We have found that people will pay for better design,” said Sterling Smith in the seminar It’s All in the Ambience at “The Show” in Las Vegas. Smith, a 35-year industry veteran who is vice president of operations for the Dave & Buster’s chain, joined Colleen Brennan, beverage manager of the O’Charley’s casual dining chain, to share the insights behind the bar design in two powerhouse chains.
    “We have to create a great experience every time, and design is a really big part of creating experience and creating the emotion that is part of that experience,” Smith said. “You want to think in terms of how a person feels when they’re sitting in your space. Different styles create all different kinds of feelings, whether it’s excitement, coziness, comfort or pride.”

Driving Emotions
    Form indeed follows function, but, Smith said, form also follows emotion. Case in point, he said, was the change  that Dave & Buster’s made in its bar design.
    For years, at the front of the house, the bar was square, with a walk-in cooler in the middle of it. “After studying our guests, we finally realized that they were feeling disconnected,” Smith said. “So, a few years ago, we started designing our bars without that walk-in in the middle. Nothing is higher than the countertop. Now, people sit at the square bar, and they have that line of sight to everybody who’s at the bar, and there’s a total feeling of connection. They’re more involved with what’s happening.
    “Instead of looking at what people buy, think about how they behave and how they react in certain situations ... We believe that the goal and purpose of a well-designed place is to astonish folks.” Smith stressed that good design is crucial in everything in society, from buildings to landscaping to Web sites, and bars should be no exception. “Design has become a critical component in how we communicate and collaborate. Think about the look and feel of any good design and think about the principals that go behind that design. Think about your space and how it encourages the behavior that you’re looking for to be successful.”

Getting In Shape
    Colleen Brennan, beverage manager for the chain, also discussed bar design strategies with Smith at “The Show,” including the importance of ergonomics.
    “You want to make it as easy as possible for your staff to get their drinks out to the restaurant (and easy) for your bartender behind the bar. Every misplaced step costs a lot of money in lost productivity. Sometimes we struggle with the design of our older buildings because the bar is on one side of the building, and the server station is on the other side of the building, and so they don’t want to sell drinks because they don’t want to walk that far.”
    Brennan discussed different common bar designs, including the linear bar. Pros of a linear bar include that it offers unobstructed vision of bar patrons and that the backbar is a convenient location for all glassware, bottles, etc. A drawback is that the linear bar format is relatively boring from a design standpoint and least likely to elicit the all-important guest reaction.
    “It’s easy to work with; it’s very ergonomic. The bad part is that it obstructs your line of vision. A bartender standing at one end can’t see the patrons sitting at the other end. But, the L-shaped bar is more ergonomic from an efficiency standpoint.”
    Brennan added that curved counters tend to engage, while straight edges tend to repel. A pro/con balance, then, is key. NCB