Writing the Prescription for a Green Kitchen

We've mentioned the new LEED for Retail program on this blog a few times, but up until this point, we've focused mainly on the RETAIL side of things. Obviously, as the program's name implies, retailers benefit from these new guidelines. However, restaurants are also finding benefits especially where their kitchens are concerned.

Included in the latest version of LEED for Retail is a more straightforward way to address the energy and water usage of commercial kitchens. Prior to this latest draft, energy modeling was the only way of showing energy and water usage. Given a restaurant's unique energy loads, modeling becomes a taxing challenge that's often outsourced to consultants charging costly fees.

Providing an alternative to energy modeling, LEED for Retail's "straightforward" method includes a relatively easy-to-follow guide for restaurant owners to use when selecting kitchen equipment. The guide provides current industry baseline standards and the new LEED minimum efficiency standards for an array of appliances and equipment pieces. Instead of relying on costly model analysis, all one has to do is select equipment that meets or exceeds LEED's minimum efficiency. This would eliminate the need for hiring a consultant to complete energy modeling, saving restaurant owners both time and money.

This has all been good news so far, but there is a small drawback to this new "prescriptive measures"way of doing things. A restaurant owner completing an energy model to demonstrate efficiency could earn up to 4 LEED credits whereas the new system, as of today, only results in 1 credit.

Despite the credit situation, it still makes it easier to understand and may prompt more restaurants to work toward LEED certification. That sounds good. And better yet, as suggested in this Foodservice Equipment & Supplies article on the topic, even restaurants that may not necessarily want LEED status but would like energy savings benefit from the guidelines as well.

"And pay attention to those restrooms"

In his book Retail Superstars, author George Whalin profiles 25 small businesses that have found success despite their size (or lack thereof). After reading through Paul Carroll's review of the book on the Wall Street Journal's website, it seems Mr. Carroll found that at least one pattern emerged from these businesses' success stories: restrooms are an important piece of the puzzle.

I know that I've been in more than a few restaurants and stores where the bathrooms made a not-so-great impression on me. In fact, there are even places where I just avoid them all together because of past experience. Maybe I'm a bit of a germaphobe, but is it really too much to ask that a business keep its restrooms clean and well-stocked with toilet paper?

A few of the businesses featured in Retail Superstars go beyond providing a clean bathroom, they've turned a trip to the restroom into an experience in itself, complete with unique design elements. For example:

• Abt Electronics' bathrooms were designed with five-star hotel quality in mind and include marble floors and counters.
• A Celebration of Golf's bathrooms mimic those found at Augusta National, the site of the Masters golf tournament.
• At Jungle Jim's International Market, the bathroom entrances resemble Porta Potties, but beyond the doors, shoppers find "beautifully appointed" restrooms inside.

Even though they aren't part of the sales floor, restrooms are a big part of the overall experience. Why stop the branding at the door? Take advantage of the opportunity, have some fun, and bring touches of it into the space. Whether you choose a standard restroom design or add a touch of whimsy, be sure to keep it clean. Your patrons -myself included- appreciate it.

The Popularity of Popularity

Top 10 and Best Of lists abound in cyberspace. Even The Diaries is guilty of posting our own lists from time to time, and not too surprisingly, these end up becoming some of our most-viewed posts.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal's "Numbers Guy" posted about the popularity of these most-popular lists and it's interesting/scary to read about popularity's implications on our behaviors and actions.

If a news item's been tagged as "most read," I admit I'm more apt to read it. It may not be the most significant news piece of the day, but I'll check it out. Turns out a lot of people do the same thing, helping these stories stay on the lists and keeping other ones off them.

Some businesses have been able to harness the power of popularity to their benefit (i.e., a hotel increased towel reuse by promoting that 75% of past guests reused towels).

But popularity can also have a downside for businesses -- especially if your business or products don't make the cut. "Frequently, popularity rankings speak less to the merits of what's being observed and more to the fact that crowds are observing it," writes Carl Bialik, the post's author. He sums it up in two words: peer pressure. It may not be the best in its category, but because a lot of people show interest in it, it becomes most popular.

I guess we never really outgrow that desire to "fit in." The question is: how do we help our customers feel like part of the in-crowd when using our products and services? Any ideas?

Banks, Reborn

When businesses shut down shop, there's really no telling what will happen to the spaces they leave behind. It think it would be fairly safe to say that the majority of these storefronts end up being leased by another players from the same industry (i.e., retailers for retail stores, food service for restaurants, banks for banks). However, there are exceptions to every rule and PSFK's Retail blog points this out in their commentary on a Slate magazine slide show titled "Banks, Reborn."

The Dadson Diaries commented a few weeks back on how shopping malls were creatively filling empty spaces with wave riding machines and community colleges. Looks like they aren't the only landlords eager for tenants. If the price is right and the location is too, a little outside the box thinking and a talented design and construction team could make it work.

Putting Vacant Storefronts to Work

It seems like everywhere you look these days, there's an advertisement. Some are kind of "out there" (i.e., printing on urinal cakes, anyone?), but others actually make some sense. I think this would fall into the latter category.

Store vacancies are on the rise, leaving empty -and often unsightly- storefronts scattered around cities; and, as landlords are learning, finding replacement tenants isn't always quick and easy -even for locations that are considered "prime real estate." Instead of leaving these empty storefronts empty, some enterprising landlords are trading in the traditional "For Rent" window signs and paper covering for paid advertisements.

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. The "window billboards" are proving to be pretty attractive with advertisers like Intel, Nestea, and Snickers because of their relatively low rates and their desirable locations -street-level in high-traffic neighborhoods. But the advertisers aren't the only ones benefiting. The property begins generating some money for the landlord and the neighbors no longer have to look at an unsightly eyesore.

The one question that I have, though, is how do these ads affect a landlord's ability to rent out the space? Do you have any insight to share? We'd love to hear it.

Corporate Style Takes Cue from Retail

One of the main tenets of retail design is incorporating the brand and products into the space. This goes beyond a logo here and product display there. It's about using carefully-selected materials, colors, and design elements to immerse store visitors in a complete brand experience.

It looks as though at least one consumer products giant is taking a cue from retail when it comes to their corporate offices. P. & G. Global Prestige Products group recently revealed its newly-renovated office space to the New York Times' audience and it's clear that the group's line of luxury products drove the design.

The result is an "airy, sunlit labyrinth of glass partitions, mother-of-pearl finishes and romantic air-brushed photographs juxtaposed with views of the city skyline." And the conference rooms have become a sort-of sales floor as "white dominates the color scheme to better highlight products on display in horizontal lighted shadowboxes on a wall in each conference room." Lifestyle graphics mounted above the shadowboxes finish off the look.

Could this be a new trend in corporate office design? Have retail designers found yet another outlet for their creative visions? Leave a comment and share your opinion.

Starbucks: Designed for Mental Downtime?

The coffee wars are on. McDonald's is launching a campaign touting its McCafe drinks. Starbucks, not to be outdone, has launched a campaign of its own.

Promoting its coffee as more than just coffee, a new Starbucks print ad includes this statement: "Our stores are designed to encourage daydreams, doodling, and general mental downtime with comfy chairs and the soft hiss of the espresso machine as your soundtrack." Wait? Was that a nod to its stores' interior design? Even though F.C. Dadson didn't create the design or provide the fixtures, it's still a pretty proud moment. A retailer, and a big one at that, is advertising its stores as being a point of differentiation from its competitors -- an idea that we've been sharing with our clients from day one.

Compete on price and you may lose. Compete on value and ambiance -- now you might have something. Because can you really daydream in a plastic booth at a fast food joint with all those rambunctious kids, giggling teenagers, and scolding parents?

CNC Technology: A Display Manufacturer's Best Friend

Display makers are really stepping up their game these days. Their incredible creations are capturing attention everywhere. Sure, this wave of innovation can be attributed to the creative, new materials and design techniques that are emerging, but a large part of it stems from improved manufacturing processes.

While it isn't new to the scene, computer numeric control (CNC) technology is still making waves in the display industry. These CNC machines are improving the display making process and providing benefits that even the end-user can appreciate. First, the level of automation CNC offers improves efficiency by increasing the machine's available work time (they can be left to run overnight or over the weekend) while decreasing the possibility for error. This can lead to reduce costs, and who doesn't like saving money?

CNC also offers unparalleled consistency and allows the machines to perfectly replicate pieces. This ensures that point of purchase programs and other projects that require several identical displays to be produced end with just that -- several identical displays.

Who would have thought that three little letters could change manufacturing in such a big way? With all it has going for it, it seems like CNC couldn't get any better...but it is. Machine fabricators are pushing the technology into new dimensions, opening the door to even more design possibilities, and I, for one, can't wait to see what comes next.