Selecting an Appetizing Restaurant Paint Scheme
Anyone who’s worked in the restaurant business can tell you just how difficult it is to maintain a successful enterprise. So many bases must be covered to attract, satisfy, and maintain customers -- the food itself must be excellent, inventory must be tightly managed, and the establishment must be clean, welcoming, and aesthetically pleasing. If your location is struggling but you’ve received few complaints about your menu or staff, perhaps the problem lies with the atmosphere. People don’t merely come to a restaurant to fill up -- they want to enjoy a meal in an enjoyable setting, whatever that might be. In addition to the layout and decor, your business’s paint colors and configurations can make or break this aura.
How to Pick a Good Paint Scheme for Your Restaurant
Know Which Colors Make People Hungry
While color psychology remains a somewhat fluid field of study, there seems to be plenty of evidence that suggests different colors have different effects on our moods and behaviors. When it comes to adorning your restaurant via interior painting, then, you want to choose colors that encourage people’s appetites -- not those that turn their stomachs. Red is often touted as the most appetizing color, seemingly because this color catches our attention and increased blood flow, which can, in turn, speed up our metabolism and make us feel hungry. It’s no surprise that restaurants of all kinds incorporate red in their color scheme (see fast-food chains and fine dining establishments alike). Other warmer tones like orange and yellow are deemed appetizing colors as well.
Conversely, certain colors should be avoided in your restaurant, as they can reduce one’s appetite. More specifically, blue, pink, bright green, and grey can curb people’s appetites pretty quickly. It’s worth noting, of course, that color psychology is an inexact science -- a color that turns one person’s stomach might make another person ravenous. Generally speaking, though, reds, oranges, and yellows (along with neutral, soothing tones) should take precedence when selecting colors for your restaurant.
Know Your Brand and Your Audience
Every restaurant is unique, and there is a wide variety of dining styles across the industry. Depending on their mood, budget, and the occasion, people can choose from fast food to casual eating, to fine dining, and a number of options in between. Knowing where your restaurant exists on this spectrum is crucial to choosing the proper paint scheme. For instance, if you run a casual cafe that primarily serves the lunch crowd, you might go for a bright, modern atmosphere with loads of natural lighting, plant life, wooden countertops, and so on. Or, if your restaurant is meant for fine dining, it might offer soft, dim lighting, vinyl booths, dark walls, and so on. Your color choices should be informed by these variables to better establish your brand and satisfy your customers. The best commercial painters will take the time to understand your business in order to help you come up with a paint scheme that best suits its character.
Strengthen Your Theme
Some restaurants stake their brand on a theme -- one place might offer unique and modern takes on classic dishes while another might offer an authentic dining experience based on cuisine from another country or region. Painting a room two colors and/or with a distinct pattern can go a long way toward cementing these motifs. For instance, an Italian restaurant might feature a prominent mural of a vineyard in the entrance or the main dining area to evoke a sense of Italy and to give customers something to enjoy and discuss while they await their meals. Finding an artist to create a mural like this can be costly but a worthwhile investment if you wish to drive home your restaurant’s atmosphere.
Don’t Ignore Your Exterior
So far we’ve discussed interior painting choices for restaurants to consider. However, a restaurant’s outward appearance is just as (if not more) important as its inward atmosphere. After all, the exterior of your building is the first thing that potential customers will see. Ideally, your restaurant’s outside should set expectations for what’s inside. Your Raleigh painting company might achieve this congruity by matching exterior paint colors with interior paint colors. To make a good impression, your exterior should also be clean and properly painted. Additionally, you should use your exterior space to attract customer attention from afar -- this means going with brighter colors and ensuring that your signage is large, clear, and visible from various angles and distances.
A lot goes into choosing the right paint scheme for your restaurant. Knowing which colors are generally appetizing, understanding your brand, audience, and theme, and emphasizing your property’s exterior to attract customers are all helpful tools for building and retaining your restaurant’s success. At Anderson Painting, our expert painting services have enhanced the appeal of so many restaurants across the dining spectrum in the North Carolina Triangle and surrounding areas.
For more about us and everything we do, call us today at (919) 610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
