There was a time when quick meals was all about being quick and low cost. It was a brand new sufficient idea and so handy. So handy actually that quick meals retailers constructed their total outlet, shopping for expertise, service ranges and meals requirements to fulfill the ‘quick’ and ‘low cost’ wants of consumers. And it labored! Quick ahead a couple of years and improved schooling about vitamin, the necessity to eat wholesome meals and in addition the huge quantity of competitors available in the market has meant that quick meals chains must fully change their method to adapt to the brand new wants of the twenty first century client.
The main focus is now on delivering a stronger brand to succeed in a broader base of consumers that they wish to linger round and make the outlet a part of their weekly or each day routine. So, what does the brand new brand focus require? Effectively it must show freshness, good high quality elements, an improved shopping for expertise, a nicer seating atmosphere, higher consolation, extra visibility of meals preparation areas and improved conveniences.
Whereas the elements and the standard of meals are clearly a key and important part of the brand, this text focuses on the architectural and inside design of the outlet and the way the varied parts of the inside design influence the brand and due to this fact elevate the shopper expertise for contemporary quick meals chains.
Earlier than we contemplate the design of quick meals chains, it’s price taking a look at how luxurious items retailers and car showrooms have approached outlet or retailer design to ship their brand. Luxurious manufacturers for instance have at all times designed shops to captivate distinct segments of the market, but maintained a way of delivering individuality. Luxurious shops virtually distinctly look like missing within the quantity of merchandise that’s displayed and in some cases preserve plain colors and easy gentle furnishings to make prospects really feel relaxed. Car showrooms are a longtime instance for retailing as they’ve mastered the shopping for and ongoing servicing wants of consumers in a single outlet. The way in which that showrooms are designed, permits car producers to supply an setting which permits them to handle the circulate or ‘journey’ from shopping for a brand new car, arranging finance, servicing and shopping for components, whereas having nice and properly stocked ready areas. Each are examples of constructing shops that handle distinct wants, encourage loyalty and supply a clean journey from the preliminary need to buy to sealing the deal.
For architects and inside retail designers, quick meals retail design poses a number of challenges that must be addressed with a view to reinforce the brand new brand challenges that retailers are confronted with.
The next offers a abstract of a few of these challenges:
Meals Preparation – Offering extra visibility of meals preparation areas, together with open plan kitchen areas. This requires a sensible but additionally visibly extra nice meals space which is properly lit, properly organised and environment friendly. Specialist kitchen design that takes into consideration the meals cooking and preparation course of is named for, requiring designers and designers to work carefully with a retailer to create kitchen format plans that enable the meals preparation course of to stay environment friendly whereas remaining visibly pleasing and nice for buyer to see.
The Consuming in Expertise – The necessity to present an environment friendly seating association, with snug seats, whereas additionally paying shut consideration to retail lighting plans and retail flooring plans is so necessary because it permits prospects to really feel that they will keep for whereas, that is in sharp distinction to early quick meals eating places the place seating was designed to grow to be uncomfortable after fifteen minutes, encouraging individuals to go away the outlet.
Fixture and Becoming Choice – Inside retail designers additionally must give attention to different client wants reminiscent of energy factors, interactive gadgets for kids and including paintings that reinforces the message in regards to the ‘contemporary meals factor’ – all necessary parts that the brand is making an attempt to ship.
Interactive Ordering Options – Retailers are additionally incorporating digital ordering stations into their layouts to permit prospects to pick and pay for his or her order with out chatting with a member of employees. This requires much less employees after all however it additionally requires the necessity to design a retail format that permits for interactive kiosks which might be strategically situated throughout the design of the outlet.
Improved Washroom Services – Retail designs and designers must design washroom amenities that meet brand expectations. The amenities that they specify have to strengthen the brand whereas sustaining a excessive diploma of cleanliness and even ‘self-cleaning’ amenities. The retail design drawings that they create for plumbing and waste must bear in mind right this moment’s environmentally bim drafting.
Again of House and Waste – Prospects are usually not pleased sufficient with the expertise that they will see and really feel, in addition they wish to know the way quick meals chains are managing their employees amenities, their meals storage and their waste, together with the shopper’s personal packaging waste. A retailer design isn’t full with out consideration to how these points are added to the design of the outlet and the way they’re managed effectively and pretty and due to this fact they’re additionally an necessary a part of the design group’s duties.
The designers problem is due to this fact huge and slightly than permitting for the manufacturing of the design utilizing conventional 2D plans and elevations. The one strategy to handle and talk the design course of in addition to handle modifications requested by stakeholders all through the method, is to make use of trendy design instruments reminiscent of Revit Structure to create retail BIM fashions in order that they will create a design that’s simply changeable and manageable. Retail BIM modelling additionally permits for the use and re-usability of Revit households and fashions that can be utilized for subsequent shops and due to this fact guarantee some brand consistency in addition to design effectivity. As soon as created, these retail BIM fashions may even enable the creation of 3d retail photographs and 3d rendered perspective for retail interiors in addition to retail exteriors. These are an necessary and efficient means of speaking the shop or outlet design through the varied design phases {that a} designer is answerable for.
While the problem for quick meals retail is to supply meals faster and cheaper than different choices, there may be good purpose to raise the significance of the shop design and the way that can have an effect on and finally promote the general brand expertise for quick meals retail now and properly into the longer term. Managing that design course of and the multitude of design inputs is a collaborative and concerned course of and is one that’s served by a designer that’s ready to make use of CAD and BIM know-how because the spine for delivering a design resolution that’s simple to create, handle, share and talk.