Design
- Design
- The Editors
For the 14th straight year, Cintas Corporation asked people around the country to vote on a group of creative public restrooms as part of America’s Best Restroom Contest. The ten finalists will compete for the coveted title and a $25,000 credit to spend on cleaning supplies. While the entries come from a variety of operations, we chose the top restaurant, bar and ballpark restroom designs to feature here.
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, Ohio: This mom-focused restroom and lounge features comfortable gliders, changing stations, lockers and even a kitchenette with a sink, ice and refrigeration as well as flat-screen TVs so fans won’t miss the game while tending to their children.
OB Warehouse, Ocean Beach, Calif.: For the restrooms, designer Philippe Beltran incorporated retro, handheld vintage mirrors; oil cans; tools like vintage plumber pipes, old wrenches and metal letter stamps; and other recycled materials to fit the restaurant’s industrial-vintage look.
Cibo Wine Bar, Miami, Fla.: A creation of Liberty Entertainment Group’s Vice President and Creative Director Nadia Di Donato, the restrooms feature faucets mounted to the ceiling and activated by motion sensors as well as pieces from renowned artist Randy Cooper.
The Salty Pig, Boston, Mass.: Owners Jim Cochener and Mike Moxley plastered the restroom walls with The Far Side comics.
The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Hamilton, Ohio: The men’s and women’s restrooms were designed by Cincinnati artist Jan Brown Checco, including the central “Mother Nature” sculpture using rainbows, flowers, seashells, fossils and colorful glass. Some of the painted tiles were created by students in the Center’s pottery classes.
Charleston Distilling, Charleston, S.C.:
Two restrooms are designed as giant wooden barrels to fit the atmosphere and décor of the distillery and tasting room.
- Design
- The Editors
The new Taco Bell Cantina prototype drops drive-thru for alcohol service and an open kitchen to create a new experience in urban markets.
- Design
- Dana Tanyeri
Chef Tory Miller, the James Beard Foundation’s 2012 Best Chef–Midwest, has added another star to his constellation of concepts in Madison, Wis. His fourth restaurant, Estrellón, opened in late summer, bringing a menu of tapas, small plates, charcuterie and paella to the city’s downtown in a comfortably sophisticated space.
- Design
- The Editors
Johnny Rockets debuted the first Johnny’s Burger Factory concept at Walden Galleria in Cheektowaga, N.Y., near Buffalo.
- Design
- The Editors
Tom Powers hopes to recharge the wine bar concept with The Lunatic, The Lover & The Poet, set to open by the end of the year in Chicago’s restaurant-heavy West Loop neighborhood. Powers, the owner and sommelier of the expansive 7,000-square-foot warehouse-turned-three-level space, plans to offer cocktails, craft beer and more creative small plates as a way to bridge the gap between the wine-and-cheese-only bars popular in the ’90s and the way consumers like to eat, drink and socialize today.
- Design
- The Editors
Schlotzsky's is testing a new prototype restaurant design it plans to roll out nationwide to its 376 locations spanning 35 states. Existing locations will be retrofit.
- Design
- The Editors
The new Taco Bell Cantina drops drive-thru for alcohol service and an open kitchen to create a new experience in urban markets. The first of these restaurants opened in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood this month where it also serves alcohol alongside the brand's signature items. The second Taco Bell Cantina will open in San Francisco.