Page 8 - Parea

PRIMARY RESEARCH
RESTAURANT OBSERVATIONS
These renderings include a few sketches from on site restaurant observations. I visited a french bistro and a greek cafe. Both of these restuarants have a front ordering counter and serve yourself drink counter. This format gave the restuarants more of a casual feel while the decor of the spaces helpled to create more of a high-end atmosphere.
Zoe’s Kitchen - Greek Cafe
La Madeleine - French Bistro
TAZIKI’S OBSERVATION - Greek cafe observation 12:30pm
People: Most of the people in the space were customers. The employees were mostly behind the front counter. Most of the customers were standing in line to order or were sitting at tables. Almost all of the booths were filled. Customers were talking to others, looking at their phones, or getting drinks. The wait staff seemed to know what they were doing and were well organized.
Branding: The branding is very effective. Their logo can be seen everywhere from the cups, to glazing on the windows. The logo has a Greek key symbol and goes right along with the items on the menu - Greek food. There are lots of signs with the food listed and the restaurant’s name on the side of the building.
Lighting: There is a lot of natural lighting from the window walls. There is also track lighting, can lights, and drop lights. I think the lighting is just right and helps add to the casual nature of the place. I am sure that once the sun sets the atmosphere shifts to more of a quiet and relaxing place for people to drink wine and hang out with friends.
Noise: I would consider the noise level to be average. There is conversation, laughing, and sounds from the open kitchen. People do not seem to be bothered by the noise and it is easy to have a conversation with the people at your table. There is no need to raise or quiet your voice. There is quiet, calm music playing in the background that gives the restaurant a comfortable feel.
Finishes: There are a lot of different wood finishes in the furniture and on chair rails on the wall. There is also wood drop downs on the open ceiling. Some parts of the walls are made from stone. The floor is concrete and there is stone on the counters. There is a little wear on the floor from where people walk the most. The atmosphere is cozy and casual. This allows the customers to feel at home and be more comfortable (there is a lot of laughing and people are moving around the space freely).
Re-Design: I really like this restaurant, but it seems very plain. I would maybe change some of the lighting from simple lights that could be anywhere to more unique fixtures.
Table Spacing and Circulation: The tables and chairs are in groups that are evenly spaced. There are booths banquets, high tops, and standard tables. They are all pretty average sized tables except for one large farmhouse table. These tables seem to be good for the activities taking place in the restaurant. There is plenty of space to walk between and the servers can access the tables easily.
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