PAOLA Q.

CASTRO
20141332

MODULE 2_SPACE REQUIREMENTS FOR RESTAURANT ESTABLISHMENTS

A restaurant floor plan is a sketch of your restaurant space that includes your dining area,
kitchen, storage, bathrooms, and entrances. The best restaurant floor plans support operational
workflow and communicate your brand to customers. Depending on your restaurant type, your
specific restaurant layout will vary, but a 40/60 split between the kitchen and dining room is
industry standard.

Creating a floorplan is a crucial step to starting a restaurant. In most cities, you’ll need to include
your restaurant floor plan when you apply for business permits. If you are seeking investors, it’s
a good idea to include your floorplan in your restaurant’s business plan too.

When designing your restaurant floor plan, the most important thing to remember is that your
layout must enable the flow of several elements through your restaurant. Your ultimate
restaurant layout should take all of these elements into consideration:

 The flow of people: Your staff, customers, and vendors

 The flow of product: Food and beverage deliveries and food and beverage sales
 The flow of utilities and information: Electricity, water, air, order information, and
payment data

1. COUNT YOUR OPERATIONAL RESTAURANT SPACES

There are several operational restaurant spaces that every restaurant needs. The size of each
will vary based on your restaurant’s style and whether customers eat on-site or take food to go.

The primary operational areas of the restaurant floor plan include:

 Entry and waiting area: Your entry is the billboard for your restaurant. It should
communicate your concept and entice passersby to enter. Once inside, the greeting and
waiting areas depend on the type of establishment. For fine and casual dining, this area
needs serious consideration if you have wait times. For quick service and cafe concepts,
this space can be minimal, especially if you have a bar for counter service. The
entryways of all restaurants should comply with Disability Act of a country.
 Dining areas: Restaurant dining areas typically need 60% of the restaurant space to
provide adequate seating and traffic flow. Delivery-only restaurants or quick-service
spots may not need this much room, however. If you use a point of sale (POS) system,
you’ll need to consider where to place terminals throughout your dining room as well.
 Kitchen: In most restaurant floor plans; the kitchen takes up about 40% of your space.
This might seem like a lot for a space that patrons never see, but it’s the heart of your
business. Kitchens also need gas lines, water lines, electrical wiring, floor drains, and
ventilation hoods.
 Restrooms: If you can place restrooms near your kitchen area, you can save money by
tying into nearby plumbing and water lines. Depending on your space’s size, it’s a good
 idea to add a staff-only restroom, too. Keep in mind that your restrooms need to be ADA
compliant as well.
 Delivery entrances and loading docks: In most locations, you don’t receive supplies
through the same entrances that customers use. Large commercial buildings will already
have loading docks or back entrances for vendor deliveries. If your building does not
have one, it is a good idea to add a delivery entrance to your restaurant. You don’t want
customers walking around vegetable crates to get to a table!
 Staff areas and back office: Most restaurants need a back office to hold sensitive
business information like personnel files, tax documents, computing equipment, and
cash reserves. Some cities also require employers to provide break areas for staff as
well. If you have the space, a staff locker room is an excellent addition so that your team
can change from street clothes into work clothes and securely stow their personal
belongings while they work.

There are also optional areas that you’ll need to add, depending on your restaurant concept.
These include:

 Bar and service counters: A bar area is essential for restaurants with robust cocktail,
coffee, or juice programs. If you allow customer seating at your bar, you’ll need to
ensure that a portion of it is ADA compliant. Delis, sushi shops, and other quick-service
restaurants also need counters or bar areas. The availability of floor drains, electrical
lines, and water lines will usually determine where you can place your bar or service
counter.
 Takeout and delivery pickup areas: If you do a lot of takeout and delivery business, you
should set aside space to hold completed orders and enable efficient pickup. Full-service
restaurants with dine-in guests alongside delivery services should separate the two
guest types to keep business flowing.
 Outdoor spaces: Don’t forget your outdoor spaces! For some restaurants, the only
outdoor space is the front entrance. But, in temperate climates, you’ll want to expand
your dining space with outdoor patios or sidewalk seating.

Make a list of all the functional spaces your restaurant needs. Consider how many people need
to work or dine in each area simultaneously and how long they will occupy the space. You
should plan on allocating the most space in your floor plan for areas where the most people will
congregate for the most extended amount of time. Dining rooms in full-service restaurants
where customers spend two hours per meal will naturally be more significant than in a burger
joint where most customers take food to-go.

2. CONSIDER THE SPACE YOU HAVE

Before you fall in love with a restaurant layout, you’ll want to locate electrical lines, water lines,
load-bearing walls, and areas where you can place floor drains. Get a copy of your restaurant
location’s blueprints or consult with a contractor to determine the most sensible places for your
kitchen equipment, restrooms, and bar equipment. You should also contact your landlord and
local zoning board to learn about any restrictions that could impact your choices.

Before you begin sketching your restaurant layout, you need to know these things:
  Location of utilities: The availability of gas lines, electricity, ethernet cables, phone lines,
and water lines will influence how you layout your restaurant space.
 Interior elements that cannot change: You may not be able to move some walls or
columns in your restaurant space. It is better to know what you can and cannot change
before you draw your plans.
 Landlord restrictions: Most commercial buildings have rules about where you can
receive deliveries and where entrances and exits can face.
 Zoning restrictions: This is primarily a concern for exterior signage and concepts that
want to add drive-thru service. Local ordinances may not permit drive-thrus, or you may
need special permits for sidewalk seating and outdoor patios. Zoning ordinances also
determine where you can vent kitchen fumes and smoke.

3. DESIGN YOUR KITCHEN LAYOUT

Your restaurant’s kitchen has the most significant technical needs of any part of your restaurant.
That’s why you start with the kitchen. Most restaurants allocate 30% to 40% of their total space
to their kitchen to allow adequate food prep, cooking, and server pickup space. There is more
than just food to consider.

A restaurant kitchen must also allow for adequate flow of:

 Food: Raw ingredients need to flow into the kitchen, and prepared food needs to flow out
of the kitchen.
 Staff: Cooking and cleaning staff need an efficient workspace, and service staff need an
efficient pickup space.
 Information: Cooks need to quickly see orders as they arrive in and leave the kitchen.
  Waste: Cooking fumes, steam, and smoke must exit the building. Wastewater and
cooking grease also must be safely disposed of.

To support an efficient workflow, a restaurant kitchen needs:

 Gas lines: To power cooking equipment

 Electrical lines: To power cooking and ventilation equipment, refrigerators, freezers, and
POS equipment like printers and kitchen display systems (KDSes)
 Water lines: To supply dishwashers and sinks, specialty beverage equipment like soft
drink dispensers and espresso machines, and sprinkler systems or fire suppression
equipment
 Floor drains: To drain refrigerators, ice machines, ice bins, and sinks
 Grease trap connections: To prevent cooking fats from wastewater and cooking
equipment from entering public sewer systems

Once you’ve chosen the best spot in your restaurant to support your kitchen equipment, you’re
ready to think about the layout of the kitchen itself. There are three primary commercial kitchen
designs that restaurants use: Assembly Line, Island, and Zone.

4. DESIGN YOUR RESTAURANT DINING ROOM LAYOUT

Restaurant dining areas generally use around 60% of your total restaurant space. What you put
in this space depends on your restaurant type. The first step in this equation is checking with
your local building permit office for occupancy guidelines for your space. You’ll also want to read
the ADA guidelines for accessibility carefully. Having all of this information upfront ensures that
your dining area layout and floor plan meet applicable regulatory guidelines.
Restaurant Floor Plan Suggested Area Per Diner
Restaurant Style Square feet per-person

Fine Dining 18–20 square feet

Full-Service Casual Dining 15–18 square feet

Countertop Diner or Bistro Service 12–15 square feet

Next, you need to decide how many tables you need and how to lay them out. The following
space allocation allows staff and customers to coexist easily and provides room for most
wheelchairs to pass.

Restaurant Floor Plan Table and Chair Spacing

Unit Space between each

Occupied chairs 18–20 inches

Tables set in parallel 42–60 inches between sides

Tables set on a diagonal 24–30 inches between corners

Of course, much of your space allocation for tables and chairs depends on your restaurant
concept and the types of seating you use. Mixing table styles optimizes dining space by making
clever use of wall space and supporting efficient traffic flow. You can move freestanding tables
to accommodate large parties or change your space’s look and flow. Booths maximize wall
space, and mixing them in with tables gives patrons their choice of seating. Many dining
concepts add countertop-height tables to the mix to add visual variety.

5. LAYOUT RESTROOMS, ENTRYWAYS, AND WAITING

AREAS
All guest-facing areas of your restaurant must be ADA compliant, so it’s a good idea to design
them all together. Doorways must be wheelchair accessible, and you must have at least one
restroom stall in each bathroom that is also wheelchair accessible.

Restrooms

Placing your restrooms near kitchens can save you money on your plumbing by tying into
nearby lines. If that’s not feasible, you’ll have to plumb this area completely, so place your
restrooms carefully. This isn’t an element that’s easily moved about the space. You’ll need to
ensure that at least one stall or one restroom is wheelchair accessible.

The ADA generally requires at least 60 inches of turning space between fixtures for wheelchair
accessibility. Small restaurants may only have room for single occupancy restrooms to stay
within ADA guidelines.

Entrances

If your entryway includes stairs or a step up or down from ground level, you’ll need to think
about ADA adjustments. If you can fit a ramp alongside any stairs, that is usually the simplest
solution. You might also consider a separate, wheelchair-accessible entrance or a wheelchair
lift.

Your restaurant entrance should clearly communicate your restaurant concept and brand. This
is the first visual and tactile experience your patrons have when entering your establishment, so
carry any design choices you make in your dining room design choices forward to your entry. Or
simply customize your door to compliment your signage and brand concept.

Waiting Areas

For cafe, bistro, and diner concepts, your entrance can be minimal, especially if you have a bar
or countertop where patrons can wait. If you need a defined wait space in front, plan this area to
allow traffic flow in and out and accommodate seating if at all possible. A few comfortable chairs
work, but bench seating against the wall can better use a tight space. And, if it works in your
location and climate, adding outdoor seating to your wait space can be a good idea. A few patio-
type chairs or benches can do the job with style.

6. ADD BARS, SERVICE COUNTERS, AND DELIVERY

AREAS
Bar or countertop dining areas can be a great addition to your restaurant floor plan. If you
haven’t considered one, you should if space allows. It’s a more profitable use of space than a
large waiting area since patrons can order drinks while waiting. Plus, it creates small-footprint
dining space since diners expect less elbow room at a bar than they do at a table.

For placement, a bar or countertop that shares its back wall with the kitchen works very well,
especially in small spaces. That lets you tie into your existing plumbing for bar sinks or add a
pass-through window to the kitchen for a diner, cafe-style coffee house, or bistro restaurant
concept.

Order Counters

Quick service restaurants like pizza shops and burger joints ring in customer orders at a central
counter, equipped with registers or POS terminals. This counter is usually the only separation
between the kitchen and the dining area. Order counters typically only need electrical outlets
and an internet connection to process payments. Many restaurants also use this real estate to
store dry goods and paper supplies under the counter.

Service Counters

Delis, bakeries, and slice shops perform most of their business from a counter. Depending on
the food you serve, this counter may need to support refrigerated or heated displays. These
service counters are like mini-kitchens and need access to electric and water lines as well as
drainage and ventilation.

Delivery and Takeout Areas

Many restaurants are struggling to keep up with the rising consumer demand for online ordering
and delivery. Whether you provide takeout and delivery with your in-house staff or rely on third-
party delivery services, you should set aside an area specifically for drivers and customers to
pick up delivery and takeout orders. If your delivery program is especially robust, it makes sense
for the pickup area to be near—or in—your kitchen.

Depending on your business level, this area can be a series of shelves inside your front
entrance or a drive-thru window. Suppose your restaurant is a delivery-only concept like a ghost
kitchen or cloud kitchen. In that case, you’ll want to invest in warming cabinets or countertops
with heat lamps to keep your food at optimum temperature.

7. ADD STAFF AREAS AND BACK OFFICE

Last but not least, you want to include space for your managers and staff. These areas don’t
need to be large—since they don’t generate revenue, and ideally, your team isn’t spending long
hours in them—but they should be thoughtfully designed.

Staff Entrance and Locker Room

A separate staff entrance prevents traffic jams between your staff and your customers. A staff
entrance can also double as a delivery entrance. Locker rooms keep employee belongings out
of work areas during their shifts, which can help your team focus. Many health inspectors will
also dock points on your health department rating if they see employee belongings in food
service areas. Anything that travels from outside your restaurant is a potential source of
foodborne illness.

Back Office

Your restaurant’s back office doesn’t need to be large, but it does need to be secure. Your back
office holds sensitive information like hiring documents, tax information, and business licenses.
It also holds valuable items like your back office computer, security system hub, and safe. There
should always be at least two lockable doors between your safe and the outside world. Your
office door should be solid, and it should lock from the inside.
COVID-19 FLOOR PLAN REGULATIONS
COVID-19 regulations vary depending on your location. For the applicable regulations, check
with your local health department. To ensure your staff and customers stay safe, also check
the CDC guidance for restaurants. Social distancing and good air-flow are the two most
important factors to creating a safe dining environment during COVID-19.

When considering how to use the outdoors to weather COVID-19, look at strategies used by
pop-up restaurants and tactical urbanism. Both use affordable materials to create temporary
spaces. Think of your favorite farmers market and the materials they use. Keep in mind that the
table below is only offering suggestions. Any time you plan to use outdoor public space, you’ll
need to contact local zoning authorities for approval and guidance.

COVID-19 Floorplan Tips Outside Strategy Inside Strategy

Create barriers Setting your tables on Push together unusable tables to

temporary decking helps separate dining areas. Cover
demarcate the space, provide unusable tables with retail
ADA accessibility, and prevent displays to ensure customers
your dining space from don’t sit at them.
blocking street grates and
drains. Barriers can be as
simple as posts and ropes, or
even hay bales, wood pallets,
or wooden crates.

Use partitions Tall plants are an excellent Plexiglass partitions are

choice outside. Planter boxes
are difficult to move and create
distance between tables.
transparent, allowing your staff to
see when customers need
something. In a pinch, PVC pipe
frames draped with clear plastic
are better than nothing.

Add temporary furniture If possible, use heavy furniture
like wooden picnic tables or
built-in benches to prevent
customers from moving them.
In cold, rainy climates,
consider pop-up tents with
individual tables.
Move in retail displays and
shelving units to temporarily
redirect customers through your
socially distanced space. Use
bars and countertops for takeout
and delivery.

Provide visual cues Use chalk, cornstarch paint, or Brightly colored tape and floor
tape to mark table and chair stickers illustrate appropriate
positions or show customers distancing and guide customers
COVID-19 Floorplan Tips Outside Strategy Inside Strategy

where to wait. through your restaurant.