After learning the lessons of operating during the pandemic, restaurant franchises and individual owners are making physical changes to their locations to better suit customer demands going forward.

The new normal in restaurant design incorporates the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. More people prefer to pick up meals in their car and have become accustomed to curbside service. Inspired by enforced social distancing, some restaurant franchises are rethinking old assumptions and design patterns. For example, Taco Bell has debuted a new restaurant design in response to the pandemic, explained in a CNN Business article:

The most significant difference between the new and old restaurant designs is the size. Taco Bell is cutting back on dining room seating and adding a second drive-thru lane dedicated to pick-up orders made on its app. Inside, customers will also see more digital kiosks in addition to human staff that will still take orders.

There’s also curbside pickup for contactless pickups and “bellhops”— masked employees stationed outside taking customers’ orders on digital tablets.

Existing restaurant locations must also adapt to changing preferences — from accommodating curbside service to expanding outdoor seating. To deal with all of these construction needs, restaurant or franchise owners should look for a general contractor with extensive restaurant experience.

Leon Williams Contractors, a Maryville construction company, has that experience in building food service buildings and locations for customers including Which Wich and Chick-fil-A. We offer a full range of construction services from pre-construction consultation and site assessment to project management to value engineering.

If you’re a restaurant owner wanting to build a new facility from the ground up, build out a commercial space, or renovate an existing location, we’re ready to help. Give us a call at (865) 982-1734, or contact Leon Williams Contractors online to learn more.