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The Barn

The Barn, the latest concept from restaurateur Amy Morton, is a meat-centric hideaway housed in a 19th-century barn located in an alley in Evanston, Ill.

Craft distilling is hugely popular and enjoying unprecedented growth — there are 1,315 U.S. craft distillers, according to the American Craft Spirits Association. Pair this trend with the popularity of gastropubs, and you’ve got the unique experience of customers enjoying on-trend pub fare while taking pleasure in the drama of seeing spirits made before their eyes, sampling it straight or enjoying a craft cocktail.

Shoney's exterior

Shoney’s, the Nashville-based chain founded in 1947 and operating in 16 states, will unveil its new design prototype in early 2017 at its Donelson, Tenn., location.

The kitchen at Sardella, St. Louis

St. Louis chef and restaurateur Gerard Craft closed his former restaurant, Niche, and opened a new concept, Sardella, that features a new design and menu.

Check out these Brooklyn restaurants: Llama Inn, Reynard, Oleanders, French Louie and BKW by Brooklyn Winery.

The two dominant trends in retail development — lifestyle centers and mixed-use buildings —present unique challenges for restaurant designers.

In studies on human happiness, it’s been proven that many people feel best when they enter a state of “flow,” which, according to psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, results in a person’s “complete immersion in an activity.”

After graduating from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Stephani Robson launched her foodservice design career at Cini-Little International and later moved to Marrack Watts in Toronto.