Unsatisfactory Restaurant Layout

On Apr 28, 2007, my parents and sister came to Kuala Lumpur. We had our dinner in a Japanese restaurant located in Bukit Bintang Road. There were 8 of us – my parents, sister, brother-in-law, two nephews, a Filipino maid and me.

There were a number of “dining cells” inside the restaurant. Each cell consisted of a table and two benches. The table and benches were not movable. Refer to diagram below…

I saw a number of problems with this layout:

• 3 adults could sit comfortably on one bench. There were 8 of us – 6 adults and 2 kids. It was a bit tight.
• The benches were placed slightly too far away from the table. My 6-year old nephew had to stand since his hands weren’t long enough. My buttocks were partially hanging in the air.
• There was no space for baby seat.
• In the middle of the meal, I was thinking of going to the restroom. But I was sitting next to the wall. To get to the aisle, the other people would have to give way to me.

There were smaller cells with shorter benches. Each of these smaller cells fit four adult diners. Still, I found the layout and design inflexible. A group of seven or more diners may have to split into two. On the other hand, if all smaller cells are occupied, the next customers who come in will have to take up a big cell, even if there are only two of them. The result: waste of space. The Japanese restaurant was located in the so-called Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur, where land was expensive.

Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t totally unhappy with my dining experience there. The food was oishii. But the Japanese restaurant may have lost some sales because of poor restaurant layout.