Don’t be fooled: The preferences of each generation will encourage trends in restaurant design that appeal to that group. For instance, the baby boomers will be seeking a tranquil dining experience, while preteens will want stimulation and innovation. Keeping current with trends in restaurant design means keeping current with what’s going on in retail, with what your competitors are doing, and with what consumers want.
Trends in restaurant design have been spurred by all sorts of influences, from the world of celebrities to ethnic diversity. Today, the trend in restaurant design leans toward considering not only the visual appeal, but also the emotional response to the visual presentation — this is definitely not a “one theme fits all” approach.
While some aspects of the design have a broad-based appeal by reflecting the dominant mood of the period, today’s restaurant design trends typically enjoy a wide range of tastes based on the market the restaurant wants to reach. The various generations, such as baby boomers, Millenials, or Tweens, each have their own emotional requirements as well as their own food preferences. So trends in restaurant design are impacted by what such generational diners want and whether they have the buying power to make their desires known. Smart restaurant owners know how to read current trends and they vary their restaurant design according to that.
