The Dos and Don'ts of Choosing a Colour Scheme For Your Restaurant

Opening a restaurant business is an exciting way to take your passion for food to a wider audience. For many people, taking the first steps towards opening the doors to paying customers is a dream come true, the realisation of years of wishing and wondering.

But, like any business, every aspect has to be carefully planned if you're to be successful. While you probably have plenty of ideas for a menu and the general look of the restaurant, it's worth taking some time to plan the latter with particular care.

Colour is not just a simple choice of aesthetics: The colours that surround people in a room can have a significant effect on the way they feel. In a restaurant, this is extremely important. Here are some good and bad choices to help you decide.

The good:

Red

One of the most widely-known colours facts among restaurateurs is that red stimulates the appetite. Because of this, you're likely to see red decor in many food establishments, encouraging people to eat more. It's also said to increase feelings of sociability, which helps to ensure people have a thoroughly good time while they dine with you.

Green

With its associations with freshness and nature, green is an excellent choice for establishments serving healthy food, or for vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Green is also a relaxing colour, helping to foster a calm and welcoming environment.

Orange

Like red, orange can stimulate a healthy appetite, although to a lesser degree. But it's also a fun, friendly colour, which can really make your customers feel at home when they eat at your restaurant.

The bad:

Grey

Imagine grey food. Doesn't sound too appetising, right? Using lots of grey in your restaurant's colour scheme has a similar effect, really putting people off their food. It's definitely one to avoid if you want happy diners.

Brown

Similarly to grey, brown food just doesn't look all that nice, and so people don't want to be surrounded by lots of brown as they eat. Small touches of brown here and there can work, but painting entire walls brown is a bad idea.

Purple

The colour purple has long been associated with luxury and style, making it a tempting choice for a restaurant owner. But it's been found to actually decrease appetite, so it's definitely worth a rethink if you were planning on painting your new establishment purple. Like brown, small accents can work but don't go overboard.

Talk with commercial painters about the best way to incorporate colour throughout your restaurant.

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