How To Create A HOT Hospitality Interior
Is your heart pointing your head in the direction of creating a hot hospitality interior for a new venue? Or, perhaps you have an existing one that’s not looking so hot and in need of refurbishment. Well, it’s time you got started. That said, it’s also time to gather as many facts as you can to ensure you get the best result. And its most likely time for a major reality check. Because, most people we speak with who want to own and operate a successful hospitality venue, haven’t joined all of the dots together.
Your fact-finding mission should start with the type and style of hospitality venue that you want to create. Whether it be a bar, restaurant or café, the basic principles are similarly applied. Ultimately, your venue should be fit for purpose. This means that creating a rough and tumble sports bar in a family-oriented suburb isn’t going to succeed.
You need to understand who will be coming in your front door. Who you want to attract more of, and who you aren’t that interested in appealing to. It might be you think you can appeal to the masses, and you possibly can if you have a limitless budget. Or, your venue accommodates multiple functions. But quite honestly, this probably isn’t a reality for most of us.
For those of you who have an existing venue that needs to be refurbished, you’ve already done a lot of this hard work. And with the knowledge and experience you have, perhaps it’s time to consider refining your target market. In doing this, you will likely increase your weekly turnover too.
Your Existing Hospitality Interior = Invaluable Hospitality Knowledge
Once this initial task is complete, you’ll find it now forms the basis of most of your planning. This is because the type/style/purpose of your hospitality venue will guide the menu. And that menu requires a kitchen and facilities. And ultimately, this then directs venue capacity and front of house functions. This is also a good time to speak with the Australian Hotels Association WA if you need to firm up any operational details. They are a font of knowledge and extremely helpful.
Hospitality Design and Fitout Professionals
And now, it’s time to engage a design and fitout professional who will bring your carefully thought about vision alive. This isn’t the time to believe you can do this all on your own. There is a barrage of approvals required from both local and state government departments. And you need to tick all their boxes.
You also need to ensure your venue is code compliant. This means confirming bathroom facilities, access and egress, and that interior and exterior elements are meeting Australian building standards. Your design professional will provide invaluable help with these processes and make the approval transition so much easier.
Selecting equipment, furniture and fittings is time consuming and a big investment, no matter what size your venue may be. Kitchen equipment can be costly. However, if you wisely gather items that will support your menu then all should be well. Consider good quality second hand equipment where it makes sense. But keep in mind that a disused dishwasher may be disused for a reason. Also look very closely at the fine print on any leasing options presented to you.
While you may be able to fitout your kitchen instantly, you could be paying it off for the rest of your life. For those of you refurbishing your venue, you are very fortunate to have the kitchen already equipped and productive. However, this is also a good time to implement those upgrades or tweaks you’ve been thinking about for a while. Including this work within the overall refurbishment scope will definitely save you time and money. So don’t hold off for that non-eventuating rainy day.
Furniture options available will also blow your mind. You want to make sure that what you have patrons sit, drink, or dine on will not have to be replaced next week. Budget and lead time will also guide your choices. There are beautiful furniture options available from many suppliers which won’t arrive at your venue for 3-4 months. This might work in with your programme but keep in mind you will need to be placing orders early. And this can mean a large outlay of dollars before finalising all design details.
This is also where your design professional will be invaluable. They will be coordinating all elements to ensure a streamlined cohesive finish. And prevent the striped chairs clashing with the checked tables if you know what I mean.
Something else to consider when creating your hospitality venue is flexibility. Given we are still under the Covid influence and may be for some time yet, make sure that your layout can cope with adapting from a 2sqm to 4sqm per person rule. And if you can only accommodate 20 people within your 120 person venue, allow your furniture to move or be removed if necessary to ensure your business continues to operate under these restrictions. Have plans and information at hand to let your staff understand what needs to be done and eliminate guesswork on their behalf.
And don’t forget about storage that will be required if you need to move tables and chairs out of circulation. Consider placement of sanitising stations, QR scanning and access to supplies such as facemasks if needed. Some will need to be publicly visible and others not so but either way, you will need them in use at some stage.
Similarly, injecting longevity into your hospitality interior is equally important. Since the pandemic, the way people work has changed and not everyone has to sit in an office to get things done. With this in mind, why not offer up your bar, restaurant or café as an alternative work space? Given most people only require the rudimentary table and chair, you can do it easily. Join a few tables and chairs together and you have a meeting space.
Offer access to charging stations and people won’t be in a mad hurry to leave and will most likely order another drink or plate of food. Plus, each time they ask a client to meet them, a new person is automatically introduced to your venue and will likely return. I’m definitely not suggesting a printer now belongs in your bar but simply extending your hospitality welcome to those who come with laptop in hand. If you have an existing venue, you may have already discovered how easy this is to do. And if you haven’t, now is the time to make it happen.
Hospitality Interior Finishing Touches
And when your new venue is getting close to completion and the excitement kicks in, don’t forget about the final tizz. Anyone can build a wall and paint it. But be it pub, bar, bistro, or café, what you need to do is create the fitting atmosphere and ambience. You want people to ‘feel’ your venue then leave and tell others about it. You can achieve this with lighting, colour, art, bric-a-brac, foliage, or all of the above plus many more options.
Either way, you want to create a place that your target market feels comfortable within and comes back for more. At the end of the day, this is one of the key elements that will make your hospitality interior a success.
Best of luck creating your new hospitality interior. And don’t forget that if you need any assistance with your new project or refurbishment, give us a call and we will definitely be of help. You may also want to read more information regarding our approach to designing and building interiors for hospitality venues. If so, check out our Cheers Big Ears or Fine Dining Shine blogs.
79 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000, Australia
