General Design

General Design, Operations /

To Go, or Not to Go. That is The Question We Must Ask Ourselves.

In our fast pace life styles now we reward “successful quick”.  The operative idea here is “successful”.   The idea of sitting down for a lunch that is not a business meeting is becoming more difficult to do.  Drive Thru or food To Go has been an answer to that call.  Though  some time may be shaved off the process for a meal there often is another cost namely- quality of experience.  Very few foods can travel farther than the restaurant’s table and be an experience in quality food.  We all know fries can’t leave the parking lot or when the delivery bags are opened and laid out on the table we discover the fare is a shadow of the restaurant we ordered from.

Packaging can delay the inevitable deterioration.  Consider the life cycle from order to consumption with time the enemy.  Phone ordering and payment on your way in(not the driver) and ‘to go’  parking stalls with curbside delivery can be the shortest time interval.  Ordering in a drive thru and eating in parking lot is not uncommon.

At our Uturn BBQ and Brewery you can get the best BBQ (which travels great) and a 6 pack of beer out a drive thru window!  It’s the first drive thru brewpub!

It’s important when considering accommodating To Go or Drive Thru  to do it in the  planning stages.  Drive thru requires site layout considerations it’s especially important to have an outside lane to escape the line VS being stuck in it should a delay happen, and it will.  Some communities discourage drive thru’s all together so check first.  A drive thru requires back of house layout accommodations to get order assembled, packed, drinks, payment in an efficient station that ideally when slow can be run by the expo position minimizing labor.  Labor costs are typically why you see fast food units with two windows only open one.   For the To Go consideration again layout is important to maximize labor and provide quick guest service.  Plan the shortest distance from the food window thru an outside door to designated To Go parking so the expo position, if slow, or wait staff can quickly deliver the packaged order, pre paid.  There is developing technology supporting more efficient To Go transactions but minimally have camera on To Go parking so with guest’s description of their vehicle the food runner can respond as soon as they pull in.

In considering To Go or Drive Thru evaluate your menu for if it’s even realistic that some or all of it can travel before making construction investments in your building.  It may be a disservice to your brand to have your product end up on the dinner table and ultimately be a disappointment.  For example we discontinued door delivery service because of the inevitable things going wrong beyond our control. The bottom line was we didn’t want guest disappointment to reflected on our brand.  For those who can…. come on inside!

General Design, Operations /

FINDERS KEEPERS! – The One Of a Kind Restaurants.

FINDERS KEEPERS!

 

For years in the restaurant world there were just “mom and pops” restaurants. Then came “chain units”.  The latter took great efforts to make each new unit look and feel just like the last.  There was an inherent understanding that consistency of the experience from one city to the next had value.  Of course, there were some of us who sought out those funky joints back around the corner that had the best chicken in the county… especially if a local had introduced it to you. Granted, it often took courage to give it a try.  Admittedly, half the time the experiment was disastrous – BUT the other half equaled an ample reward for the pioneering spirit. Those great discoveries remain top of mind because of the absence of predictability in location, building, menu, food quality or service. Certainly, with the many safety regulations in the industry, the risk of getting sick are minimal. Not only is there an openness to try the unusual, but many markets demand it.

Restauranteurs who come to Trapp Associates are looking for creative and unique architecture and design solutions that will have that “one of a kind” market presence.  Placing value in the “one of kind” feel can be carried along with growth while still keeping the essence of the brand. Growing the “brand” may be more powerfully realized within the food and service quality, not with using the same design, chair, light or logo. We are seeing “chain units” reverting away from prototypical and formulaic design and resorting to unique experiences at each individual store without adversely affecting their budgets. Let us know if we can help you!

General Design /

Sorry…. I can’t hear you -Restaurant sound mitigation.

Restaurant acoustics are commonly overlooked until the project is complete, when post absorption solutions are the only option. These “fixes” are typically small panels stuck to whatever remaining unobstructed ceiling areas or hung down from wires. These solutions are often ineffective because they are marginal in terms of sound absorption due to their small square footage and additionally are distractive visually. Ideally you resolve acoustic issues during conceptual design and select the various solution depending on what you are starting with VS hoping to solve later when the project is complete. Your acoustical solution in a repurposed gas station will be different than your solution in a strip retail center. 

One of the simplest and least expensive solutions is a full t-grid with drop in acoustical tiles. If installed high and painted dark it will visually “go away” and can give you 55-65 NRC (noise reduction coefficient) or absorbs 55-65% of the sound that hits it. Anything lower than 10 feet of the t- grid can still be a productive noise reducer but compromises the spatial aesthetic. We learned some time ago to create absorption surfaces first in the process of construction. For example, with typical new construction, we install dark ¾” ridged fire glass panels between the bar joists attached to the metal deck before plumbing, electrical, mechanical or fire sprinkler subs start.  Install panels on all the ceiling areas exposed to the guests. Concrete ceilings, brick, drywall and glass walls all reflect sound which, based on the room configuration, can create too much white noise.

Of course the natural “clatter” of a working restaurant is a good thing, excess however, is the intrusion into an enjoyable evening.  It is a myth that carpet absorbs sound, it can though minimize the creation of sound stopping chair noise.  Additionally, typical draperies allow sound to pass through them, hit glass and bounce back.  Finding effective ways to absorb excess restaurant noise as early as possible will pay off in terms of pleasurable guest experiences.