The Importance of Decor in Small Restaurants
Small restaurants often struggle to look their best because of limited space. For that reason, in this article, based on my personal experience, I want to share details on the subject that can be quite useful to any restaurant owner or manager with a small location.
In this article
This is not technical information about decor; what I really want to do is tell you, based on my "tests" or attempts over the years, what has worked very well for me.
Come on, those who know me know that I have large restaurants, and they are surprised because I also have small restaurants, some of them really too small, and they do not understand why I do not "make them grow" when they know I have the financial resources to do it.
I want to answer in a single line all my friends who over time have asked me that same question:
Growing does not mean having a bigger location.
I have a restaurant that is much smaller than a garage, but what many do not know is that this is exactly what gives it "the magic" that makes it a profitable restaurant. To make it clearer, let me break it down in numbers:
– The restaurant has only 3 tables and 1 bar. – People have to wait about 20 minutes to get a table. – We take table reservations, but they cost $15 US dollars. – The monthly sales of that little place average $51,000 US dollars. – Profits run above $13,000 dollars per month on average.
So… if you have a small restaurant, I invite you not to feel small and to make the most of it. The main thing, besides the food, is that your restaurant has beautiful decor or that you manage to make it feel quite cozy.
It was hard for me to grasp; I could not find any logic in it because of my lack of experience at the time, but the reality is that when the decor of the small location was changed and work was done to create a pleasant environment, sales began to rise.
Let us look at some examples…
Below I share a series of photos with examples of decor in small spaces that simply make the place quite pleasant for the diner.
In this photo we can see the fantastic space that is created thanks to the paintings that cover the entire wall along with the bottles, the mirror, etc.
The decor on and behind the bar, along with the curtains, creates a pleasant space that at the same time keeps a certain simplicity that does not make the space completely saturated.
The color of the place, the use of framed pictures as a decorative element along with the pendant lamp give it a really nice touch.
If you like minimalist spaces, this is a good example that, despite being small, shows a lot of elegance.
The use of dim lights and plants undoubtedly creates a truly pleasant space.
You really should not forget that decor depends a lot on the type of food you offer, but it is really important that you pay attention to this subject.
Personally, I verified it and the effect was quite positive, as you could see in the chart above. Before reaching those numbers, the restaurant was not even at 30% of those numbers.
In conclusion, I can say with certainty that: good decor and creating a cozy environment are key to getting a small restaurant to increase its revenue.
