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3 4 • R E S T A U R A N T D E V E L O P M E N T + D E S I G N • M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 5 Reduce Bottlenecks "One of the biggest things we look for is how, and how often, employees are crisscrossing," Shove-Brown says. The more employees need to cross paths with each other and with customers, the greater the chances of service-slowing bottlenecks. Shove-Brown's frm tracks foot-traffc fow and looks for ways to make it move more effciently. "We try to eliminate crisscrossing by diagram- ming new paths," he says. The improved fow "might be almost like a running track with everybody moving in the same direction." Sometimes restaurants can use existing pathways more effciently simply by changing staff members' walking patterns, but in many cases physically altering pathways emerges as the best option. The easiest and most inexpensive ways to create new pathways include rearranging tables, moving tableware or glassware storage, and repositioning host stands. Other options cost more, but do pay off. Relocating a restroom doorway, for example, can reduce instances of cus- tomers crossing paths with staff coming out of the kitchen. "Sharing the bath- room corridor with the kitchen corridor is a recipe for disaster," Shove-Brown says. Moving a door, removing a railing or adding a half wall or screen can redirect traffc fow enough to reduce the risk of guests colliding with a staff member car- rying a tray of dishes. Reducing the number of steps that staff must take to perform their duties is another tried-and-true effciency booster. Moving waitstaff stations closer to the tables they serve is one common fx that makes sense if the new post doesn't intrude on guest privacy. Studio 3877's client at the Fairfax Marriott, 703 Bar + Kitchen, reduced the space between its front and back bar counters by 3 feet. Previously, bartend- ers had to take two steps every time they needed to pick up a glass. That might not seem signifcant, but when you com- pound those two steps by every customer over the course of a day, and particularly at peak periods, the time savings really add up, Shove-Brown points out. Consider the Impact of Smaller Footprints In some cases, a detailed analysis of peak and off-peak space utilization leads to a design with a smaller footprint. Such was the case with Corner Bakery Café, which recently reduced its proto- type for new sites to 3,300 square feet, down from a previous range of 3,800 to 4,000 square feet. Proftality studied daily patronage patterns and found that the business could shrink its footprint and still maintain its capacity. "An important fnding was that 78 percent of our par- ties are parties of two," says Gary Price, president of Corner Bakery Café. The previous prototype included a number of tables that could seat four, but by replacing those with tables for two, the total number of seats could be reduced from 110 to 90 while still serving 35 parties — the same as in the old model, Price points out. On the rare occasions when larger parties appear, new, lighter-weight tables combine easily to accommodate them. The new prototype, with fewer empty seats at peak times, preserves each site's revenue-generating capacity and boosts proftability because using less space means construction, lighting, and heating and cooling costs are all reduced. Clientele seating preferences also infuence layout effciency. For example, some restaurants have experimented with communal seating in recent years as one way to maximize space utiliza- tion. In most cases, however, customers in the U.S. haven't taken to this format as readily as Europeans have, according to Shove-Brown. MAXIMIZE YOUR FOOTPRINT After realizing 78 percent of its patrons were parties of two, Corner Bakery Café replaced its four-top tables with two-tops. In doing so, the chain reduced the total number of people it seats to 90 from 110, but it still serves 35 parties — just as in the old model. Architect Core States Group was able to reduce the prototype size for new units to 3,300 square feet. Photo by Craig D. Blackmon, FAIA