Restaurant
Ventilation, use your Restaurant & Bar Designer and Catering
Consultant rather than a Ventilation Company to design your
system. If you already have a Chef on board, include them in the
design briefing.
Although restaurant & bar designers are not restaurateurs,
they should have experience, understanding and knowledge of the
fundamentals of catering design. This can be of great benefit to
the client as it gives an outside view of the catering business
that covers so much more than just the image when applied to bar design.
In selecting a designer the project brief will establish what kind of service
you require from them, and it will be down to the Designers to
demonstrate how well matched they are or not to the project when
submitting their fee proposal. The fee proposal should not just
tell you how much it is going to cost to employ them, but also
their understanding of the project brief and the scope of work
they recommend the project demands and how this is covered in
their services.
You will know doubt be looking very closely at the designer's
portfolio to find the connection with your own bar design
brief, however, you are advised to look outside your field of
catering and experience in what the designer has undertaken for
others. If for instance you have a French restaurant you wish to
be designed, don't just look for designers that have done lots
French restaurants, you could be missing out. There could be a
designer that is just right for the project with lots of
experience and talent in other areas of catering, but has not
done a French restaurant- yet! When it comes down to it, a good
restaurant & bar designer can design to anything, it matters
very little if it is modern bar or traditional restaurant the
principles of good restaurant & bar design sweep across the
whole catering sector.
Once you have chosen and engaged your designer use them as
part of your catering team!
