This Restaurant Design Prediction has Our Attention
by David Klemt
All of Hospitality Design‘s recently revealed 2024 restaurant design predictions are compelling but one in particular really stood out to us.
That’s not to imply that the other predictions are “less than,” of course. Each trend prediction, put forth by highly regarded designers and architects, provides insight into the direction of restaurant design.
As an example, the image atop this article references one of the trend predictions Dala Al-Fuwaires. Per the House of Form owner and principal, retro design is experiencing “a fresh transformation.” In particular, according to Al-Fuwaires, designers are giving materials such as glass brick or block and dark wood tones a modern spin.
Another trend prediction comes from Larry Traxler, the senior vice president of global design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Traxler has said in the past that hotels aren’t “just hotels” anymore.
For 2024, he foresees foodie tourism driving significant changes to restaurant and hotel design. Speaking with Hospitality Design, Traxler points to “connection to the outdoors, farm-to-table concepts, biodynamic farming features, biophilia, and bold uses of color and art to create a memorable environment to connect with the food and culture where these hotels are located” as growing trends.
Another trend prediction involves restaurants and kitchens. Specifically, Gulla Jónsdóttir, the owner and principal of Atelier Gulla Jónsdóttir, believes we’ll see more open kitchens in 2024. As Jónsdóttir explains, this design feature creates a more engaging dining experience.
Ed Ng, the founder of AB Concept, has a simple but exciting trend prediction: more concepts embracing secret menus.
But there’s another 2024 prediction that really captured our attention.
Pop-up Collaborations
Operators who put in the time, energy, and strategy to develop buzz around their restaurant experience several benefits.
The most obvious, of course, are increases in traffic, revenue, and profits.
There’s also the recruitment benefit. A restaurant generating local and regional buzz will likely find it much easier to recruit new team members. That is, of course, if ownership and leadership are also generating positive word of mouth in the area.
However, there’s another perhaps lesser-known benefit of developing and operating a cool concept: opportunities to collaborate.
According to Dan Mazzarini, creative director and principal at BHDM Design, hotel groups will seek to partner with local restaurants (and bars, I assume) for pop-ups. These will be on hotel property and will help to provide guests a deeper sense of place during their visits. Another benefit will be locals viewing hotels that partner with independents in the area as respectful of the community.
Most KRG Hospitality clients are indies, regional concepts, and boutique hotels. Consequently, we find Mazzarini’s prediction to be the most captivating. However, each of these trend predictions seem likely to come to fruition.
Image: Ekaterina Astakhova on Pexels
