Involvement of senses in your Restaurant

Pooja Singh, Marketing Communication Manager, Hyatt, Gurgaon says “Involvement of senses is a part of life; it depends on how every individual likes to enjoy the need.”

Taste:  Taste is the most obvious sense of a foodie anywhere in the world. No one will eat at your restaurant if the taste of food is not good. Make sure that you have a chef who makes the best to come out from him. Also, be sure your dishes are consistently delicious. This is what creates loyal customers, and helps define your brand.

Payal Saha, Owner, The Kati Roll Company(TKRC) says “The first thing you notice when you walk into a TKRC location is the visual stimulation of the open kitchen and the Bollywood-influenced peeling posters on the weathered walls, both reminiscent of Indian ‘dhabas’. Next, you are greeted with the succulent scent of foods on the grill and warmth of buttery parathas. The sound of urban-Indian music floats through the air. When you receive your order, you sit down at the wooden tables and unwrap your roll, with your mouth watering at the anticipation of all the tangy spices. As you take the first bite and close your eyes, you’re transported back to the street carts of Calcutta… it’s a very sensory experience all around. We’ve made a concerted effort to give our customers a 360˚ experience.

Speaking on the same, Venkatesh of Goli Vada Pao highlighted “it is important to focus on the product because the taste is very important. Once the people love the taste, they will come back again and again.”

Presentation:  Presentation is the other sense which your eyes feel.  From lighting to the decorations and painting all comes under presentation. Punjabi by Nature and other well established fine-dine restaurant have used this concept to make their restaurant a number one brand in this cut throttling business.

Chef Mayank Tiwari, Chef de Cuisine, Olive Bar & Kitchen, says “Presentation is important, as everyone says, you first eat from your eyes.”

Speaking on the same, Pearl Khan, Owner, Kashmiri Kitchen says “In the present place we have not emphasised much on presentation due to space constraints. I did not take any designer’s help to design the place. We had very nice furniture at home; initially we used those at our restaurant. My logo colour was orange and blue so I used it for wall painting. We would try and use Kashmiri music, Kashmiri decor around the place, hang wall carvings from Kashmir and place special furniture to give the Kashmiri feel. My passion and my mother helped me create the ambience and the presentation of my restaurant. It all happened organically and we never planned it.”

Music: Music is something which gives a soothing sense to your ear when you enter a particular restaurant. Many a times restaurant play a certain type of music to influence their concept. At Kofuku, japanese music is played at every location to give a feel of Japanese culture. And lighting also contributes an equal amount in making the atmosphere soothing. Lights help to achieve a certain mood or tone as well.

Chef James Biaka, Ex. Chef, Kofuku adds “. When a person walks into our restaurant, he gets the feel of being in Japan. We give a Japanese touch, like we have ‘tatami’ (low floor sitting). When we welcome the guest, we say ‘erashymate’; after eating food when they leave, we say ‘are gato gozhima’ (come again). We also use Japanese music to give them a feel of being in Japan.We use this style in Kofuku.”

Colors. Colors in the restaurant are meant to evoke certain feelings, and have even been known to encourage guests’ appetites. Colors can do a lot to affect the overall atmosphere.

Sanjeev Malhan, Principal Designer, Office for International Architecture says “Colour is a successful part in the world of designing. A good colour tone will make your customer remember your restaurant and will promote appetites.”

Aroamtic scents:  Some restaurants have a very specific intent when it comes to creating an atmosphere with smells. Aromatic scents fill the air and affect guests as soon as they enter the building. Aromas like freshly-squeezed citrus, sweet flowers or fresh-baked muffins can help define an atmosphere.

Chef Gautam Chaudhary, Executive Chef, Pink Poppadom, Hyatt, Bangalore, says “Food is an art and to praise any art you need to have your five senses open. Starting from the skin to touch and feel, eyes to see how it is presented, tongue to taste and nose for relishing the delicious smell coming from the food. Today people eat food with spoon and a knife and fork, but the truth is that one should feel the food.”