Cheese Restaurant (a theme restaurant)

This would be a great concept for a theme restaurant. Cheese is an essential ingredient of many dishes and deserts (don't forget cheesecakes!). You can built your menu around a few cheese staples, such as pizza, calzones and lasagna, but be prepared to impress your patrons with a wide selection of cheese, served on platters. You can also serve cheese-bread before the meal.

Chances are, people will end up liking a couple of your carefully selected items, so you can sell them at a gift shop. Cheese lasts a long time, so you will never have problems with inventory, even if you choose to carry a couple very expensive imported cheeses. There are thousands of kinds of cheese available world-wide. When it comes to decorating the restaurant, you can use vintage cheese production tools, old packaging and some whimsical farm animals (cows, goats, sheep) to make the kids happy. White, yellow and green would be an easy choice for uniforms and even furniture.

P.S. Still looking for an actual restaurant that has already implemented this idea. Let me know if you find one!

Restaurant Design: New Baroque style

The term New Baroque has not been clearly defined, but in my personal opinion the idea is clear. The original Baroque style saw its purpose in astonishing the viewer, sometimes even employing optical illusions, mechanical novelties etc. Modern reincarnations of the same design approach deserve to be classified as New Baroque. These spaces are always a pleasure to behold, even though some of them don't look particularly reminiscent of that famous era in art history.

Bon restaurant (Moscow, Russia)






Buddakan (New York)




Caspaia (Brussels)



Chateau (Tokyo)

The restaurant is located in an authentic looking Baroque building. Don't you want to see what's inside?



The Cristal Room (Paris, France)



Lagrimas Negras (Madrid, Spain)

The name of this Spanish restaurant means Black Tears, a visual concept certainly reflected in the design.



Gilt (New York)



Fabbrica (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Restaurant Signage, Menus, Logos

Just found out about a useful restaurant design book:

1000 Restaurant, Bar, and Cafe Graphics: From Signage to Logos and Everything In Between (1000 Series)

That's 440 pages of restaurant related graphics, artwork, menus, logos, signs, promotional and packaging ideas, stationary etc.

French Restaurant Names

It is very typical for restaurants that feature French cousine to reflect it in their names. A crucial requirement for such restaurant names is that they can be easily pronounced by people who never studied French. I have a very neat trick that you should at least look into if your plan is to open a French restaurant in North America.

OK, proper names are usually adopted by foreign speakers more easily than other types of words. If you are looking for copious lists of Parisian names, look no further than a book currently available as a free download at Google books:

Paris and environs with routes from London to Paris

This book dates back to 1898. Let's face it, in American culture most things French have a certain late 19th century flare. This book contains numerous lists, including an alphabetical list of the hotels, restaurants and cafes (page 426). You can go with a name that sounds familiar, intriguing or simply easy to pronounce, while sounding distinctly as a French word. A lot of the restaurants are long gone, so you will have no problem reusing their names. And proper names of Parisian streets, boulevards and squares cannot be copyrighted, so you are covered.

Also, remember that by choosing a particular location in France as your inspiration you make it easier to find decorative elements for the space.

There is also a very essential book on French signage, because you will probably want this sort of stuff for your French restaurant, n'est pas?:

Entrez: Signs of France

See also:
Italian Restaurant Names: Suggestions
Italian phrases, words, mottos and quotes
Restaurant Signage, Menus, Logos
Dutch restaurant names

"Mars 2112" - Space themed restaurant and bar

"The Mars 2112 restaurant is a space themed restaurant for all the family located in the heart of the Times Square district at 51 Street and Broadway. Mars 2112 is a spectacular mingling of fantasy and reality, a 35,000-square-foot, bi-level, multi-dimensional, immersive environment that catapults travelers to a completely new world."

You can see how sometimes 40% of the theme effect is achieved simply by lighting effects :) Also, finding the right seats and tables is crucial. A nice touch - soft drinks are unlimited and served in souvenir Mars 2112 cups.

Ancient Egypt themed restaurant

This is my first post in a series of articles about possible ideas for themed restaurants. Creating an interesting environment is a great way to attract patrons, often from outside of the immediate area. It does not have to be expensive. All it takes is an original idea, a proper design and some artifacts that can flesh out the theme you have in mind.

Ancient Egypt is a fascinating topic for both adults and kids. I have been unable to find any restaurants that feature this theme, but it seems that this idea could be very easily implemented. I would be delighted if someone became inspired by this idea. Let's look at some key elements:

• Exterior and interior design must be done in warm sandy colors, with accents of white, blue, red and gold.
  
• I would suggest hard wood flooring and simple wooden furniture. You can go with wooden benches for a rather authentic look.
• There are some traditional Egyptian decorative motifs that you can easily apply on various surfaces. Use this site for reference: http://www.egyptartsite.com/motifs.html
• For accents, use objects directly associated with Egyptian culture: statues and paintings of Bastet cats, Ankhs (ancient Egyptian symbol of life and eternity), busts of Egyptian gods and rulers.
• Look for museum quality reproductions of Ancient Egyptian artifacts. You can obtain amazing objects that can be prominently displayed at the entrance of the restaurant. This will entertain the patrons and can even attract new customers. If possible invest in a few actual antiques to anchor your little museum area.
• It would not be a great idea to look to Ancient Egyptians for inspiration when you are selecting menu items for your restaurant. I would suggest to look at a variety of generally popular Mediterranean dishes. Of course, the Nile can provide a very natural sagway for fish. Consider placing a complimentary basket of bread or fresh fruit on every table when your patrons arrive.