CREJ - Retail Properties Quarterly - May 2015
In only a few short years, the restaurant scene across the Denver metro area has become one of the top foodie destinations in the country. As restaurant designers, we began to see subtle hints of change around 2009, but the restaurant boom we are experiencing didn’t truly hit its stride until 2012. Tom Coohill, chef-owner of Coohills in Lower Downtown, is one of many restaurateurs who moved to Denver in 2011 after recognizing that Colorado was on the verge of a food revolution, he said. Now the word is out – we are known across the nation as a very healthy population, and a refined interest in food goes along with that. Although the “chef-driven” dining scene on the coasts catalyzed some of the changes we are seeing, rapidly shifting demographics is the true driver behind the transformation. Quite simply, Colorado is one of the top destinations in the nation for young professionals. Because the new generation of diners approaches eating and drinking differently than their boomer parents, millennials’ distinctive tastes and desires are at the root of many of the emerging trends impacting restaurant design today. John Sikaitis, national research director for Chicago-based JLL Research, said in a recent magazine article, “Millennials – those between 20 and 34 years old – comprise 22 percent of the overall Denver metropolis and represent the highest millennial growth of any metropolitan area in the country since 2007.” In other words, a new generation of diners is redefining how we eat, drink, dine and entertain. Following are seven restaurant design trends millennials’ influence inspired: Authentic experiences. Millennials tend to be progressive by nature. They also seek out authentic experiences more actively than previous generations and enjoy sharing those experiences with others. Their heightened interest in simple, quality food, the art of presenting it and healthy living in general are all a part of the search for “real” experiences. “[Millennials] want a restaurant’s design to reflect its cuisine, and ultimately they want the restaurant to be true to what it is offering,” said RestaurantHospitality.com. “So restaurant designers and architects, armed with that information, are challenged to meet diner expectations while also satisfying the vision of the restaurant owner.” Transparency. Today, most diners are drawn to transparent spaces, both as it applies to the design of restaurant interiors, and creating a sense of welcome from the outside. Inviting passersby to partake in the experience through open, unobstructed views and free-flowing design not only increases traffic, it also enhances a restaurant’s sense of community. Transparency between patrons and the people preparing the food also improves satisfaction and service. In May 2014, the Harvard Business Review published a study reporting a 10 percent increase in customer satisfaction scores for restaurant operators using exhibition or open kitchens to create dining room excitement. The study revealed that diners enjoy seeing their meals prepared because it feels more honest and communicates a sense of home. Even more compelling, when customers and cooks could see each other, patron satisfaction soared 17.3 percent, and overall service was 13.2 percent faster. Open kitchens also reveal the mystery and artistry of cooking, which furthers the idea of food preparation as theater. Lively, yet comfortable. When the chefs we work with explain what they are looking for, they often describe spaces that are comfortable and inviting with a residential feel, but they also want their restaurants to feel energized, much like the highenergy environment catalyzed by The Kitchen Denver’s centrally located bar. To achieve this, bars are given more prominence as a focal point today, blurring the line between bar dining and the formal dining area. Community-style eating. To create a lively vibe, community tables in dining and bar areas are growing in popularity as well. The Kitchen restaurant in Boulder reintroduced this age-old tradition in 2004 with its community night. Ideal for groups of two or more people, communitystyle eating sits everyone around a traditional Italian family table, which includes everyone and encourages family style eating where everything is shared. Chef tables are the latest extension of this concept. Because diners love to feel surrounded by the positive energy of others, design elements like these are popping up all over the state. Tightly packed, activated spaces. The restaurant scene in Colorado is about being in the thick of it all. And talking about it the next day is a key part of the experience. As a result, most restaurateurs today prefer greater density with tighter spacing between tables, and people seated elbow to elbow so they can feel a sense of energy and conviviality. For those who need less action, private nooks are also integrated into the design, but the intimacy of tightly packed spaces is now part of what draws many diners to a restaurant. Eclectic materials and furnishings. To millennials, less is more, thus there is no need to hide anything. Unpolished, eclectic interiors along with exposing a building’s infrastructure tend to introduce more personality. Reclaimed materials draw a connection to the environment and home, and the overall feel should be neither too clean nor too sleek. Mixing of furniture and the use of a variety of materials is also popular, with every detail meticulously crafted and customized down to the smallest element. Warm lighting and less acoustics. The warm glow of a 40-watt Edison bulb is still very popular for dimmable lighting, commonly with multiple lighting levels. For example, lower-level lighting on tables and at the bar, combined with soft overhead lighting, helps create more of a residential feel. Acoustically, the sweet spot is a healthy amount of buzz, balanced with keeping noise within limits. The underlying theme connecting all of these trends is that millennial diners care about the craft of cooking and cocktails and take it very seriously. They are into cooking and showing what they have created. Like theater, it is for show. In addition to millennials, Gen X and Gen Y diners are having children later, so they have a fair amount of discretionary income to spend on food and entertainment. Local sourcing and farm-to-table all feed into this, and Colorado restaurateurs are not only wise enough to follow these trends, but also are leading them.