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Restaurant Lighting |
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Home > Small Business Advice > Small Business Lighting > Restaurant Lighting |
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Introduction
Restaurant lighting can be split into 2 types:
· Task lighting.
· Atmospheric lighting.
Task lighting is lighting that helps the staff do their job, atmospheric lighting is lighting that affects the atmosphere and the mood of the restaurant.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is lighting that allows staff do there job.
Use bright lighting in kitchen and payment areas – when designing restaurant lighting think ‘how can I help the staff do there job?’
As kitchens are not, usually, in a public area; think of them the same as any other business task lighting.
A restaurant kitchen area has a high-risk of accident – there are many ways for staff to injure themselves, for instance hot surfaces and sharp knives.
A restaurant kitchen needs high levels of ‘ambient’ lighting so chefs can do there jobs; shelving needs local task lighting so staff can see what is on the shelf.
A restaurant kitchen should also have ‘local task’ lighting – lighting that lights up a small area for a specific task, for instance a surface where vegetables are sliced.
Payment areas are in the public view. Payment areas need to ‘fit in’ with the restaurant atmospheric lighting.
A payment area needs to have bright ‘local task’ lighting so staff, and customers, can see the bill and work tills and payment devices.
Other areas that need ‘local task’ lighting:
· Tables – the customer needs to be able to read the menu.
· Entrances and exits – the customer needs to be able to enter and leave a restaurant safely.
· Toilets – without going into the details, a toilet area needs to be well lit.
· Mirrors – customers want to be able to see themselves in a mirror.
When designing restaurant lighting think ‘what will staff, or the customer, want to do here?’ then design the lighting for the task.
Do a ‘walk round’ of the restaurant and analyse the tasks that will happen in each area. Think ‘how can I design the lighting so the task can be done?’
Retail Lighting Terminology – definition of terms used in retail lighting.
Types Of Retail Lighting – an explanation, with images, of the different types of retail lighting. Ambient lighting, accent lighting, architectural lighting and task lighting.
Retail Lighting Do’s And Don’ts – short tips about retail lighting.
Atmospheric Lighting
Lighting sets the ‘mood’, the ‘ambience’, the atmosphere of a restaurant; lighting is the first thing a customer notices when they enter a restaurant.
Restaurants can use lighting to create the right mood or ambience.
The first question is ‘what atmosphere am I trying to create?’
Soft colours, say yellow and orange, for a ‘warm’ atmosphere, striking blue for a modern, upmarket restaurant.
Visit restaurants and ask ‘is the lighting setting the right mood?’ Copy the good; don’t make the same mistakes as the bad.
Restaurants should pay particular attention to the entrance area. The entrance area is the first area that customers see – first impressions last.
Lighting can highlight architectural features, both interior and exterior; does your restaurant have a feature that can be highlighted?
The image below is of the Aquadulza Restaurant, Varese, Northern Italy – you ‘know’ you would enjoy a meal there – the lighting ‘says it all’. |
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This webpage provides a brief introduction to restaurant lighting.
This webpage provides help with restaurant lighting and design tips to help design restaurant lighting. |
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Aquadulza Restaurant, Varese, Northern Italy. http://www.acquadulza.it |
