Restaurant ambiance ideas: small changes that make a dining room feel special

Guests can't always say why a restaurant feels good, but they notice. Before spending money on a renovation, here's what I'd look at, area by area.

Lighting

• Warm bulbs everywhere guests sit. Cool white light makes food and people look worse.
• Dimmers, so the room can change from lunch to dinner.
• A small light on each table, like a candle or a cordless lamp.
• A well-lit entrance, so the place looks open and inviting from the street.

Sound

A loud room tires people out and shortens visits. Soft surfaces help: curtains, upholstered seating, panels under tables. Set the music volume for a full room, then check it again when the room actually is full.

The entrance and host stand

It's the first thing guests see and the last thing they pass on the way out. Keep it clear: no stacks of menus, no chargers, no clutter. One beautiful thing on it says more than five ordinary ones.

Tables

• Fix wobbly tables before anything else. Guests remember those.
• Keep anything on the table low, so people can see each other.
• Make the settings consistent, down to the direction the napkins face.

Restrooms

A lot of guests judge the kitchen by the restroom. Good soap, good light, a clean mirror and something living go a long way.

Flowers in a restaurant

Restaurant flowers have their own rules. Nothing with a strong scent, so the food is what people smell. Nothing that drops pollen onto tables. Keep table pieces low, and put one bigger piece where it counts: the host stand or the bar.

I keep everything I make for restaurants low-scent and low-pollen, I don't use floral foam, and I deliver before you open with a touch-up midweek. Weekly Petite pieces start at $95 a week, for bar tops, host stands and restrooms. Signature starts at $175, for dining rooms. Statement starts at $350, for entryways and large pieces. I start with a free 30-minute visit to see the room.