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De-emphasizing Design You don’t have to go design crazy in your hotel restaurant. In fact, less may actually be much more. Wednesday, June 02, 2010 Glenn Haussman

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Design has become such an integral part of the hotel and restaurant experience, it’s as if we’ve become programmed to deliver an all-encompassing environment in which to eat and sleep. Sure, this approach makes sense on some level.

But in today’s economy, creating full-out sensory assault may not be as important as you’d think, especially in restaurants. Now, more experts are using a “less is more” approach in many instances. And, aside from simply not having the money to invest in a heavy design concept, the truth is that in many cases developers spend so much time trying to imbue a place with a hip and cool look, they totally forget the star of the show is food.

“During the last few years we have tried to make something with much less. We found in a lot of cases those experiences are rewarding and the outcome is fantastic,” said Jennifer Johanson, President and CEO of EDG, at the recently held HD Expo in Las Vegas. “Today’s consumer is looking for much less than you think. They want a complete experience but don’t necessarily need to be wowed at every inch of the design. They are not looking for an extravagant experience.”

Instead, consumers are looking for an authentic experience which happens to dovetail nicely with another major dining trend: the gravitation toward upscale comfort foods with a twist. Hoity-toity is out, casual and comfortable is in. These are trends we have been talking about here at Hotel Interactive for quite some time now, and designers are finally adapting to this new way of customer engagement.

According to Jody Turner, a self-described creative culture researcher, connector and lecturer who has advised companies on trends, younger generations are looking for something more meaningful in the design experience than counterfeit flashiness.

“The younger generation typically is more open. They have a desire to be closer to the senses,” said Turner.

Johanson said that when creating a restaurant, thinking about design should not be the first step. Or second, for that matter. Instead, it’s critical to initially think through the overarching concept and programming of key elements first. Then develop a design for the outlet to properly reflect the food being served and the restaurant’s point of view. It’s all about being truthful with the concept, said Johanson.

“If it doesn’t start with the food, then nothing else matters,” said Johanson.

In Dallas, Johanson was tasked with reinventing a poorly performing upscale restaurant in just two weeks with $250,000. What her team and the owners settled on was a family-style place that mimicked the hometown diner. Forget being a place for special occasions, the rechristened Rathbun’s Blue Plate Kitchen is a place where people can come every day.

Her goal was to de-formalize the restaurant in order to clarify the concept, which would lead to capturing new business and increasing daily sales.

“We needed to make it more casual, so we thought, ‘What does a blue plate place look like?’ But we also had to deliver food and service beyond the expectations of an average blue plate special,” said Johanson.

To open up the restaurant, they pulled down a wall that had separated a bar from the dining area so people could better see the open kitchen. They bought second-hand dishes to accentuate the ‘blue plate’ vibe and even bought small crates they branded with the Rathbun’s logo for bread baskets. A chalkboard now highlights wines by the glass, and food is now sourced from local farmers.

“We went beyond design and into the operations to tie the experience together to make it more holistic so the client gets it. We were able to increase sales 75 percent during the first three months,” she said.

Johanson said changing a restaurant concept may also result in more media covering your hotel dining outlet.

Finally, according to Howard Wolff, SVP with design firm WATG, people are moving past wanting things and instead crave the more tangible.

“We are moving from extravagance to experience, from conspicuous to conscientious consumption, from airs to authenticity, from could be anywhere to you are here, from green is good to green is gold and from trendy to timeless - waste not want not,” Wolff has written.