restaurant development + design is a user-driven resource for restaurant professionals charged with building new locations and remodeling existing units.
Issue link: http://rddmag.epubxp.com/i/955845
M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 8 • 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 • 6 9 + Retail restaurants. We'll see 2018 developing more multifunctional spaces where retail and dining merge. Roman & Williams recently opened a retail space in SoHo that includes a cafe and flower shop within the retail space. We've seen other similar developments where a coffee shop shares a space with a bookstore and candle company. This symbiosis allows the de- sign to define each shop within a shop while still supporting the larger design concept. Bonus Trend + Local sourcing. Rather than de- signing with products from national distributors, we see a trend toward working with homegrown fabricators to specify design components within restaurants. This trend embraces the maker movement and supports the growth of local economies, which is especially important in burgeoning cities like Nashville and Detroit. At Gotham Market at the Ashland in Brooklyn, custom black steel pipe chandeliers, which have exposed fila- ment bulbs and custom glass globes, were made across the street from the food hall at UrbanGlass by artist Adam Holtzinger. Each food concept also features an open kitchen. + Open kitchens. We are currently working on a project, Hell's Kitchen, which highlights another key trend: open kitchens. Diners are looking for experiences and more insight to the creation of their food, so design has morphed to dissolve the wall between diner and chef. By designing restaurants around an open kitchen, the craft of cooking is highlighted, and the diners can see, hear and smell the food being prepared. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Beers International Image courtesy of Eric Laignel + Technology and video integration. Video art within the restaurant is an increas- ingly popular design compo- nent. Livestreaming videos of food being prepared in the kitchen and allowing diners to track their order's progress is an exciting new component that will greatly affect restaurant design in the years to come. Bonus Trend + Sleek and rich overtakes industrial. We are also seeing a decline in the rustic and industrial aesthetic and a shift toward a cleaner, minimal approach. Sleeker surfaces, richer woods, more luxurious furniture and engineered detailing will all be more prevalent in the upcoming years. We employed this aesthetic at Curtis Stone's SHARE restaurant for Princess Cruises. An additional shift in materials will be seen in metal finishes, with a move away from the warm tones of brass and copper and toward polished and satin nickel finishes. Image courtesy of Share