Hot Seafood Platter with Proper Chips & Lime Aioli (Grilled Lobster, Queenies, Mussels, Hot Oysters, Goujons of Beer Battered Haddock, King Prawns) minus the oysters at The Three Acres in Shelley, Huddersfield, United Kingdom – Photo Courtesy: The Food Place – What To Look For In A Restaurant
The vast majority of people eat out at some time or another. There are those of us who enjoy a weekly family meal in a restaurant, which means no cooking or washing up to worry about at least once a week. Then again, there are those of us who enjoy eating out on a special occasion, such as an anniversary or birthday. There are also those of us who may visit a restaurant very rarely, but still manage to enjoy a meal every once in a while.
However, we all know that we will visit a restaurant over and over again if the food is great, but are there any other particular aspects of a restaurant that will ensure we return on a regular basis?
What To Look For In A Restaurant
How Inviting is the Restaurant?
A nice Restaurant Near Grande Place, Brussels, Belgium – Photo Courtesy: Maria Firsova
One of the most important factors about a restaurant is whether potential customers find it comfortable and inviting. This will mean that a customer expects great service from knowledgeable and helpful staff. It will also mean that the general decor of the place helps customers to feel at ease and able to relax.
You would also expect the restaurant to be extremely clean and this goes for the cutlery and crockery, the tables and floors, the toilets and even the staff. There is nothing more off-putting than having a meal in a dirty restaurant and it is more than likely that you would never visit a restaurant like this again.
Italian restaurant “Il Cantuccio”, Firostefani, Santorini, Greece – Photo Courtesy: Klearchos Kapoutsis
Some restaurant owners also like to decorate their premises with a certain theme and once again this can be extremely inviting or very off-putting depending on how the restaurant is decorated and also the type of clientele who visit. A restaurant may have a certain colour scheme or it may be a themed restaurant with food from a certain part of the world. A prime example of this would be that you visit an Italian restaurant and you find many decorations, paintings, objects and items that remind you of Italy. This is a great way for people to escape from their everyday lives and enjoy a small part of Italy on a regular basis.
How’s the Ambience?
The ambience in a restaurant has the ability to make or break its success. If you visit a restaurant and the food is great, but the atmosphere sucks, you are more than likely to give it one more opportunity before never returning again. This will encompass not only the decor, but those little extra touches. Perhaps a restaurant could treat its customers to a little al fresco dining during the warmer months of the year or have a huge roaring fireplace during the winter.
Al fresco dining at the restaurant at Rotonde de la Villette, Paris, France – Photo Courtesy: Photocapy
Maybe you have a little background music or a live band playing on certain evenings, or you may have a number of booth seating areas for those customers who prefer to be away from the crowd and like to enjoy a little romance. You will need to consider the types of customers who visit a certain establishment and take their feelings into consideration when looking at the type of ambience offered by a restaurant.
Aldon Vaughan is an employee at Kap Furniture, specialists in banquet seating. Aldon is extremely fond of children and volunteers at local shelters for inner-city youths.
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