Cafeteria Design
When most people consider eating in a cafeteria or think about a cafeteria design, they will usually think about what the cafeteria was like during their school days. But for workers in many modern corporate environments, the cafeteria is a welcomed respite with amazing food, immaculate design, and a wonderful atmosphere.
Cafeteria, Canteens, and Lunchrooms
At Office Snapshots, we use the term Cafeteria to designate a room where many people gather for the purpose of eating a meal, though globally cafeteria and canteen mean the same thing. While these spaces can include full-service kitchens where meals are prepared and served all day, not all companies offer this benefit.
When we are tagging project photos, we currently group cafeterias, canteens, and lunchrooms together as they generally support the same functionality: allowing many people from the same company to eat a meal together.
Cafeteria Furniture and Equipment
Even though there are a variety of names one might use for these spaces, they tend to have similar types of furniture and equipment which can help improve employee dining experiences.
Dining Area: Sitting around and eating food with other people requires tables and chairs which are often set up for 2, 4, or 6 people. Because company teams may eat lunch together while meeting it can be advantageous to offer moveable furniture or several larger tables.
Food Service Area: While not all companies provide full meals for staff, having some place to store and prepare food is necessary. We’ve seen microwaves, refrigerators, cereal bars, stoves, ovens, coffee machines, and dishwashers.
Flexible Space: Because cafeterias tend to be larger rooms out of the necessity of holding many people, companies often use furniture which is easily moveable to help get the most out of the space when not in use for dining.
Proper Acoustics: When dozens or hundreds of people gather together to eat and talk, the volume can quickly become so loud it is uncomfortable. Be sure your cafeteria design invests in proper acoustic treatments to minimize the loud cacophony which can often come along with cafeterias.
