EATING OUT HAS taken off again in 2022.
Top restaurants are booked up months in advance and new ones are emerging with innovative concepts to meet ever-diversifying customer expectations.
Experiential dining is still trending, and some locations are offering merchandise, drone delivery and sustainable choices to get ahead of the competition. For others, drawing on notions and designs around the concepts of authenticity, tradition and iconic styles for their design inspiration is the route they’ve taken to linger long in customers’ memories.
A REVERENT REVIVAL
For Sally’s Apizza (New Haven, Conn.), living up to its original location on Wooster Street in New Haven, Conn., was at the top of the design directive for its first eatery in Stamford. “There’s a big fan base for the brand,” says Daniella Sade, Director of Design and Architecture at Sally’s. “We wanted to evoke their familiar, lifelong memories.”
The new restaurant is cozy and warm, with all the authenticity of the first. Memorabilia covers the walls, so it’s “like a den of antiquities, which was the hardest thing to recreate,” says Sade.
This page: Sally’s Stamford locale is meant to evoke “familiar” memories in its patrons, many of whom have frequented its original location in New Haven, Conn. | 📷: Richard Cadan, Fairfield, Conn.
The 12-by-12-foot coal-fired oven is the heart of the restaurant, flanked by the same red and white glazed tiles that have become a Sally’s signature. Classic wood paneling has modern detailing, and the leather booths that envelop the tables were made by the same company that renovated the New Haven location.
A labor of true love, “this location brings an element of modernity to a well-loved brand,” Sade says.
RETURN TO THE VILLAGE
On the sky-high, 50th floor of the Nanjing Golden Eagle Hotel is Taste Jiangnan (Nanjing, China) – an experiential space combining water scenery and imagery referencing the region while serving high-end Huaiyang cuisine.
“Entering the restaurant, guests first experience the teahouse, which integrates the concept of a traditional garden, before wandering along a ‘forest path,’ ” says Liu Daohua, Chief Designer at Beijing-based LDH Design.
This page: Referencing the rural settlements of Jiangnan, the restaurant’s twinkling ceiling paired with other rich materials like brass, bronze and wood, creates a sense of calm. | 📷: Lu Haha, Nanjing, China
It’s this journey that makes Taste Jiangnan so memorable. The space is inspired by the rural settlements of Jiangnan, “integrating the eaves of traditional buildings, rural roads and other elements, presented in bronze and wood,” says Liu.
The palette centers on deep brown, embellished with brass, elegant red, burlywood and black hues, as well as log-like textures, with a plum blossom motif evoking the outdoors. French windows overlooking the Qinhuai River and Zhongshan Mountain flood the restaurant with natural light, helping to support not only a unique dining experience, but a seemingly spiritual one at that.
This page: Located inside the Crate & Barrel store in Chicago’s Oakbook Center, The Table at Crate features a somewhat homey atmosphere. | 📷: Paul Schlismann, Chicago
FROM DEEP ROOTS
Nestled in Chicago’s Oakbrook Center, The Table at Crate is the result of a collaboration between home decor brand Crate & Barrel (Northbrook, Ill.) and design and architecture firm Cushing Terrell (Billings, Mont.).
“The existing Oakbrook location was remodeled for this restaurant concept. Its origins are ingrained in this community,” says Sarah Shearer, Architect at Cushing Terrell. “We set out to bring together everything Crate & Barrel stands for: connecting people, creative entertaining and timeless design.”
A vast walnut slat wall greets guests upon entry before they’re drawn into the dining area with a view of the prep kitchen and intimate banquette seating.
Between modern yet casual materials and furnishings, such as plush seating, decorative tile, and pendant lighting, the restaurant aims to provide a comfortable and familiar, “almost homey,” setting, Shearer says.
At the center of the restaurant is a 13-foot dining table – the namesake for The Table at Crate, and a natural place for gathering.
“One of the things that sets this restaurant apart is pairing such a thoughtfully merchandised space with quality time spent with family and friends over a delicious meal,” Shearer says.
Top reasons customers are dining at restaurants…
PHOTO GALLERY (47 IMAGES)
📷: Richard Cadan, Fairfield, CN | Lu Haha, Nanjing, China | Paul Schlismann, Chicago
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