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Venue Design Analysis of Foodie Indiya Restaurant

            A venue may refer to a building or location designed to satisfy specific purposes as desired by the developer and its investors. Nonetheless, Jones and Jowett (1998) note that it is critical for this activity areas to reflect certain cultures or support specific lifestyles that will promote user satisfaction and increased utilization. The authors add that, since some require heavy investments, the design, materials and maintenance of the venue should be able to guarantee longevity or future sustainability. The hospitality industry largely depends on the facility design as this will not only attract the customer but also determine the customer’s desire to return to the hotel or restaurant, whether he will eat and sleep or just eat then go and find another venue to sleep (Lawson, 1994). With the growing demand for conference facilities, design analysis becomes even more critical as users are keen to know whether the venue meets all their requirements like video conferencing through strong internet connectivity or projector facilities for trainings (Carlsen, 2004: Tay, 2006). This study will therefore analyze the Indian restaurant called Foodie Indiya towards explaining whether it has met design specifications as desired by stakeholders.

Venue Design

            Foodie Indiya is an Indian food restaurant located in Tibbing Street, Nerang, which is in the Gold Coast, Australia. This restaurant prides itself for serving some of the best Indian cuisines, prepared from the widest yet richly aromatic curries sourced from the best spices growers and suppliers across the country and beyond (Foodie Indiya, 2016). Through their deeper understanding of the Indian culture, the restaurant is able to prepare cultural dishes that give the true Indian feeling mostly for the Indian guests and any other guests who may want to experience the Indian culture. Evidently, the venue clearly adopts the initial theme as an Indian facility that only provides food for its guest. Clearly, even if other foods may be available, the focus is on Indian cuisines and beverages. To this point, the venue clearly defines its target market as the Indian population in Nerang, Gold coast. Since this population are the main stakeholders in this case, besides the venue owner, managers and workers, Jones and Jowett (1998) note that the venue has to be able to make the population feel comfortable, at home or culturally represented. In this regard, Foodie Indiya has adopted the Indian architectural concepts and additional decorations that increase the cultural satisfaction of the venue. The interior uses a blend of golden colors which is the characteristic color of the Indian culture that uses the shades of Gold as a representation of worldly treasures and spiritual well-being. Similarly, the sitting arrangements feature tables with four or more seats to enhance the family setting of the Indian culture that believes in family unity through co-existence as an extended family (Foodie Indiya, 2016).

            Other than the overall themes, Rutes, Penner and Adams (2001) state that the actual position and orientation of the venue is critical to the traffic it will attract and even the efficiency of utilization of the venue. This is one of the main considerations included in the venue’s plan. According to the Foodie Indiya’s website, the food restaurant is located at the junction of Tibbing Street and the two-way Beaudesert-Nerang Road. This position next to the two-way road is strategic as it allows the motorists heading to Nerang or Beaudesert to divert through the junction into Tibbing Street where they can access the restaurant and return to the main road conveniently from Tibbing Street. Residents from Martin and Windowie Streets can also notice the restaurant when using Tibbing Street before joining the Beaudesert-Nerang Road. This implies that the restaurant is strategically positioned to be used by all road users around its location. Since the restaurant’s management is aware that the location is most likely to attract motorists, the building structure is rectangular shaped and positioned towards the longest edge of its triangular geographical plot thus leaving ambient parking space for its customers.

In contrast, since the motorists are allowed to park right outside the building on the end that faces the Beaudesert-Nerang Road, the vehicles obstruct the restaurant’s windows and general view while at the road. Rutes, Penner and Adams (2001) note that the windows are a critical advertising tool for buildings and therefore Foodie Indiya may be missing out on the opportunity to advertise through clear visibility of the restaurant’s interior. This is probably one of the venue’s flaws but the general plan to use the low fence-line on the outermost perimeter enclosing the entire venue allows the passing population to notice the hotel conveniently. The limited number of tall trees and the use of short plantations illustrate the appreciation for greener environment and general good health but also allow visibility of the restaurant along the entire stretch exposed to the road and street. Generally, despite the stated design flaw, this venue has been able to capture the true essence of an Indian restaurant as the stakeholders would prefer. The thematic colors, spicy and diverse cuisines, and seating arrangements effectively capture the Indian cultural lifestyle while allowing maximization of the limited space available in order to allow space for movement. In the general plan, the hotel is easily accessible to both motorists and pedestrians, offers adequate parking space and maintains a clean and green environment that is more welcoming and healthy. These important factors meet the stakeholder requirements by attracting the desired clientele, making them feel appreciated but also allowing the possibility of improvements. Window obstruction is the main flaw with the design.

Venue Condition Assessment

Lawson (2000) notes that while planning the establishment of a venue, one important cost that has to be factored is the life-cycle cost. According to the author, every item in the venue has a depreciation value that has to be considered in case the venue is going to serve for the desired period of time. One approach to increasing the venue’s lifecycle is to keep maintaining it consistently through replacement, repairs, cleaning, servicing, among others. At Foodie Indiya, the maintenance is also conducted regularly as the management expects the restaurant to keep functioning for a long period of time and even expand in size or operations. The restaurant’s maintenance schedule is distributed into six critical items: structure of the building; furniture, fixtures and equipment; heating, ventilation and air-conditioning; lighting and cabling; information technology; and lastly; safety and security. Currently, the VCA report notes that all the listed parts are in good working condition and able to sustain the restaurant for the next about five years of work. However, the determination of this projected period of life-cycle is based on one critical factor; the extent of maintenance given to the venue (Lawson, 2000). For this reason, Rutes, Penner and Adams (2001) say that prior to declaring that the venue is in good condition and able to sustain continued use for a specific period, its maintenance has to be effectively evaluated.

Property renovation and maintenance is part of a hotel’s plan towards improving its image as customers will feel like the institution is concerned with their welfare while at the establishment (Hassanien & Baum, 2002). Eventually they will be keen to return for the quality services at a comfortable environment. For this reason, one of the main critical activities in venue maintenance-especially in the hospitality industry-is cleaning. Although this may sound rather obvious as the industry is able to influence people’s health, it is one of the main activities that have allowed Foodie Indiya to operate for the past five years. To begin with, the restaurant cleans its structures (glass door and glass window-twice per week), the furniture, fixture and equipment are cleaned on a daily basis while the ventilation systems are also cleaned on a daily basis. The next maintenance activity is replacement where worn out parts have to be completely removed. At Foodie Indiya, the menu is replaced after every six months; lighting whenever it is broken while cabling is updated on a monthly basis and the information technology systems are upgraded or entirely replaced after every six months. Mechanical parts like the heater and air conditioner are cleaned after every six months while the safety and security systems are checked for effective functioning after every three months. It is clear that each maintenance activity is done after a specified timeframe as these are either based on industrial standards recommendations or preferred standards of operation by the venue’s management. For instance, fire extinguishers do not have to be replaced on a monthly basis since the contents are manufactured to last for more than the one month. However, it is important to confirm after every three months to ensure that the extinguisher is in complete shape and operable as desired.

There are numerous benefits to the maintenance done at Foodie Indiya and other venues applying similar programs. To begin with, Hassanien and Baum (2002) note that the maintenance routines save on future expenses like costs of repair due to breakdowns or compensation claims due to accidents as a result of poorly maintained venues. Second, continued maintenance improves the institution’s image as the customers feel more valued and appreciated thus the restaurant (or venue) becomes increasingly popular for consistent quality services. Every industry has its regulations which have to be respected by the investors within the industry. Ensuring consistent maintenance of the venue allows compliance to industrial regulations and if followed to the latter, guarantees continued operations as the venue will never have to be closed due to lawsuits or damages. In the hospitality industry, continued maintenance ensures a healthy and clean environment. In contrast, Hassanien and Baum (2002) note that despite the numerous benefits, the venue’s management should be willing to spend as these activities may require the need to contract skilled personnel. For instance, the maintenance of mechanical equipment like air conditioners has to be done by skilled personnel who may have to be hired at a costly charge. On the other hand, while conducting some maintenance, some sections or the entire venue has to be closed until the maintenance is complete. An important activity like painting has to be done when the facility is closed to allow convenience for timely completion. Some paints also emit irritating fumes that make the venue inhabitable during painting. Lastly, industrial regulation in certain maintenance issues may be difficult to attain when the venue is not generating enough money and in some cases the venue may have to postpone the maintenance exposing it to the risk of legal action. Fortunately, Foodie Indiya has been able to plan its operations effectively to facilitate consistent maintenance.