DESIGN
THE BEST INTENTIONS ISSUE
A Special Quarterly Supplement of
THE DAILY JOURNAL OF COMMERCE
Portland, Oregon | April 28, 2006
Subject
to Taste
Restaurant designers are cooking up
ways to tap into the dining desires
of owners and patrons alike
by Alison Ryan | [email protected]
A rack of cookies cooling on a windowsill. The sizzle
of a burger cooking over an open flame. Chunky
peanut butter and honey on white bread – with no
crust. Smell, sound, sight and texture – food perception is about more than just what’s on the plate. And
the architecture and design of a restaurant impacts
everything from the type of people drawn to eat there
to the kind of experience they have while they’re dining – and restauranteurs and designers are hip to the
power of psychology. >>
DESIGN
THE BEST INTENTIONS ISSUE
Portland, Oregon | April 28, 2006
>> “Restaurant design is much like
set design as it’s related to a theatrical
production,” says Doug Schmick,
president and co-founder of
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood
Restaurants. “The architecture has to
reinforce what we’re trying to do culinarily, what we’re trying to do servicewise, and who we’re trying to appeal
to as a customer.”
McCormick
& Schmick’s
Seafood
Restaurants’
M&S Grill at
Bridgeport
Village
Psychology is present in all design, says Paul Reed, a partner
at Portland firm Baysinger Partners, from providing comfortable
user zones to avoiding oppressive heights in building. But in
interior spaces, especially, the scale of thought is tailored much
more closely to individual behavior.
“Interior designers, particularly, will look at the very intimate use of a
space from psychological perspective,” says Patty Ralston-Ellis, director
of interior design at Baysinger Partners, which does planning and design
work for McCormick & Schmick’s.
Part of the equation is easing actual interaction between people and
physical things – a particular brand of ergonomics. A work environment
that’s laid out efficiently, with thought to how the backstage crew – or the
servers, chefs and other staff – move through the space, leads to timely
arrival of food. And that’s a key element in good service, Schmick says.
“If the infrastructure isn’t laid out right, you can have a beautiful looking restaurant, but when you try to execute the program, it just falls on
its face,” he adds.
Beyond the ease of use is the recognition that there’s a link between
how something is designed and actual behavior. The growing field is
called environmental psychology, and academics have started to offer a
large body of research that suggests perception of, and reaction to, physical surroundings makes a big difference. Color research, for example,
suggests that hues and tones can actually elicit biological responses,
with brighter shades deemed more arousing – and sometimes more
unsettling – than more muted shades. Dining spaces might thusly
encourage quick turnover – notably, fast food restaurants (such as the
red and yellow used by McDonald’s) – with shades that may lead to sensory overload.
At McCormick & Schmick’s, broad appeal has been the goal from the
beginning, Schmick says. The original restaurant wasn’t meant to be an
exclusive $70 steakhouse or a laidback $10 casual meal restaurant, but
some combination of the two.
“We had to be something that appealed to a wide socio-economic
range of customers – in terms of both age, background and economic
status,” he says.
One of the big ways the restaurant’s design re-emphasizes the variety
of available experiences is by offering varied activity levels. Spaces are
designed to have a strong bar statement, with the lively activity of libation usually the first thing diners see upon entering.
“What that initial impression does is, it puts people at peace,” Schmick
says. “They don’t feel like they’re walking into a high-end formal setting.
They’re walking into the activity of a bar, which puts them at ease.”
From that initial entrance, a host of seating options exist – which carries the potential for wide appeal, as well a highly personal experiences.
“There are these little niches you can make your own,” says Catrin
Williams, director of design for McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood
Restaurants.
Open-space tables might attract those who are in the mood for public
observation. Booths create a cozier feel, and “Jakes,” or tables in highwalled booths with draperies that can be closed, are even more private.
“The Jakes are meant to be more intimate, even though you’re in a
larger space,” says architect Ralston-Ellis. “A group of four to six people
can close the drapes and have a private dining experience.”
Reworking existing spaces to fit within desired mental messages is
another part of the challenge. Baysinger partners recently designed the
new M&S Grill in Minneapolis. The space McCormick & Schmick’s had
leased was actually located below grade, with entrances from both the
exterior sidewalk and the building atrium.
“As you entered, first thing you had to do was go down stairs,” Reed
says. “Psychologically, that really wasn’t inviting.”
The team’s first thought was to get away from the dark, descending
feel by raising a significant portion of the floor area – including the bar –
on a platform to meet the atrium floor level. The resulting multi-level
restaurant works far better to welcome entering diners. Using redder
woods and more olive tones in addition to McCormick & Schmick’s signature stained-glass touches also helped the space go from dungeon to
desirable dining area.
CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE >>
DESIGN
THE BEST INTENTIONS ISSUE
Portland, Oregon | April 28, 2006
>> CONTINUED FROM THE PREVIOUS PAGE
Though ideas of warm, inviting, comfortable dining run throughout
all of McCormick & Schmick’s restaurants, the fact that each is unique is
one of the company’s hallmarks. Adding very local touches to restaurants that are part of a national chain reinforces the idea of a homegrown, unique space. In Minneapolis, the city’s bridges are captured in
stained glass. The walls are dotted with local historical photos, artifacts
and other elements work to increase the comfort level.
“It’s really to make the restaurant the people’s own, make it theirs
rather than making it a generic restaurant that enters town and doesn’t
embrace the city,” architect Reed says.
The elements the company aims for, wherever its eateries are located,
are comfort and warmth – and fun, Schmick says.
“When the design becomes too regimented, too academic, too rigid, too precise, it loses its sense of fun,” he said.“We want to keep fun in the final project.”
restaurant design decoded
a case study of McCormick & Schmick’s M&S Grill in Minneapolis
Lighting
McCormick & Schmick’s restaurants use three levels of lighting,
Schmick says, with table lights, overhead lights, and sconces. The lighting is
meant to flatter while it illuminates
enough for patrons to read the menu,
which contributes to overall comfort and enjoyment.
Seating
A variety of seating creates
individual, intimate dining experiences. Using low walls and booths to
break up the space also creates smaller “rooms” architect Paul Reed says,
which help the space feel bustling
and active even when the
restaurant’s sparsely populated.
Acoustics
Acoustics make a huge impact.
Quiet may indicate somberness, while
booming music makes it impossible to
hear fellow diners. “Conversation is a
critical part of the customer experience,” co-founder Doug
Schmick says.
Layout
“There is a specific atmosphere that
McCormick & Schmick’s wants every diner
to experience” architect Paul Reed says.
“When a patron enters, the first thing they need
to see is the bar. After that, they need to see
the restaurant and have a broad view of it.
But when they sit down, they need to
have more of an intimate
experience.”
Feel
The overall feel of the space, this one
the M&S Grill in Minneapolis, is classic, with
elements like solid furniture, warm wood,
stained glass and muted colors. The look reinforces the traditional menu items as well as the
service staff’s style of dress. The combination
reinforces the message of timelessness.