Lynxie's Restaurant Project, I could use some advice

Community Introductions & Off Topic
1

Okay, I’m sure by now most of you regulars here on this site know I’m in college studying Hotel/Restaurant Management.

Well right now, actually all semester long, I’ve been working on a design project for my Restaurant Facilities and Equipment class. My assignment was to design a restaurant from scratch, from the ground up, and it is much harder than you would think. I would joke around from time to time on this site about “never picking on Tygra anymore” because of this project, well, here it is. Well, it’s just the very rough sketches on notebook paper of my design. I did go to an art store today and bought architect’s drafting grid paper…sweet…the salesman said because I’m a college student, I got a 10% off discount with my college ID!

I will be sketching the final draft later on today and hopefully I can post it late tonight, or atleast what I have done so far. This is due on Tuesday, May 3rd.

As you will see from the pics, I’ve drawn several rough hand sketches, you have to understand that this class takes place once a week (3 hours long) and each week I learn more and get new ideas, thus causing me to re-think and re-sketch my work. The page in my green binder is going to be my final plan.

I couldn’t use regular graph paper because my assignment is to be drawn in 1/4" to equal 1 square foot, so I had to get 4x4 square per inch graph paper. Regular graph paper has 5x5…go on, look…I know, I was disappointed too when I looked at the several stacks of graph paper that I already own that is completely useless to me. :stuck_out_tongue:

Also during this time, I had to acquire carpet, paint, wood flooring and kitchen flooring samples. Oh yeah, I also had to design a full menu as well. Fun, fun, fun!

You would be surprised at how involved, even just a small restaurant can be. The only thing that stinks about this project is coming up with a name for my restaurant. I want it very natural, healthy, not exactly organic, but you get the idea. I wanted it to be located in a secluded but not too far away from traffic location that is lush with foliage and a running stream of water. So I named my restaurant Evergreen Gardens.

I plan on having a 100 seat capacity dining room. I know, wow Lynxie, 100 guest is an awful lot of people. Actually in a restaurant, no it’s not. It’s actually considered on the medium to small side. Let’s look at it this way, your average table can seat five people perhaps six, so it could be 18-20 tables but let’s cut it down just a tiny bit. Let’s have 13-15 tables (75 people) and one length of a wall with booths with small tables infront of it (the other 25). With good service and good workers, I could turn the tables maybe twice a night. Turning a table means to seat someone, take their order, serve them, they eat, leave, clean the table and seat someone new.

But enough babbling…here are some pics of my project, tell me what you think. I would love some input before I turn in my project on Tuesday.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/IMG_0109.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/IMG_0105.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/IMG_0104.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/IMG_0102.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/IMG_0100.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/IMG_0099.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/IMG_0098.jpg

This is worth most of my final grade, but he never did give an exact number but if I was to guess 50%

2

I can’t get a great look at those, but from working in restaurants one thing I will say to remember when designing is space. Try to picture it crowded as you walk through the areas as both a customer and an employee.
Is there enough space for someone to carry a tray and someone else to go around them comfortably?
Is there enough space at the grill for the person working it to step back quickly if they have to without worrying that someone else will get stepped on?
How easy is it for someone at each kitchen station to get what they need or take their stuff to the sink?
Is it easy for a waiter/waitress to get drinks and plates without getting in the way of the kitchen staff?
Easy for the busboys to get the dishes to the sink without getting in the way?
Is there enough room between tables that two people with their backs to each other could get up at the same time without crashing the chairs?
Are your emergency exits and bathrooms easily found?
What fire suppression equipment is in place and are there plenty of floor drains?

3

I’ve been working in restaurants since 1997 and yeah, I know how important having enough space is, especially during lunch and dinner rushes.

I made sure I kept in mind what you said about floor drains and aisle widths. LOL, to be honest, I nearly forgot to draw the floor drains and if you didn’t mention it, I probably wouldn’t have drawn them.

The minimum aisle width with just opening doors on one side of the aisle is 3’6" to 4’6". A double aisle must be atleast 4’6" to 6’6". Public aisles must be atleast 36" wide (3 feet) in order to comply with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards. I made sure that the aisles in my kitchen were large and made sure to design it so the waitstaff doesn’t get in the way of the kitchen staff when it comes to picking up food. I have designed a wait station outside of the double doors of the kitchen so the wait staff can get what they need as far as drinks, napkins, condiments and silverware are concerned. Also, in the wait station, there is a P.O.S. (Point of Sale computer system) where they can ring in their orders to the kitchen staff. I always loved the P.O.S. because it is nice and legible, so many times I’ve had a hard time reading some of the waitresses handwriting.

I did make sure that I have plenty of floor drains in my kitchen and public restrooms. Speaking of restrooms, I had to make sure each one had a handicap stall. The walk in refrigerators and walk in freezer did not require a floor drain as long as the outside of it is near a floor drain (so you can hose down the floor and squeegee out the water, which it is.

I already asked my professor a while ago about fire suppression systems, water heaters, electrical boxes and such and we did not have to draw them on the project.

Here is my final design that I have submitted to my professor.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b84/queen_lynxana/Restaurant%20Project/RestaurantProjectFinal1.jpg

I also had to design and include a menu of my restaurant. I didn’t want to go overboard with it as a restaurant’s menu selection shouldn’t be too long. I made my seating capacity approximately 150 people (120 seats, 13 bar stools at the bar and a long wrap around bench for the waiting area by the hostess stand).

I was nervous when I turned in my project because I forgot to include the design symbol legend (what each symbol means) and I forgot to write up an employee work schedule, but my professor told me not to worry about it as he said I have the best project and he showed me the others. Most of them were not drawn to scale and two of them look like they were drawn on the back of a small napkin. So I got an A :slight_smile:

4

WTG and the finished one looks great! If you ever get it running in real life, we know which of your classmates won’t stay in business and will make you look even better by comparison. And then I’ll have to make special trip to eat there. (There is something on the menu for us picky people, right?)

5

I really wanted to have a vegetarian section on there but I ran out of time, so this is what I had on my menu. I know I should have done a more closely researched price menu but I guessed and it seemed to have worked for a mid-scale restaurant…It’s your basic menu.

Appetizers

chicken Fingers $4.95
Batter Dipped Mushrooms $2.95
Potato Skins $4.95
Garlic Knots $2.95
Mozzarella Sticks $3.95
Periogies $3.95
Onion Rings $3.95
French Fries with Cheese $3.95

Soups and Salads

Ceaser Salad $6.95
Cobb Salad $6.95
Tossed Salad $4.95
Chef Salad $8.95

Cup $2.95 Bowl $5.95
French Onion Soup
Lobster Bisque
Broccoli Cheddar
Mushroom
Chicken Noodle
Beef Vegetable

Entrees
Steaks and Chops
Served with choice of two sides
Rib eye Steak $15.95
T-Bone Steak $19.95
Porterhouse $21.95
Pork tenderloin medallions $12.95
Stuffed Pork chops $12.95

Poultry
Served with choice of two sides
Chicken Cordon Blue $12.95
Grilled Chicken Breast $9.95
Chicken Parmesan $9.95

Seafood
Served with choice of two sides
Broiled Haddock $12.95
Shrimp Scampi $10.95
Lemon Dill Grilled Salmon $12.95
Seafood Combination Platter $16.95
Breaded shrimp, scallops, haddock and crab cake

Sides
Each Side $3.95
Baked Potato, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Mixed Vegetables, French Fries,
Bread Stuffing, Cup of Soup, and Coleslaw.

Sandwiches and Burgers
Each served with a side of French Fries
Club Sandwich $6.95
Grilled Chicken Breast $5.95
Philly Cheese Steak $6.95
Grilled Cheese $3.95
Tuna Salad $4.95
Hamburger $5.50
Cheeseburger $5.95

Beverages
Coffee $1.95
Soda Small $1.00 Large $1.95
Iced Tea $1.95

6

Batter dipped mushrooms?! :eek: GAG

Sorry, I don’t like mushrooms, too slimy. How about replacing those with Corn Nuggets? :thumbsup:

What are Garlic Knots? I love garlic, I’ve never heard of those. And what are Periogies? Your drink selection seems kinda thin.

I like your restraunt design. I would love to learn to do architecture. Is there a party or banquet room?

7

Periogies are wonderful. Roasted garlic is too. Lynxie…you should have named your restaurant “Evergreen Garden of Delights” as a tribute to Tygra. Have a desert that named “Silky’s Luscious Fruits” (make it whatever you can imagine!)

8

Chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks, I’ll come visit! I may be picky, but my tastes are mostly simple. :stuck_out_tongue:
Simple menus that let you really shine on signature dishes are the best, trying to do too many different dishes starting out is asking for trouble, unless you can use say, the same kind of chicken breast and just change up the dressings for different dishes.

9

Congrats on all your hard work. Your menu is definitely making me hungry :slight_smile:

MGP

10

wow sounds like something better then the a regular steakhouse to me, perhaps its a chain that will be also coming to ny
good luck with it though :smiley:

11

Thanks everyone! I got a B on the project because I forgot to include the yearly sales forecast and the employee schedule. I should have been more creative with the menu but I was exhausted after working nearly 15 hours straight on this project and just blitzed out a menu two hours before I had to turn it in. My professor loved the design.

No folks, this is a fictitious restaurant, it will never get built. This project was a requirement for the class. A new built from the ground up restaurant costs about one or two million of dollars, more if it’s going to be fine dining.

I did get my final grade for the class, I got a B. :smiley:

To answer your question CodeofThundera, a garlic knot is basically a soft bread-stick that is tied in a knot and basted with garlic butter. They taste wonderful and especially if you dip them in marinara sauce. I live in Pennsylvania and everyone here eats periogies, this is why if you live outside Pa, you probably never heard of them. What they are is mashed potato filled pasta, sort of like a big ravioli. There are two ways to serve them, you can deep fry them and eat them like that or you can saute them and serve them with melted butter and sauteed chopped onions. I love those things!

I know I should have added alot more to the drink menu, I forgot milk, hot tea, and probably a few more, perhaps milk shakes, kids love them.

By the way, what are corn nuggets? I’ve never heard of them. Are they like hush puppies?

12

what :confused:
get me excited for nothing
and hungry for no reason shame on u:o:eek:
i sense someones going to have to change this

13

On the subject of perogies, I first heard about them from my Canadian bf. Now they’re in the freezer section of Wal-Mart.

14

Garlic Knots and Perogies both sound awesome!

Round where I live, flavored lemonades are popular, especially freckled lemonade. It’s strawberry lemonade but there’s actually pieces of strawberry in the lemonade.

Here is a picture of corn nuggets. I think they are basically battered dipped corn. I had them at a restraunt once and could have made them a meal that’s how much I liked them.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2463823334_616210926a.jpg

According to AllRecipes.com…

Ingredients

[ul]
[li]1 (11 ounce) can creamed corn[/li][li]1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained[/li][li]1/2 cup yellow cornmeal[/li][li]1/2 cup all-purpose flour[/li][li]1 egg white[/li][li]2 tablespoons milk[/li][li]salt and pepper to taste[/li][li]3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying[/li][/ul]

Directions

[ol]
[li]In a medium bowl, stir together the creamed corn and drained whole kernel corn. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Drop spoonfuls of the corn mixture onto the sheet, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours. [/li][li]Heat one inch of oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a large deep skillet, or fill a deep-fryer with oil as directed by the manufacturer. [/li][li]Mix together the cornmeal, flour, egg white, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Dip frozen corn nuggets in the batter, and quickly fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain.[/li][/ol]

15

Sorry I didn’t get a chance to add my 2 cents worth; I was going to ask what kind of music you were going to use because it does set the tone of the place.

:cool: