Qué rico
Restaurant Design celebrating culture
& community
With the site being within a university campus, this project was a focus on building community for the student demographic. Qué Rico is a conceptual communal dining restaurant serving Uruguayan cuisine.
THE brief
This project involved developing an on-campus hospitality site within a busy city location. When researching into the target demographic, an opportunity was noted on how to provide a unique experience for the students and other people within the local area.
THE idea
Inspired by my own Latin-American background, Qué Rico explores how, culturally, mealtimes are dedicated moments to connect with people. The dining spaces of this restaurant would focus on strangers dining together, allowing for a chance to build community within the site location.
To amplify this comfortable setting, the space focuses on creating a sense of home. With blurring the aesthetics of residential and hospitality, a memorable dining experience is created.
The Outcome: Branding
Before designing the space, I considered the brand identity to represent the design. With this connection to Uruguayan culture I was inspired by the colours of the flag, and utilsied bold tones and shapes to reflect the warm and exciting environment of the restaurant.
The Outcome: Interior
With wanting to invoke a sense of home, distinct zones shapes a very experiential dining. You are welcomed via an entry courtyard into a ‘living room’ zone that allows guests to transition into the space. The second zone includes the bar and bespoke standing tables that are shaped to resemble traditional Uruguayan drums used a smbol for gathering. The third zone involves the indoor and outdoor dining tables that are laid out to encourage customers to dine with strangers. Overlapping tables are utilised as a references to the mismatched furniture of family backyard parties.
Colors and textures create a vibrant and comfortable experience while referencing Uruguayan design, shaping a unique experience to bring people together.
Indoor Dining (Day)
Indoor Dining (facing bar)
Bar
'Living Room' Zone (Day)
Arch Partition
Bar and Standing Tables
Indoor Dining (Night)
Entry Courtyard
Outdoor Dining (Day)
Outdoor Dining (Night)
'Living Room' Zone (Night)
Bar Interior
