Why does a restaurant become a place people want to return to? The answer is rarely only on the plate. Many restaurants with good kitchens, attentive service and well-kept rooms are still not remembered. In Between assesses restaurants, cafés, bars and hybrid food and beverage venues as a whole: the relationship between taste and space, the flow of service and the experience a guest has across an evening.
Food and beverage projects at design stage
Who is the place for? How long do people stay, what kind of evening are they looking for, what do they take with them when they leave? Plan, material and atmosphere decisions are built on the answers. In Between prepares a framework the architectural team can use so that the menu’s narrative finds an echo in the space, the materials and the objects brought to the table, and treats the service line from kitchen to table and staff routes as part of that framework. Report framework: R1 — Design Stage.
Operating restaurants and cafés
The process begins with a desk review of construction drawings, function diagrams, kitchen layout, escape scenarios and ventilation schemes. The venue is then assessed on site at different days and times: facade and entrance perception, welcome, the relationship between bar, restaurant and lounge, circulation and service routes, behaviour under different occupancy levels, and sensory parameters such as light, sound, scent and temperature. Fire safety, escape distances and occupancy scenarios at peak hours are checked separately. Report framework: R2 — Operational Spaces.
What we assess
Entrance threshold and first impression · counter, bar and service line · circulation and critical touchpoints · seating and different use scenarios · balance of light, acoustics, music and scent · climate and ventilation comfort · materials and finishes suited to heavy use · continuity of identity across days and hours · spatial narrative and site-specific art. A practical summary for small venues: 8 ideas that make a difference in a small boutique café.
Applied example: a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur
A venue with a strong fine-dining claim in its kitchen, menu language and architecture was found to behave like a nightclub after certain hours on certain evenings. The problem was not a lack of quality but the gap between claim and behaviour; the experience had come to depend on the time rather than the place. The report offered three scenarios — fine-dining stabilisation, day-based hybrid programming and a lounge-led reframing — with technical solution sets adaptable to each. Read the anonymised report →
Frequently asked questions
Do you only work with large restaurants?
No. From a café of a few tables to a multi-level restaurant and bar, any food and beverage venue that wants to clarify its experience can work with In Between. In small venues every decision is felt more.
Does In Between produce interior design drawings?
No. In Between does not take on architectural design or construction documents. It turns the owner’s intentions into a framework the architectural team can read and filters decisions with an independent outside eye.
How is an operating restaurant assessed?
A document review, on-site observation at different days and times, a regulation and risk check, followed by a diagnosis, alternative scenarios and a phased implementation roadmap once a direction is chosen.
Does the venue need to close?
No. Recommendations are prepared as phases that can be applied gradually or as a whole without interrupting operation.
Where do you work?
In Between is based in Istanbul and works project by project in Turkey and abroad.
Other services: Hotels and boutique hotels · Retreats and resorts · A Restaurant’s Story