The Impact Lighting Has on A Restaurant's Dining Experience

February 4, 2021
Restaurant lighting — San Diego, CA — White Horse Electric

Are you an aspiring restauranteur? While working on your restaurant design, you must not consider the often-overlooked design element — lighting. Did you know that 91% of diners consider ambiance an essential factor in picking a restaurant? Make sure that they choose to eat at your restaurant by keeping these 3 tips in mind. 

1. Pay Attention to Contrast, and Not Brightness

The trick to ideal restaurant lighting is maintaining a balance in light with the surfaces it reflects on. When our eyes are forced to adjust to dramatic lighting, our eyes have to move from one surface to another. It can result in exertion and headaches.



Restaurant lighting shouldn’t be more than thrice as bright as the surfaces that surround the customers. Many restaurants make the mistake of installing dim lights over the table. This reflects the light off the table and directly into the customer’s eyes.


Bright lights in a dark room create a very stark contrast of light and dark and make it uncomfortable for the guests to look around the room. This discomfort comes with an improper imbalance of contrast and the inability of our eyes to adjust quickly. If your diner’s experience this, they’re not going to dine in your restaurant again.

2. Choose LEDs Wisely

LED lighting has changed the face of affordable lighting. According to statistics, 60% of the world’s lighting will be LED by the end of 2020. Making a switch from incandescent and fluorescent lighting to LED is a smart choice if you want to save on your electricity bills.

Customer at restaurant — San Diego, CA — White Horse Electric

3. Avoid Stray Lighting

There’s a range of unavoidable light sources that can put your time and energy that you’ve put into your restaurant’s lighting to waste. Light pollution sources like bright kitchen, reading lights, sunny days, and landscape lights can interfere in your restaurant’s lighting and adversely impact your guest’s experience. 


Every time your guests look in different directions, they’ll be faced with varying intensities of light. It takes time for the eye to adjust to these rapid changes. This discomfort and undue strain on the eyes can make your valued customers leave your restaurant.

Keep Your Restaurant Lit!

Structured cabling — San Diego, CA — White Horse Electric

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Lighting in commercial buildings — San Diego, CA — White Horse Electric

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