Page 1 of 2

RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 7:30 pm
by mtrs
I was called upon by a client (Emirati) whose lebanese restaurant is yet to be opened. Hindi pa man nagbubukas ang restaurant eh mag-rerenovate na kaagad. This is another classic case of an owner (in attempt to reduce their initial cost) skipped a designer's advice. The result was a terrible looking place, too clean, weak branding, & costly! Here are the pictures of my initial visit to site.

Image

Image

Here's my proposed improvements: Some Colors, a proper Brand Wall, and a well placed pendant and spot lighting. The following are Computer Generated Images:

Image

Image

Image

Sana lang kagatin ng client.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:05 pm
by egay
hmm... nice but doesn't look 'lebanesse' to me :lol:
and the name on the wall - seems more like Jewish :P

anyway, don't mind me - i know s--t about interiors

best wishes on this project, MTRS

.e.
:hai:

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 4:42 am
by rs241
To be honest I don't really see that much of a difference between two - other than latter looks more well-lit. They look way too modern for a Lebanese restaurant. But then again that's entirely dependent on what the owner wants or his own sort of image/product branding. If I were a customer I'd be expecting a room atmosphere that gives an exotic middle eastern feel - as part of the experience. But that's just me and like Egay I really am almost clueless as to how restaurant interiors should look like. Good luck and all the best.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 8:11 am
by philjonc
I like your idea in your computer generated design, it attracts not only the people who knows Lebanese cuisine but also people who does'nt know a thing about Lebanon and its food because of the room's colors, its well lighted, and it has modern touch. its inviting. goodluck! :clap:

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:49 am
by joe3rp
Let us not forget the important thing about this LEBANESE Resto is the taste/quality/authenticity of the FOOD!
A lot of the long lasting/successful Resto have minimal...porma...it is about the food! IMHO

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 11:55 am
by marcusd
got to go with the food element and good marketing. The ambiance should work ok from the pics, but the seating needs to be comfy and the arrangement encourage good footfall and turnover without sacrificing the experience IMHO.

If the place gets known for quality authentic food then people will travel miles to eat there.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:21 pm
by philjonc
agree 100% that the quality of food is the top priority. but i guess in the Architect's / interior designer's perspective is the place to be commercially appealing. for customers to know that your place exist, and that you a have a nice place to dine in maybe the food is also nice. And i believe the colors appeal to the young market. which means everybody's invited.(thats including all members posted here on the opening day :clap: )

im just wondering what mtrs meant by the place being "too clean"? do you mean too formal?

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 12:52 pm
by marcusd
one word of advice - put some cushions on the seating lol.. i hate hard seats with a passion and avoid any dining business that offers hard wood seats - numbness when on your 3rd course is not terribly appealing :P

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 10:31 pm
by rvc
mtrs,

are you an architect or an interior designer?

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:58 pm
by mtrs
Guys,

Thank you all for your comments. Honestly, I have considered all the aspects that you’ll mentioned in your criticism.
But I have learned time and again that if you want to sell, do as the Americans do—be loud and colorful.
I am aiming for attention here. As for the food, the Lebanese chef has told me that Massaad (a place in Lebanon , sure sounds like Mossad) makes the best Shish Tawouk in the entire arab world.

@philjonc—this are the exact words of the client—“it’s too clean!” He meant for sure that the place ended up too neat and in turn lost it’s warmt.
The problem mainly is none of the materials you see are real. The wood is cheap laminates. The stone walls are tiled imitations.

@rvc—I’m a licensed architect in the Philippines

I’ll keep you guys posted.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:17 pm
by egay
one of my interior designer friends told me that if you want people to eat a lot, put red (or was that orange?) :sweat: as one of the dominant colors... anyway, he said colors affect one's appetite...

maybe this is the reason why Chinese restaurants have dominant RED colors?

just guessing :lol:

.e.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:05 pm
by joe3rp
Just me...I think the chairs - high chairs! are very uncomfortable! It is usually used for bars and not for comfortable eating. Aren't Lebanese known to sit very low on the floors? The tables also look too small...You should know the dishes/size of serving dish of this type of food. Do they use plates...what size?

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 7:19 am
by planarribbon
yes... tables a little bit wider, seats a little lower... middle eastern dining is a communal experience. alam ko, there should be an opportunity to share the food.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 12:17 pm
by trauma
egay wrote:one of my interior designer friends told me that if you want people to eat a lot, put red (or was that orange?) :sweat: as one of the dominant colors... anyway, he said colors affect one's appetite...

maybe this is the reason why Chinese restaurants have dominant RED colors?

just guessing :lol:

.e.


Like Jolibee and McDo, KFC and Chowking too.

In the Chinese community it is not only restaurants they want red. Everyone who wears red is applauded. :clap: except the owner of Eng Bee Tin who insists his lucky color is ube.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 12:39 pm
by ojof00l
place looks nice pero parang walang ambience ng middle east.

baka gusto nya lagyan ng special section where people eat on the carpeted floor, food served on a big round stainlesssteel tray-good for 4 people. rectangular cushions provided for arm rest. after dinner, perhaps a belly-dancer performs for entertainment while customers smoke seesha/hookah/hubbly bubbly :)

,,,and dont forget MANDI on the menu. the best lamb cuisine!!!

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:32 pm
by mtrs
I just had a meeting with the clients and here are their comments:

A.Owner # 1 (the financier): As expected this Emirati man (the more capitalist-minded among the owners) likes the idea of going a little
commercialized and liked very much my first proposal.

B.Owner # 2 (the Lebanese chef): I have not met this guy on our first meeting and thus, have no idea what is in his mind.
He totally disagreed on my proposal. During our conversation, he mentioned the word “Authentic” and “Village”
several times.

I can’t do much about the furniture; the furniture is already a mix of high and low chairs. I just have to contend
with what they have for now.

Conclusion: Make sure to meet all the owners and get their consensus. First proposal is rejected.
Owner #2 prevailed. I have to go back to the drawing board.

Lesson learned: DON’T MESS WITH A LEBANESE CHEF!

Thank you all for the comments.

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 10:04 pm
by zenaudio
I googled "Lebanese Village Restaurant" and this came up
Image

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 11:04 pm
by ojof00l
planarribbon wrote:yes... tables a little bit wider, seats a little lower... middle eastern dining is a communal experience. alam ko, there should be an opportunity to share the food.


yung ulam nasa ibabaw ng kabsa (rice) at sa paligid tomato, lemon, cucumber etc. eat using the bare right hand only.

karaniwan nasa malaking bilog na tray. sa pic, pwede rin latag lang ng plastic talo-talo na.
Image

sure may ghawa (coffee) with dates ang lots of shay (tea) diyan :)

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 11:50 pm
by philjonc
mtrs wrote:I was called upon by a client (Emirati) whose lebanese restaurant is yet to be opened. Hindi pa man nagbubukas ang restaurant eh mag-rerenovate na kaagad. This is another classic case of an owner (in attempt to reduce their initial cost) skipped a designer's advice. The result was a terrible looking place, too clean, weak branding, & costly! Here are the pictures of my initial visit to site.

Image



I believe the two owners approved the first design, kaya na-execute yung project. but now they both didnt like the outcome?
you said that they "skipped the designer's advice", are you refering to yourself as the designer? what was the designer's advice then?
is the restaurant inside a mall, or within a building or along a highway? the design would also depend on the market they would want to cater to.
tingin ko mag dadagdag ka nalang kaysa magbawas kasi sayang naman yung matatanggal na nakakabit na.

how about the facade?

Re: RESCUE OPERATION -- LEBANESE RESTAURANT

PostPosted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 1:22 am
by hein
Image
The lighting is too modern for a Lebanese restaurant. The furniture are too generic. The walls do not have the "Middle Eastern" feel and texture. Heck, this can even pass for an Alex III restaurant.