Custom Holiday Décor Can Elevate Restaurant Ambiance and Business

As restaurants are booking parties, family get-togethers, and special events for the holidays, owners and managers are thinking about staffing, menus, and inventory. They should also be thinking about how to elevate their customers’ experience with professionally designed holiday décor.

Can you do it yourself, like many homeowners do? Yes, but do you have the manpower, time, and space to manage on your own? This is why professional designers and installers are increasingly being hired by restaurants and bars to make a statement with their holiday decorations, both interior and exterior.

In the competitive restaurant industry, a magical holiday display can set your business apart from the others and bring in more holiday customers. Some of our clients contact us as early as June and July. We spend November and December installing lights and greenery, and we spend January taking it all down and storing it for our clients, to make sure it’s still in good shape for next year.

Here are some of the benefits of hiring professionals to create your holiday wonderland.

Safety: Thousands of injuries occur each year from people climbing ladders to put up lights and decorations. Restaurant owners don’t want to risk their staff – or themselves – being injured while hanging lights or wreaths in difficult-to-reach locations.

Another safety factor is extension cords possibly creating trip hazards if they are not handled correctly. When we install, we find the power outlets and then determine how to discreetly run extension cords to keep them from being underfoot and detracting from the design.

Installation: A professional can hang a 44-inch wreath in the perfect spot, even if it’s 16 feet off the ground. And they will carefully consider existing interior finishes so as not to damage them in the process of installing lights and décor.

Leasing: Our company retains ownership responsibility for the décor, so our clients are essentially leasing it from us. This way, we are responsible for upkeep and for safe storage until the next season. Décor can be used again – although we find that many of our clients love the results and customer feedback so much that they want to embellish their designs the next year.

Lighting design: A professional holiday designer is, first and foremost, an interior designer with the knowledge to use lighting to enhance your atmosphere rather than overpowering it. For example, a café or bar with an intimate ambiance doesn’t need gaudy. LED lights come in a variety of shades and hues, and the wrong lights will detract from the customer experience.

Flow: Restaurants with multiple spaces want to make sure the designs of each space are complementary. Designs should also navigate around a restaurant’s table layout – the last thing an owner needs during the holidays is fewer tables.

Brand recognition: A professional designer has the know-how to incorporate a signature look or color into your holiday décor. For example, using the colors of a bow or ornaments to reinforce a logo or brand image.

Exteriors: Another benefit of a beautiful custom holiday design is the joy you can give to passersby when the exterior is incorporated in the design. If exterior decorations aren’t allowed, the beautifully decorated windows can take the look of the holidays outside.

Efficiency: Hiring a professional crew means the work can be done when the restaurant is closed and, when the holidays are over, the décor can be quickly taken down and stored offsite.

Budget is a major consideration for restaurants, so that’s where the conversation should start, before any design decisions are made. Our clients may spend from $3,500 up to $15,000, for large restaurants with multiple rooms, but they feel the investment is worth it to delight their customers, encourage return business, and increase the customers’ spend.

Joy and delight. Nuance and beauty. Balance and elegance. If these are on your holiday menu, a professional holiday designer is the right call.

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Kelly Fitzsimmons is the founder and owner of Light Up Your Holidays, which creates long-lasting memories by creating elegant, custom-designed decorations for Chicago-area homes and businesses. Contact them at 312-728-8499 or design@lightupyourholidays.com.