When it comes to hospitality, lighting plays a significant role in pleasing your customers and making them stay longer than they plan to. Considering that the success of any restaurant is based precisely on this factor, the lighting of your space should be done tastefully.
However amazing the food is or how beautiful your drinks look, if the restaurant is dark, your customers can’t fully appreciate them. On the other hand, if it is too bright, they could feel too conscious and get out as soon as they can. The trick is to light your restaurant with warm tones that doesn’t affect the look and feel of the food and drinks too.
How does LED lighting help in lighting your restaurant?
Though LED lights are way more costly than fluorescents or incandescent, they make up for their bulky initial cost with their unbeatable functionality.
- LED lights are highly energy efficient.
- They offer clear and consistent lighting.
- They are very easy to maintain which cuts down the maintenance based costs.
- LED lights have an amazing lifetime, lasting longer than any other type of lighting.
- LED lights come in various colors and tones. You can use them to set various moods in different parts of your restaurant.
That said, here are a few amazing ideas on how you can light up your restaurant using LED lights.
LED tube lights
Tube lights are by far the most well-known and commonly used type of lighting solutions for homes and restaurants. They are easy to fix and maintain, which makes them the first choice for most people. When it comes to restaurants, you can use LED strip lights (do-follow) centrally to light up space with ambient lighting. This will help customers find their way around the restaurant with much ease. When it comes to brightness, you can use warmer tones. For the utility room, you can fix it with bright white lights, since this is where they cook the food. Things need to be absolutely bright and clear in utility rooms.
LED lay-in troffer
These are quite similar to tube lights with one variation; they are fixed into the false ceiling of the space. They are also fixed overhead with the light flooding the entire space below them. They would appear as if they’re a part of the ceiling. They come in various shapes and sizes like, rectangle, square, circle, etc. LED troffers are pretty classy as they blend in with the ceiling and when they are on, it looks like certain parts of your ceiling are illuminated from within.
LED pendant lights
The best choice for the seating arrangements in your restaurant is pendant lights. They are hung directly above the table to focus the light exactly below. This lighting helps when customers want to see their menu clearly and enjoy their food perfectly. Pendant lighting comes in various designs too. Choose the right kind of light that suits the décor of your restaurant and make it look more elegant.
LED signboards
Signboards are an absolutely important part of any public space where a lot of people get together. The safety of the people who walk into your restaurant is your responsibility. Hence, you need to have a proper plan in case of fire and other emergencies. You need to highlight these escapes properly and clearly.
LED signboards are amazing as they are highly efficient and catch the attention of people perfectly. LED boards such as ‘WELCOME’, ‘EXIT’, ‘FIRE EXIT’, ‘RESTROOMS’ etc. make for a very important part of every restaurant. You can also use these LED boards creatively for specials boards, offers, must-try items, etc. They are also effective for cute messages like, ‘I AM HANGRY!’, ‘I AM ON ALL FOOD DIET!” etc.
Outdoor lighting
Many of us ignore outdoor lighting. Lighting up your restaurant’s exterior will invite onlookers to come in. Well-Lit exteriors also provide safety against troublemakers. LED Lanterns and lamps along the pathway towards the entrance are one way to help your customers find their way around. Apart from this, LED tube light and other fixtures in the parking lots, emergency exits, stairways, etc. is a must for the safety of everyone that comes in and out from the restaurant.
Important factors to remember while lighting your restaurant
Lighting is an integral part of designing your restaurant. Without proper pre-plan for the lighting, you will be left with very few options for lighting the restaurant. This could lead to a dark and dingy looking space. So here is how you avoid such situations-
- Plan your lighting as and when you plan the designing of your restaurant. This helps in placing the sockets and wiring accordingly.
- Do not just fix the ceilings with lights and leave it at that. Experiment with different layers and types of lights.
- Your lighting choice should depend completely on the size of your space. Bigger restaurants may look smashing with large LED pendants. However, if your restaurant is small and cozy then it is best you go with small LED pendants and discs.
- The ambiance is the most important part of every restaurant. Choose your lighting keeping what kind of ambiance you want to achieve in your restaurant in mind.
- Customer comfort is very important. See to it that the fixtures are not too reflective. You can cover the LED lights with diffused or frosty glass to diffuse the brightness and glare.
Conclusion
LED lights for restaurants allow you to set the mood and ambiance of your restaurant. They make the environment warm, welcoming, relaxing and comforting for customers. With proper lighting, your customers will spend more time in your restaurant and walk out with a smile on their lips.