Pizza Express recognizes that while food trends have changed and menus and restaurants have offered a greater international array of food, dining in the 21st century at its core still has the same principals it has had for hundreds of years. Eating is about the coming together of people over food for conversation.
To explore this concept, Pizza Express has created the Living Lab restaurant at their Richmond location in London where they are experimenting the design of the restaurant and the way in which the food is served. New booths have been installed that act as mini recording studios. The booths reflect background noise while they bounce back the sounds of the conversation at the table to create an intimate acoustic chamber. In addition, the booths feature an iPod dock to allow the diners to choose a soundtrack for their meal.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Intimate Dining
- Restaurants can create more intimate dining experiences using innovative designs and acoustic technologies.
- Customized Soundtrack
- Providing diners with an opportunity to curate their own music adds a unique touch to the dining experience and provides a potentially valuable data stream for restaurants.
- Living Lab Restaurants
- Setting up test restaurants and experimenting with design and innovation provides continuous insights into the evolving needs and preferences of customers.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Restaurant
- Restauranteurs can leverage design and acoustic technologies to create differentiated intimate dining experiences and engage diners.
- Music
- Music streaming services could partner with restaurants to create custom curated playlists for dining, as well as use the data stream collected to add value in various ways.
- Interior Design
- Interior designers can focus on the need for sound and furniture design to enhance the intimacy and dining experience in restaurants.
