“One thing I see overlooked quite often is sound design,” says Ruben. “As a society, we’ve become deaf to good sound from the average equipment in our homes, offices, headsets, and cars. That opens up this great opportunity for restaurateurs to transport a guest through their space. It makes and breaks the vibe.”

To help disguise problem areas, you can try placing dividers, such as wooden partitions, tall plants or screens in between tables. Consider relocating a wait station or bus station, if possible, to a problem area rather than a dining table.

Design Problem Areas. In a perfect restaurant, there would be so such thing as a bad table. However, few restaurants can escape having at least one problem area in their dining room. Common restaurant problem areas- places that customers don’t usually want to sit- include tables near the kitchen entrance, restrooms and front entrance. Tables smack in the middle of the dining room are not always popular with dining patrons either.

Solomon believes the flow of the restaurant is key to making sure the diner has an enjoyable experience. Too often, restaurants ignore obvious red flags like: Not making the flow to and from the kitchen safe and easily accessible for the wait staff. Not making the customer’s first view of the interior attractive, appealing and welcoming. Not prioritizing the need to sanitize everything, from floor to ceiling. Having too much clutter and overzealous décor.