Does design matter when you dine? Or perhaps more importantly, does it impact where you dine?
Travel + Leisure gave their 2006 Restaurant Design Award to Mix, in Las Vegas. Pictured here, it isn't a design that would work just anywhere, but for Vegas, its over-the-top glamour is simply perfect. And that is how design comes into the dining experience.
Design contributes to ambiance, and having an appropriate atmosphere can be a more important factor than we realize when choosing a restaurant. In an unfamiliar city, you might glance through unfamiliar doors to see if it's "your kind of place." But design isn't limited to expensive, fancy restaurants, either, though the term is certainly thrown about more when taking about higher-priced venues. Family-friendly places, for example, still want to look family-friendly to help draw customers in a make them feel welcome. They might use bright colors and will try to have comfy seating.
It is true that design alone isn't likely to bring you back if the food and service aren't up to scratch, but, like a photo in a cookbook, it can definitely draw you in.
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