Great food and delicious drinks are an obvious must for what makes a memorable restaurant. What’s often under-appreciated but is of utmost importance is the ambience created by lighting choices.
Feeling like stepping into a space that is out of the ordinary is an attractive impact when dining out at thoughtfully designed restaurants. Decor, space planning and proper lighting set the mood and enhance ambience.
We don’t usually pay attention to restaurant lighting unless it’s done poorly. Proper lighting decisions can be the fine line that determines whether potential guests are drawn into your inviting, warm space or put off by a clinical, fluorescent, blinding eatery reminiscent of a high school cafeteria.
First, let’s chat about different lighting fixtures and where they’d fit best in your restaurant or bar.
Pendant Lights hang from the ceiling and can be positioned over bars, tables, and greeting areas. They perform great as task lighting for guests reading menus.
Chandeliers are the perfect focal point for the entryway into the dining room. The type of chandelier you choose can immediately give guests a clue on what aesthetic your restaurant is going for.
Wall Sconces provide accent lighting. Accent lighting usually draws attention to specific design features.
Track Lighting are multiple lighting fixtures attached on a continuous track and can create focal points in different directions.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the different types of lights available, let’s dive into the different ways lighting can transform a restaurant.
Lighting by Time of Day
Image Credit: Azure Magazine
Whether you have a restaurant that is only open in the evenings or all day, it’s essential that your lighting choices suit the time of day.
At breakfast, have all the window covers open to let as much natural sunlight in and make sure there’s enough lighting at each table so guests can read their newspapers with their morning coffee. You want the energy during breakfast hours to be invigorating and energizing and light plays an important role.
Bright lighting can continue until the late afternoon. As the restaurant changes over to dinner, it’s time to dim the lights to create a more intimate, warm atmosphere. Candles are lit on each table, the warm organic light flickering in perfect complement with dim overhead lighting. Low lighting has a romantic feeling and invites guests to stay longer.
2. Choose Complementary Decorative Elements
Image Credit: Dawnvale
It’s not only your actual lighting fixtures that have an impact on how light plays in your space. Choosing lighter colours of paint and reflective finishes on surfaces like countertops, tabletops, bars and floors can create an inviting atmosphere in your restaurant or bar.
3. Control Stray Light
Image Credit: Beverly Boswell Designs
There will always be unavoidable sources of light that must be controlled. If you’re opening a new restaurant, watch out for tables that receive too much sunlight on bright days. This glare could be very uncomfortable for your guests. It’s good to have an idea of all the places in your restaurant where light that is too bright might occur so you can make the steps to control it.
4. Influence Dining Decisions
Image Credit: Mullan Lighting
Yes, lighting impacts the mood, but it can also impact what we decide to eat! According to research from Food & Wine, guests dining in well-lit spaces are actually up to 24% more likely to make healthier eating decisions than those in dimly lit rooms due to a higher level of alertness.
Dim lighting makes us feel more at home and comfortable, which could also make us feel more lenient about our dietary choices.
5. The Age of Instagram
Image Credit: Visit Houston
These days, anyone can be a food blogger or restaurant critic. Restaurants and bars are hot destinations for social media users. If you’re planning the lighting and decor of a new restaurant or bar, it’s a good idea to keep this in mind. Make sure there’s plenty of flattering lighting that will help your patrons take the best food photos - this is free advertising for you, after all! Bonus points for creating spaces in your restaurant decorated specifically to be Instagram worthy.
6. Keep Your Restaurant Safe
Image Credit: Lumastream
Of course, beyond the ambiance setting mood lighting, lighting has one fundamentally important role - to keep your guests and employees safe and able to find their way around your restaurant and perform the tasks necessary without visual impairment. Light can be used to strategically guide guests around your space. Consider wall sconces along the path to the restroom.
Lighting is a vital component in a restaurant’s general atmosphere. It sets the mood, impacts dining decisions and can be the deciding factor in an impromptu social media photo shoot. When thinking of your restaurant’s general look and feel, lighting should be one of your main focuses and not an afterthought.
Shannon Payne Agencies is your lighting manufacturers representative specialist, proudly providing premium lighting solutions for residential, commercial and hospitality industries in Western Canada.
We are inspired to deliver excellent customer service and to help you realize your lighting goals. We are proud of our relationships with the lighting manufacturers we represent. Trust that the products we offer are of top quality. Contact us via e-mail or call 604-270-4207 and let us help you with all your lighting needs!