When choosing interior restaurant lighting, you’ll need to consider a few things.
For starters, what sort of a restaurant is it? From fast casual to fine dining, the design needs of restaurants vary massively. What atmosphere does the restaurant owner want to create?
Options can include warm and homey, cool and modern, practical and efficient, and so on. Of course, a practical and clean atmosphere is more appropriate for a fast-casual dining restaurant, while a romantic atmosphere makes more sense somewhere higher-end.
Ambient lighting, bar lighting, booth lighting, and decorative lighting are all touches that should be considered when selecting interior restaurant lighting. These components make up a large part of the character of a restaurant and can ultimately make or break the customer dining experience.
To help make this journey a little easier, let’s take a look at each layer of the four main types of lighting needed in a restaurant.
General Lighting for Restaurant Interiors
As it is the primary light source in a space, you should make general lighting choices before choosing sources of illumination for tasks, accents, and decoration. General lighting, also known as ambient lighting, provides a base level for everything else.
You Want your general lighting sources to be discreet and practical in a restaurant. This can be achieved via diffused general lighting, which offers a sense of safety and comfort for both guests and staff.
You can achieve the unobtrusive lighting needed for general lighting in a restaurant using recessed lighting with accessories such as louvers or baffles. Wall wash fixtures can be added to highlight the shape of the space and orient customers, as well as make design features on vertical surfaces (walls?) more appealing.
Task Lighting for Restaurant Interiors
As the name implies, task lighting is necessary to illuminate work areas and spaces used for specific tasks. For example, you don’t want customers to trip or the bar staff to make ingredient-related mistakes because they can’t see properly. Task lighting and general lighting will be your main considerations in fast food and fast-casual restaurants.
Light intended to help staff complete tasks has to be focused and localized, and lighting sources should offer a higher footcandle level than in other restaurant areas. Some other examples of task lighting in restaurant interiors include:
- Paths with heavy staff traffic
- Lighting for fridges and cabinets
- Prep areas behind the bar
- Hostess / Waiting Area
- POS system stations
The front desk can be lit by pendants directly above the work area to minimize shadows. Linears like the CS Linear are a great option for fridges and cabinets, illuminating what is inside without creating glare.
Accent Lighting for Restaurant Interiors
Accent lighting uses focused light to add depth and contrast to a space.
It also illuminates focal points like displayed items or architectural features within a restaurant’s interior. The direction of accent lights in restaurants has to be carefully considered, as the point lighting used can create shadows when applied carelessly.
Pendant lights or hanging cylinder lights are a great choice over tables. Make sure all lighting over tables has a dimming option with a wide range so you can adjust lighting depending on natural light, time of day, and desired atmosphere. The lighting over tables will allow guests to see their food – and to eat with their eyes – so a high CRI is necessary for accurate color rendition.
According to the IES, a 5:1 ratio of accent to ambient lighting will produce the desired visual effect in most cases. Accent lighting adds drama to a space, so in restaurants, lights are often installed over bar tops. Accent lighting can also draw attention to daily menus or specials. While pendants work well over bartops, track lighting is the best choice to highlight menus or other vertically displayed features that need accent lighting.
Decorative Lighting for Restaurant Interiors
Finally, you should think about decorative lighting options when choosing interior restaurant lighting. Decorative lighting adds layers and is an integral part of overall restaurant design.
Decorative options can add to general or accent lighting and sometimes task lighting. The sconces you choose for wall washing may be decorative, for example, and the pendants you use as an accent over the bartop may be too.
Chandeliers, multi-level pendants, wall-mounted sconces, and cylinders can all serve as decorative features.
Practical tips for adding visual appeal to a restaurant space without distracting guests or negatively impacting their dining experience include:
- Complementing interior design choices with decorative lighting choices. The lighting is part of the design.
- Pendants should be hung: 8 – 12 feet above the finished floor or 36 – 48 inches above the horizontal plane when they’re over a counter or bar.
- Wall sconces and wall-mounted cylinders should be mounted around the average head height of guests. That is usually 5-6 feet above the finished floor.
- Consider brand identity and custom colors when making decorative lighting choices! The look of a restaurant is part of its branding and marketing.
Lighting and Time of Day
Most restaurants are open for at least two daily services. This means their lighting should be easily adjusted with dimming and other controls.
As a rule, lighting gets less bright as the day continues. Breakfast services are much more illuminated than dinner, and lunches are usually kept at a moderate in-between lighting level.
If the restaurant serves a boozy weekend brunch, lighting requirements are different. Brighter lights turn tables quicker, so a brunch that relies on guests staying for a while and getting multiple rounds of drinks should be served under dimmer and warmer lighting than is usual for a morning service. One study from USF found that guests order 39% more calories in dim lighting.
Commercial restaurants or fast food establishments want to turn tables quickly, getting guests in and out the door as fast as possible. In this case, it’s best to stick to one brightness level from open to close.
For more information on restaurant lighting design or to ask questions about which Solais product is right for you, get in touch or find your closest rep.
