If you’re a restaurant owner, whether new or seasoned, and you’re looking to redecorate, you need to consider the lighting. It makes more of a difference than you realize. Studies show that good lighting plays a big role in a customer’s experience at a restaurant.
Proper restaurant lighting adds hugely to the ambiance of the place. It’s a big part of what keeps customers coming in through your doors.
Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked. Customers may leave your restaurant if it’s too poorly lit, and your business might receive some not-so-great reviews based on your lighting design.
But don’t be intimidated. We’re here to help. Here is an extensive guide on how to choose the perfect restaurant lighting.
Types of Restaurant Lighting
When it comes to restaurant lighting, there are three main types to consider: ambient lighting, task lighting, and accent lighting. In your design, it is key to get a good ratio of all three types.
Ambient Lighting
Ambient lighting is used to create the right mood for your restaurant. This type of lighting is a subtle addition to your decor to improve the atmosphere and encourage customers to stay longer.
It should be inviting and should make the customers feel welcome as soon as they walk in. It should also go well with the overall theme of your restaurant.
Task Lighting
Task lighting is used for service and dining areas. It focuses mainly on functionality for the staff and the customers. This is the type of lighting that is seen in the kitchen or at the service counter.
Accent Lighting
Accent lighting is used to highlight special elements of your restaurant or to show off the decor. If you have unique architecture or any decorations – a fountain, wall art, decorative greenery, or anything else – accent lighting is a great way to showcase it.
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Define Your Theme
Knowing the theme of your restaurant and your target customer is key in developing perfect lighting systems. It’s important to know the types of people who frequent your restaurant and why they come.
If you own a fine dining establishment, you’ll likely want dimmer, more subtle lighting. For fast food places, you can use brighter and more functional lights to create a busy, daytime feel.
A themed restaurant should also have fitting lighting – for example, a 50s-style diner could make use of neon signs or hooded ceiling pendants, like the ones found on this website.
You should also consider the color temperature of your lighting systems and how that plays into your theme. Warmer, golden-toned lights could be better for more romantic atmospheres. Bright white lights would do well in family restaurants or more casual dining.
Your theme also affects the lighting decor that you use. Colorful accent lights would be great for specialty restaurants, but they wouldn’t fit well in a fine dining environment. Likewise, you probably wouldn’t see romantic candles or sparkling chandeliers in a kid-friendly family restaurant.
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Consider Your Hours of Operation
The time of day that your restaurant is open plays into the commercial lighting approach that you should take. If you’re open for more than one meal during the day, it’s not a bad idea to change your lighting systems based on the meal that you’re currently serving.
Breakfast-based restaurants would do better with bright lights. It can help wake customers up and help them feel refreshed and ready for the day. It’s also a good idea to have bright lights for breakfast as many people like to read books or newspapers in the morning.
If your specialty is lunch, you should go with moderate lighting. The intensity depends on the type of restaurant you run – if you want more turnover, you should brighten your lights to increase the busy feeling. If you have sit-down areas, you could do well with slightly dimmer lighting, but because of how busy and rushed lunchtime can be, you don’t necessarily want loitering customers at that time of day.
For lunch and breakfast restaurants, it’s also a good idea to utilize big windows for maximum natural light. Not only does this save you money, but it also creates a better, more pleasant, and more ambient mood.
Dinnertime is when your lights should be the dimmest. You want softer lights for a more comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, since your customers will want to sit back at the end of their day. Using dimmer lights for dinner is also a good idea because it makes customers more likely to linger and order more drinks or desserts.
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Keep It Functional
One of the biggest mistakes that people tend to make is forsaking functionality for design. You should avoid this. Your restaurant needs to be functionally lit, or else you run the risk of losing customers.
While dim lighting is good for ambiance, you should be careful not to go too dim. Your customers still need to be able to read the menu or see where they’re walking. Visibility is very important.
It’s also a problem, though, if your restaurant is too brightly lit. It can be headache-inducing and irritating. Make sure you strike a balance here and also take a close look at your decor to ensure there aren’t any reflective pieces that might harm people’s eyes.
A good way to combine functionality with design is to use lighting to guide people around your restaurant. If customers feel lost or disoriented, that’s a bad sign. You can avoid that by leading people to the counter, the exit, or the bathrooms through lighting solutions.
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Use Exterior Lighting
Outdoor lighting is an important aspect to consider as well. It can both advertise and attract customers to your restaurant. You can use accent lighting to highlight the unique architecture and decor on the exterior of your restaurant.
Exterior business lighting is also good for safety and security, as businesses with more outdoor lighting are less likely to be robbed or vandalized. You can talk to a lighting company to learn more about how to install appealing yet functional security lights.
Of course, if your restaurant has a patio, you’ll definitely want to look into outdoor lighting. Stringing up some ambient lights outside is an excellent way to draw in the crowds.
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Look Into Current Trends
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to what your competitors are doing. See what works and what doesn’t work for them, and apply it to your own business.
Look at the current lighting trends that are circulating now. Things get popular for a reason, so it’s not a bad idea to jump on the bandwagon. Having popular, appealing lighting will attract more people to your restaurant.
Learn More About Great Restaurant Lighting
Good restaurant lighting will make your customers feel at home and will ensure that they’re eager to return. You want your guests to enjoy the ambiance at your restaurant. Making use of great lighting will bring them to your door in spades.
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