The first thing you need to do when designing a washroom or a bathroom is to make sure your plan will comply with whatever regulations and standards you have to meet. For a restaurant, the main regulations you will need to look at are the ADA compliance regulations and FDA compliance regulations. It is important to check if you need any other permits or standards that need to be met before you start designing your commercial washroom. A restaurant needs to be accessible for everybody for both comfort and liability reasons. Whether it is a coffee shop, bar, club or lounge, it is important to check regulations before starting any work.
Plan an Efficient Design
A bathroom in a commercial restaurant needs to be efficient, clean and organized in order to promote comfort. For example, make sure soap and paper towels are in an accessible location in relation to the sink. The same goes for toilet paper in relation to the toilet. Privacy and line of sight is also another huge aspect that you need to take into consideration. One of the most important things to plan is what people can see from outside of the bathroom, through the door.
Make sure that things that need to stay out of sight, stay out of sight. Take your time with this process, especially if this is going to be a newly constructed commercial bathroom. Once the bathroom is put into place, it is going to be extremely difficult and expensive to move the bathroom or change certain aspects of it. It is also important to remember that you need both a men's restroom as well as a women's restroom. If you only have room for one restroom, make sure it is accessible as both a men's restroom as well as a women's restroom.
Automatic and Durable Fixtures
Because your commercial washroom will most likely be getting a decent amount of traffic, you will need to make sure that your fixtures will be able to hold up for a long time. Look into automatic fixtures to limit the amount of physical touching of fixtures. Not only will this cut down on germs spreading, but the less a fixture is touched, the more likely it will last longer. Motion sensing faucets, toilets and paper towel dispensers are all examples of automatic fixtures that could improve the longevity of your restaurant washroom. Again, because so many people are going to be using these accessories and fixtures, you are going to want to make sure that these things will hold up in the long run.
The two most common types of motion sensor fixtures that you should have are a faucet and soap dispenser. These fixtures are going to be touched the most, so it is important that you have these two at the very least. Sensor activated faucets are designed to save water. This will help your business save on costs. Many automatic fixtures are designed to do similar things. For example, soap dispensers will be designed to give you the perfect amount of soap for each use. Paper towel dispensers will give you one towel at a time to prevent any wasting. It is important to ensure that all of these bathroom fixtures are ADA compliant as well.
Automatic Toilets and Urinals
You should also consider automatic toilets and urinals. These fixtures can get pretty messy if many people are using them. Because of this, people won't want to touch them. Automatic fixtures will help keep your toilets clean while making your guests a bit more comfortable. This is one of the most important things to consider if you want a successful business with returning customers. restaurants need to be clean and sanitary in the kitchen as well as the bathrooms. This will garner good reviews and more business.
Flooring
Choosing the flooring is incredibly important to customers in a commercial restaurant washroom design. You need to make sure that your floor is water resistant, easy to clean and durable. As for what materials you should use, it is recommended that you incorporate some kind of tile with some non-slip mats or carpet to ensure that you bring the risk of slipping to a minimum. It is also advised that you put down some non-slip mats to minimize any chance of somebody slipping near a sink or a toilet.
In addition to the safety and functional purposes of the floor, you should also consider a design. Flooring is sometimes overlooked because it is on the ground, but you should utilize a beautiful design for maximum style elements. Bathroom tiles will allow you to use some beautiful designs. You can match different colors and shapes in order to make your commercial design unique and welcoming.
If you want to go for more of a rustic bathroom design, you may want to go with a hardwood floor. Hardwood flooring is a bit more difficult to clean, but it is very beautiful. This will mainly be a design choice that you have to make as a restaurant owner. Hardwood also may be a little more expensive depending on the kind that you decide to incorporate.
Lighting
In order to have a comfortable bathroom experience for customers, you need proper lighting and ventilation. First, lighting is extremely important for both visual purposes as well as the overall feeling of the atmosphere. Visibility is important for the quality of your bathroom as well as the safety of the guests. You can incorporate light in a variety of different ways. The first thing you want to consider is utilizing LED lighting. This will be slightly more expensive in the short term, but you will absolutely see the benefits in the long run.
In addition to that, you should include some beautiful and effective lighting fixtures. First, you need to take care of your ceiling lighting. There are several ways to do this. Recessed lighting is very effective because of the way it is installed as well as the simplicity of the design. This type of lighting is common in many public places as well as private bathrooms. You can also decide to go with some hanging lights. Hanging lights are very beautiful and come in many different forms. You will definitely be able to find some lighting fixtures that will work beautifully in your restroom design.
After the ceiling lighting is taken care of, you should look to other areas. Sometimes, stand alone lighting is one of the best features of a bathroom. A stand alone lighting fixture such as a lamp or a mirror is a great addition. This might make guests feel more welcome or more at home. They are not necessary, but they are still something that you should definitely consider for the comfort of customers.
Ventilation
Ventilation is also a necessary aspect that the commercial washroom needs to incorporate. Air flow is important in any room, not just the bathroom. Ventilation is also important because lingering smells can be very off putting and can make guests uncomfortable. If this is a current problem in your restroom, you are going to want to do some renovations. If your bathroom has a window, this is a great place to start.
Windows are great for both lighting and ventilation. For ventilation, this is one of the best aspects of a bathroom. No matter how big the window is, it will be effective at ventilating the restroom without using power of electricity. The more you can save on costs, the better off you will be in the long run. If your commercial bathroom can't incorporate windows because of its location, you will need a proper ventilation system. Make sure your ventilation is effective throughout the bathroom for maximum effectiveness and comfort for customers.
Convenience
One of the most important elements of a bathroom design is the convenience level. The easier a bathroom is to navigate and use, the more appealing it will be to guests. There are several rules to follow when going about this process. First of all, you want to make sure your fixtures are placed in accessible locations. Like many commercial bathrooms, your stalls should be lined up. Your urinals should also be placed next to each other with dividers for privacy. The sinks need to be lined up as well for efficiency and comfort.
You also need to make sure that your fixtures are easy to use. Going back to automatic fixtures, you need to make sure you have these. Prioritize items like toilets, faucets and soap dispensers. These are the most touched fixtures by customers in a commercial bathroom so it is important they are clean and easy to use. Another thing you need to do is to check up on your fixtures regularly. Make sure they are all working smoothly to avoid any problems. They will experience some issues at some point, but it is better to be proactive than reactive.
Importance of a Quality Design
Although it is far from the focal point of the building, the restroom is still very important to the quality of the restaurant. A high quality commercial restroom with accessible fixtures and a comfortable design is key for a high quality restaurant. This is something you should keep in mind. Whether you have an existing design or are thinking of renovating take these points into consideration. The experience one has a a business takes into account everything that happens there. A clean bathroom is usually something that customers will notice. Check up on everything multiple times a day to ensure everything is organized and functional. All in all, give your commercial restaurant restroom the attention that it deserves.
Importance of ADA Compliance
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requires standards for accessibility that need to be in place for all public restrooms. ADA compliance needs to be a part of each fixture in order to maximize comfort and accessibility for each and every one of your guests. Before designing a commercial restaurant bathroom, it is important to look over ADA compliance regulations before physically implementing anything. Here are some ADA compliant bathroom sinks to get an idea of what you need.