How to Choose a Restaurant Location: Analysing Location, Floor Area and Business Fit

Özge Kadayıfcı Choosing a location for a restaurant doesn't start with seeing an empty shop and saying, "This would make a restaurant."

First, you need to decide what kind of business you will set up.

Who will you cater to?

What will you sell?

At what price level will you position the product?

Why will guests come to this business?

What hours of the day will it be open?

What will the style of service be?

Premises chosen before these answers are clear remain just an empty space, however attractive or central they may be,

because a space can't be assessed independently of the business.

Premises that are right for one restaurant fall short for another; a location that is an advantage for one business is the wrong choice for another. Likewise, a large shop is an unnecessary burden for a small business while giving another business the capacity it needs.

That is why choosing a location for a restaurant is not just "finding a suitable shop".

It is first understanding what the business you want to set up needs, and then finding the space that answers that need.

In a good restaurant project, architectural designdoesn't start on the day the investor leases the premises.

It actually starts earlier:

"Does this space really answer the needs of the business we want to set up?"

— the moment that question is asked.

Because choosing the right space also forms the foundation of the restaurant interior architecture and design decisions you will make later.

Where Does Choosing a Restaurant Location Begin?

Choosing a location for a restaurant actually begins before you start looking for premises.

First, the business needs to be defined.

Who is the target guest?

What is the product?

What is the concept?

What is the business model?

How do customers behave in the area?

How many people does the restaurant aim to serve?

The answers to these questions directly change the characteristics of the premises you are looking for.

For example, the space needed by a quick-service coffee business is not the same as that needed by a restaurant where people sit for long evenings.

A sushi restaurant and a traditional ocakbaşı grill house also differ in guest behaviour, style of service and spatial organisation.

So the right order is usually:

Target guest → product and concept → business model → area → capacity → premises

Only then does it make sense to assess the space.

First Define the Guest, the Product and the Business Model

Looking only at floor area when choosing a restaurant's premises means seeing only a very small part of the picture.

You need to know which guests the space will serve, why they will come and how long they will spend there.

For a business serving morning coffee, accessibility during the day is one of the key features.

In a dinner-focused restaurant, the guest experience, seating layout, the sense of arrival, service movement and atmosphere carry a different weight.

In short, there is no single definition of a "good location" for a restaurant.

A good location is one that answers the business you want to set up correctly.

Not Every Restaurant Needs the Same Space

Of two shops on the same street, one may be very suitable for a restaurant while the other is often not to the same degree.

A wide frontage is a big advantage for one business, while for another a deeper, more controlled plan is more valuable.

For one restaurant, a high ceiling creates strong design potential; for another, the proportions of the existing space matter more.

The architect's job here is not just to assess the current state of the space.

It is to read the relationship between the space and the business.

A Restaurant Location Is More Than an Address

When people hear "restaurant location", most think of a street, neighbourhood or district name.

Yet the commercial value of a location is not made up of its position on the map alone.

The real question is:

How do people use this area?

An area being very busy during the day doesn't mean it offers the same advantage to an evening restaurant.

Conversely, an area that looks quiet during the day sometimes shows quite different customer behaviour in the evening.

When assessing a restaurant location, you need to look not only at how the area looks today, but at how it works throughout the day.

At What Times of Day Do People Use This Area?

Do the restaurant's opening hours match the hours when the area is used?

Who is around in the morning?

Who comes at lunchtime?

How does the area change in the evening?

What's the difference between weekdays and weekends?

The answers to these questions are important parts of the location analysis when choosing restaurant premises,

because customer movement is not fixed.

Seeing an area at a single hour doesn't mean seeing the whole of it.

Why Is Weekday and Weekend Behaviour Different?

An office district and a tourist area don't share the same rhythm,

and the customer behaviour of a residential area differs from that of a busy nightlife district.

There needs to be a match between the restaurant's target guests and the area's real users.

That is why, when choosing restaurant premises, simply saying "there are lots of people here" is not enough.

What matters is the right people being there at the right time for the right reason.

What Do the Surrounding Businesses Say About an Area?

One way to understand a location is to read the businesses around it.

Neighbouring businesses give important clues about the area's customer profile.

When you consider the cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops, offices, supermarkets and other commercial uses together, you understand how the area is lived in and used.

Surrounding businesses are not just competitors.

They are also a map of how the area behaves.

Why Does a Shop's Frontage Matter for a Restaurant?

A restaurant's guests see it from outside before they see it inside.

The façade is the restaurant's first sentence on the street.

But a good restaurant façade is not just a large or showy one.

The façade should be assessed together with visibility, the entrance, brand perception, how much of the atmosphere inside can be read from outside and the way guests approach the space.

The Façade Is the Restaurant's First Sentence on the Street

Before entering a restaurant, a guest makes a few decisions within seconds:

What's here?

What kind of place is this?

Is it for me?

What's waiting for me inside?

Should I go in?

Not all of these decisions come down to the sign.

The proportions of the frontage, the position of the entrance, the glazing, how much of the inside can be seen and the relationship between the space and the street all work together.

Visibility and Business Value Are Not the Same Thing

A highly visible shop is not always the right shop,

because visibility only makes sense with the right guests and the right business model.

A business whose guests seek it out deliberately has different visibility needs.

For a business that relies on passing foot traffic, visibility becomes far more critical.

When choosing restaurant premises, instead of "the most visible shop", the question to ask is:

How much visibility does this business need for the way it wins guests?

How Does a Restaurant Carry Its Inside Experience Out to the Street?

The experience of a well-designed restaurant doesn't stay inside.

The atmosphere of the space is reflected onto the street as far as possible.

But this doesn't always mean the inside has to be fully visible.

Some restaurants work with an open, inviting façade.

Others gain character from a more controlled entrance that sparks curiosity and a more enclosed atmosphere.

Here again, the business model is decisive.

How Many Square Metres Does a Restaurant Need?

There is no single answer to the question "How many square metres does a restaurant need?"

Because floor area needs aren't determined by the number of tables alone.

The restaurant's concept, style of service, kitchen organisation, guest capacity, staff movement and business model are all part of the same calculation.

"I found a 500 m² shop, it's great" means little on its own.

The real question is:

How will this business use 500 m²?

Gross Floor Area and Efficient Space Are Not the Same

A space's total area and the area the business can really use efficiently are not the same thing.

Columns, walls, stairs, circulation areas and other spatial necessities affect how the total area can be used.

That is why deciding only on the floor area stated in the title deed or the listing is not right.

When choosing restaurant premises, you need to see the plan and assess how the space will work.

How Do Kitchen, Service, Storage and Guest Areas Affect One Another?

A restaurant isn't just the part where guests sit.

The areas staff use determine how the business works as much as the areas guests see.

The relationship between kitchen and service, staff movement, storage needs and guest circulation must be considered together.

Restaurant design is in fact not about filling a void, but about organising movement.

Is a Bigger Space Always a Better Space?

No.

A large space of course provides more capacity. But an area larger than necessary also creates different burdens.

for the business. More space doesn't always mean a better guest experience.

Sometimes a smaller space with better proportions makes more sense for the business model.

When choosing a restaurant location, the aim is not to find the biggest possible space, but the right space for the business's needs.

Restaurant Capacity Is More Than the Number of Tables

When it comes to capacity, most investors think first of the number of tables.

Yet capacity is not just how many people can sit down.

The whole system is part of capacity: from guests arriving to reaching their table, from taking the order to serving it, from staff movement to the relationship between kitchen and dining room.

Maximum Number of Tables and the Right Capacity Are Not the Same

Fitting as many tables as possible into a space doesn't mean using it efficiently.

If there isn't enough room to move between tables, service becomes difficult, staff movement gets cramped, the guest experience weakens and the atmosphere falls apart.

Increasing capacity and using the business's capacity correctly are therefore not the same thing.

The aim is not the maximum number of tables, but the capacity suited to the business model.

Guest, Service and Staff Movement Must Be Considered Together

A restaurant's plan can't be read only through the guest's eyes.

Food leaving the kitchen and reaching the table, used equipment coming back, staff circulation and guests' movement within the space must all be considered together.

In a well-working restaurant plan, these movements function with as little interference with one another as possible.

Restaurant interior architecture is therefore not just aesthetic work.

It is the work of designing how the space will function.

What Does an Architect See When Looking at an Empty Shop?

When investors look at an empty shop, they usually see its current state.

An architect tries to see what the same space could become.

This difference is often decisive in choosing a restaurant location.

The Proportions and Geometry of the Space

A space's length, width and overall proportions affect the limits and possibilities of the design.

Organising a very long space is not the same as organising a nearly square one,

and some geometries suit certain business models more easily.

Columns, Walls and the Potential of the Existing Structure

Columns or existing walls should not be seen only as obstacles;

in some cases they can create the character of the space.

But some structural features also seriously limit the design's room for manoeuvre.

What matters is seeing them not during the design, but during the choice of premises.

Ceiling Height and Spatial Volume

Two spaces with the same floor area are often perceived completely differently because of ceiling height.

Ceiling height affects the atmosphere, lighting, and spatial perception.

A space needs to be assessed not just from the floor, but as a three-dimensional volume.

Daylight and How It Changes Through the Day

The light a space receives changes throughout the day.

A frontage that gets strong morning light and one that gets evening sun don't create the same experience.

The restaurant's hours of use and the way daylight enters the space need to be assessed together.

Views and the Space's Own Characteristics

Some spaces have an advantage of their own:

a view, a courtyard, a high ceiling, a historic architectural element, a strong façade or a distinctive spatial character.

Good design turns these features into the character of the business instead of erasing them.

What sets an architect apart is the ability to see a space's own value, as much as to fill an empty one.

Is a Beautiful View an Advantage for Every Restaurant?

At first glance, a view looks like an advantage for everyone.

But the value of a space's features can't be considered independently of the business model.

Restaurants that put the view at their heart find this a very powerful asset.

For a quick-service business, the same feature has a different commercial importance.

The Value of a View Depends on the Business Model

How long guests spend in the space, the restaurant's price level, product range and guest expectations all change the value of a view.

When choosing a restaurant location, "a shop with a view" is not a sufficient assessment on its own.

The question to ask is:

Does this view really create value for this business's guests?

The Balance Between Visibility, View and Privacy

A restaurant being fully visible doesn't always create the desired atmosphere.

Some businesses thrive on openness and movement, while others want to create a more controlled experience.

The space's features need to be assessed together with the atmosphere the business is aiming for.

Reading the Right Restaurant Location from Its Surroundings

A shop's boundaries don't end at its four walls.

The pavement in front, the businesses opposite, nearby roads, parking, surrounding commercial uses and the movement of people in the area are all part of the space's commercial context.

Neighbouring Businesses Are More Than Competitors

The restaurant or café next door is not just a competitor;

it also provides data for understanding the area's customer profile.

Which businesses around have survived?

Which have closed their shutters?

At what times do people gather?

How long do customers spend in the area?

All of these are valuable data in choosing restaurant premises.

How Should You Read an Area's Customer Profile?

Assessing the people in an area only by demographic information such as age or income is not enough.

What time of day they come, why they come, how long they stay and what they spend money on also matter,

because a restaurant's guest is not just a "who";

the guest's behaviour is part of the business too.

How Should You Assess an Area Today and for the Future?

When assessing premises, you need to look not only at the current situation but at how the area is changing.

New housing, commercial investment, transport changes or shifts in how the area is used affect a space's value over time.

But firm assumptions about the future should be avoided here.

An investment decision should be built not on expectations that may not come true, but on current data and reasonable scenarios.

Technical and Legal Suitability in Choosing a Restaurant Location

Sometimes premises look exactly right in terms of business, location and architecture. But if they aren't technically or legally suitable for a restaurant, all these advantages lose their meaning. These checks must be made before the lease is signed.

Title Deed Status and Management Plan

Always check how the shop is registered in the title deed. Turkish Condominium Law states that opening a restaurant, patisserie or similar business in a unit registered as residential in the title deed is only possible with the unanimous consent of all owners in the building. In other words, in a shop converted from an apartment, a single neighbour's objection can stop the whole investment. The building's management plan should also be checked for any provision restricting restaurant use. Whether the premises can obtain a business opening and operating licence should also be clarified at this stage.

Electrics, Flue and Wastewater

The premises' electrical capacity, the flue route for the kitchen exhaust, the availability of natural gas and the wastewater infrastructure directly determine whether the restaurant can operate. Some of these gaps can be remedied later; others are permanent limits arising from the premises themselves. We describe these systems in detail in our restaurant technical infrastructure article.

Lease Term and Permission for Alterations

A restaurant investment takes time to pay back, so the lease term must be long enough for the investment to recoup its cost. The landlord's permission for alterations, façade and signage works should also be clearly written into the lease.

Rent Alone Doesn't Show Whether Premises Are Expensive or Cheap

A shop's rent is of course important.

But looking only at the rent figure when choosing restaurant premises is an incomplete assessment,

because low rent is not automatically an advantage for the business.

Why Does a Cheap Shop Turn into an Expensive Investment?

The rent may be low.

But if the premises don't suit the business model, impose serious limits on the design or don't respond to the targeted guest behaviour, the low rent loses its advantage and turns into an expensive investment.

What matters here is not only the question "how much rent will I pay?"

but "What does this space give my business in return?"

When Does an Expensive Location Make Sense?

High rent alone doesn't mean right or wrong.

The commercial value of a location must be assessed together with how much the business can benefit from it.

Rent should be considered together with the commercial value the space can provide.

Why Is the Same Space Worth Different Amounts to Different Businesses?

A space's value is not absolute;

it depends on the business.

Show the same shop to three different investors and you'll get three different assessments,

because not everyone will set up the same business.

How Do Quick-Service and Long-Stay Venues Differ?

How long guests spend in the space directly affects the seating layout and capacity.

In a coffee business, customer flow throughout the day, quick service and short stays come first; in an evening restaurant, the dining experience, service rhythm, spatial comfort and atmosphere are more decisive.

That is why it isn't possible to define a single "ideal restaurant space".

How Do Product, Style of Service and Guest Behaviour Change the Space?

The product is not just the food prepared in the kitchen.

How the product is presented, how guests order, how long they sit and what they expect from the business all affect how the space is organised.

The starting point of restaurant design is not decoration, but the way the business works.

How Should You Assess Whether a Space Is Suitable for a Restaurant?

Rather than looking at a single criterion when assessing a space, you need to see the whole picture.

Do the intended business and the space answer each other?

What are the space's strengths?

What are its weaknesses?

Which problems can be solved through design?

Which features are structural limits?

And most importantly:

Can this space carry the experience and way of working that the business you want to set up needs?

Separating Problems Design Can Solve from a Space's Structural Limits

Some of a space's shortcomings can be solved through design.

Others stem from its physical character and can't be removed entirely.

Making this distinction is one of the most important stages of choosing a restaurant location,

because design doesn't solve every problem.

Sometimes the right decision is to change the premises.

The Right Question Instead of "Would This Shop Make a Restaurant?"

"Would this make a restaurant?" is actually too general a question.

The better question is:

"Can the restaurant I want to set up work properly in this space?"

Although these two questions look alike, they don't ask the same thing.

The first only asks whether something is possible.

The second questions the fit between business, guests, capacity, space and experience.

A good space analysis does exactly that.

How Do You Define the Right Restaurant Space?

The right restaurant space is not the biggest space,

nor the most beautiful façade, nor the most expensive location.

It doesn't have to be the most central shop in the city either.

The right restaurant space is the one that gives the best answer to the business you want to set up.

A small space sometimes becomes a very successful business,

while a large, showy shop doesn't always deliver the expected result.

A view sometimes creates a big advantage;

in another business, guest behaviour pushes the importance of the view into the background.

Choosing a restaurant location is therefore not about adding up features one by one.

It is about understanding how the features work together.

Restaurant Design Actually Begins with Reading the Space

Restaurant interior architecture is not placing tables, chairs, lighting and decoration into an empty shop.

Good restaurant design connects the needs of the business with the possibilities of the space.

It considers together how guests will arrive,

where they will enter,

where they will sit,

how they will experience the space,

how staff will move,

how service will work

and what kind of atmosphere all of this will create.

That is why reading the space is where restaurant design actually begins.

What sets a good architect apart is not just making an empty space look good.

It is being able to see what kind of business could live within that emptiness.

Conclusion: A Restaurant Space Isn't Found, It's Read

Choosing the right space for a restaurant is a far broader task than browsing rental listings and finding the most attractive shop.

First you define the identity of the business: the target guest, the product, the concept, the business model and the capacity.

Then you read the area: how people use it, customer behaviour and the surrounding businesses.

Then you look at the space itself. Façade, proportions, geometry, volume, daylight, views, the existing structure and its potential for use all come into the assessment, and you check technical and legal suitability at this stage too.

In the final stage, all this data comes together in a single question:

"Does this space really answer the needs of the business we want to set up?"

Because the right space for a restaurant is not the most beautiful one.

It is the one that gives the best answer to the business you want to create.

Let's Discuss Your Restaurant Project

At CO Mimarlık, for more than 30 years we have been designing restaurant projects, and we look at them not just in terms of surfaces, but in terms of the business's goals, the guest experience, the potential of the space and the way it will be used.

If you are thinking of opening a restaurant, before leasing the premises you shouldn't just ask "would this make a restaurant?" but "can the restaurant I want to create work properly here?"

Let's discuss your restaurant project →

Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Restaurant Location

Key Criteria: Floor Area and Location

Suitability, Title Deed and Rent

The Architect's Role