Earlier this May, DonMono, a Japanese Ramen restaurant, opened its doors in Millennium City, one of Vienna’s most popular shopping malls. While this is the second location of the DonMono brand in Vienna, this location features a completely new design concept inspired by Japanese anime and local design elements.
5 Star Plus Retail Design had the task of supporting the restaurant design project with technical design work, taking measurements of the location, and drawing technical key plans to ensure that the design concept was executed correctly based on the location’s specifics.
Why is such technical design work important? Why can a remote concept designer not always draw the technical plans of a store or restaurant?
- Store design and restaurant design projects need to be executed based on local laws and regulations (in the case of this project, the local codes and regulations of the city of Vienna), and all technical plans and installations need to reflect this. This applies to aspects such as health and hygiene, fire protection, electrical, and engineering aspects. In addition, facilities need to meet requirements for people with special needs (for example, wheelchair access). Projects of a certain size and complexity must be submitted to the local building authorities for approval before construction.
2. The mall operator or management of the building usually has a specific standard and regulations to which the store design or restaurant design work and specifications need to adhere (in the case of this project, the mall management of Millennium City). Shopping malls usually require reviewing layouts and elevations of the storefronts, and often a full set of all technical plans, before construction can start.
3. Finally, and equally important, all produced furniture and built-in elements need to fit perfectly into the space. For DonMono restaurant, key items that needed to fit were the made-to-measure long bench, ceiling panels, bar, and shelf built around the column. This can only happen if correct measurements were taken at the location and all plans were double-checked for errors. It’s also important that the team of store or restaurant designers considers potential risks, such as finished walls turning out shorter or smaller than planned, and how to design the store elements so they fit in, nevertheless.
In the case of DonMono, thanks to the technical design procedure and the identification of risks conducted early in the process, the construction and installation of the equipment proceeded flawlessly. The restaurant has been open for a few days and has already become very popular among mall visitors and workers from the adjacent office towers. The team at 5 Star Plus Retail Design wishes DonMono much success at this location and looks forward to many further successful restaurant openings.
