Using Bathrooms as a Design Feature in Your Restaurant

There was a time when bathrooms in restaurants were purely functional and fitted with the basics: toilets, urinals, sinks, soap and towel dispensers, and a mirror on the wall. They were tucked in the back or down a hall.

Discreet signage directed the way and each door was clearly marked for each gender. They were not a revenue center unless you count the vending machines found in some operations. Like a cheap compact car, they got the job done. They had the necessities without any frills or extra space.

Well, welcome to the 21st century. When it comes to designing your restaurant, bathrooms are reviewed and talked about almost as much as the food. And, don't think this only applies to the big boys with big budgets and big egos. Your customers follow the trends in restaurant design with the same enthusiasm they devote to food, wine and the latest exploits of the current "who's who" celebrity. Your bathrooms represent you. They are an integral part of your image and you need to pay attention.

The Basics

Obviously, bathrooms are a necessary design element and they must be included in any design program. Regardless of budgets or your design, the bathrooms you provide for your customers must meet certain standards.

Code compliance. Building codes dictate the number of toilets, urinals and lavatories (sinks) you are required to provide for men and women. Typically, these counts are based on the number of seats and the type of facility or "occupancy type," which is a classification based on overall seating capacity, square footage and other activities that occur within the space (dancing and live entertainment, for example). You should always conduct a comprehensive review of applicable codes as one of the first steps when planning your restaurant.

ADA requirements. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates specific circulation space and access throughout your restaurant and within work areas and bathrooms. This includes access within multilevel establishments. This is a federal law, which is often interpreted and enforced on a local level. While your plans may be approved by the building authority having jurisdiction over your location, its approval does not necessarily protect you from challenges or lawsuits if your facilities do not follow the guidelines. Some attorneys have made a career from suing restaurants that fail to provide the mandated access required by this regulation.

Sanitary finishes. Keeping bathrooms clean is good business. The materials used on the floor, the base (juncture of wall at floor), walls and ceiling, the lighting and the selection and installation methods used to install the plumbing fixtures and accessories all contribute to your ability to maintain clean bathrooms. Although building codes often require smooth, impervious materials, you will save time and money by paying close attention to these issues. More on this later.

Maintenance. This is Operations 101. In addition to keeping your bathrooms clean, maintaining them is obvious. Guests do not appreciate "out of order" signs, especially when they are handwritten and taped to the flush valve or faucet. Nicely printed signs beg the question, "If you have the time to print a nice sign, why not just get it fixed." Of course, having a neat little sign to put on a broken fixture is a simple solution. Part of maintenance is keeping disposables stocked.

...Curtailing your design scheme at the door to your bathrooms leaves guests wondering if you ran out of money, lost interest or don't care about the details. Skimping on the details in public areas leaves wondering how you deal with areas that are unseen by the public. This is not a good thing.

Put soap in the soap dispensers and keep toilet paper and paper towel dispensers filled. Frequent inspections (hourly), emptying trash, cleaning mirrors, sinks, counters and floors should be part of your standard operating procedures. To make cleaning bathrooms easier and more effective, install a floor drain (centered under the toilet partition or in the center of the floor) and a hose bib (under the sink) so you can easily wash down the floor and squeegee it dry rather than pushing the soiled water around with a mop. This added feature is especially useful in busy bar operations.

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