Your restaurant has a specific style, atmosphere and decor. Every area in your restaurant should reflect that style in order to produce the desired effect. You’ve likely invested a great deal of time, energy and money in your restaurant’s appearance. Creating the right atmosphere takes effort, and you may have even paid a decorator or design firm for their services to help you obtain just the right look.
Your public areas are important. Not only do they present your clientele with their first impression of your restaurant but they also help establish the overall dining experience for visitors. While the importance of the public areas of the restaurant is easily understood, you should not overlook the overall appearance of your less public areas.
The design and decorative appearance of your restrooms are also important. Not only do you want to establish the right decor for the restrooms used by your patrons but you should also pay attention to those that are designated for employees.
The bathroom accessories you choose for your restrooms serve several purposes. They help you create a complete and fluid appearance for your restaurant by playing on the same decorative themes found throughout all areas of the building. Continuity is important in creating the right atmosphere. If there is too much disparity between your public facilities and your private washrooms, it can disrupt the atmosphere and leave visitors feeling like they’ve stepped into another business.
Selection of the right accessories makes your bathrooms functional as well. Many of the accessories you place in your restrooms and washrooms will serve a specific purpose that is essential to serving your customers well. Choosing the right size, shape, and design of accessories is critical.
How many times have you visited a public restroom where the paper towel dispenser or toilet paper dispenser is not the right size for the space, resulting in difficulty of use or general irritation with at establishment? Or perhaps you’re a parent of a small child and have needed a baby changing station only to find that there is none available in the restroom, or the one that is present is poorly located or doesn’t operate efficiently.
These types of issues with the restroom facilities in restaurants affect the overall customer experience. Even if the dining experience itself is excellent, the customer may leave feeling less than satisfied. Your servers may be pleasant, prices excellent, food wonderful and accommodations comfortable but your customers may still be dissatisfied with their overall experience as a result of the poor choice in bathroom accessories.
The decorative appeal, general atmosphere, and practical functionality of the bathroom accessories in your restrooms should not be overlooked. Complementing your other customer service initiatives and activities, you will want to ensure you choose the right accessories to help create the best possible customer experience.
The appearance of your washroom facilities also helps establish a perception of cleanliness. Keeping your restrooms clean is only part of what gives customers a feeling of well-being. The materials from which your bathroom facilities and accessories are created also leave visitors with the right impression. This is the reason many restaurant owners choose stainless steel, glass, and porcelain for their bathrooms. These surfaces are easy to clean and once washed have a shimmer or shine that promotes the perception of cleanliness.
Don’t overlook the importance of providing all the comforts for each and every visitor. Women’s restrooms should offer sanitary napkin and tampon dispensers. At least one bathroom stall should be handicapped accessible, including a higher toilet and appropriate support bars. Baby changing stations should be present in both your women’s and men’s restrooms to allow either parent to care for their children with ease. Mirrors should be found above the sinks and at least one full-length mirror should be present in each restroom.
Keep in mind the floor plan of your bathroom and the size of each bathroom stall when choosing accessories as well. You want to ensure the room doesn’t appear overcrowded. You also want to make sure visitors are able to move about easily.
Providing equally nice restrooms for your employees is also important. Not only does it help maintain the fluid decorative scheme of the restaurant but it also lets your employees know they are valued. You want to create the same appealing atmosphere and clean appearance in your employee bathrooms as you do your public restroom and washroom facilities.
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Still not sure about what toilet partition to choose? Take a look at another blog post we wrote breaking down each toilet partition type and where it best fits.
