How Color Can Impact Your Restaurant

How color choices impact a restaurant

Color can impact your restaurant in several ways — some unexpected. 

• Bringing in new customers: Attracting customers to your restaurant is every proprietor’s goal, but many don’t realize just how powerful color can be in shaping perception and behavior. “Color can be used to attract customers,” explained Allan McNabb, founder of Image Building Media. “Bright, bold colors are more likely to get attention than soft, muted tones.”
• Sharing your restaurant’s theme: Color also communicates what your restaurant represents, since certain shades are closely tied to emotions and even lifestyles. “For example, if you have a lot of reds and oranges in your restaurant, it might be because you want to create an atmosphere of celebration or excitement,” McNabb noted. “If you have bright greens, yellows and blues on your menu, however, this might indicate you’re trying to attract health-conscious customers by using these colors.”
• Affecting time spent in the restaurant: Beyond setting the mood, color can influence how long guests linger, which directly affects restaurant profitability. In fact, research on color psychology shows that visual cues shape how people feel, make decisions and perceive value, especially in food and hospitality settings. Thoughtful color choices can subtly encourage guests to stay longer, order more and form positive impressions of your brand. In contrast, certain hues can create a sense of urgency, prompting quicker visits and faster table turnover.

What color categories mean

Here’s how different color families shape the dining experience:

• Warm colors: Shades of red, orange and yellow tend to make a space feel lively and inviting. They can subtly encourage appetite and create a sense of motion — perfect for quick-service spots that rely on fast turnover.
• Cool colors: Blues and greens promote calm and mindfulness, encouraging guests to relax and savor their meals — a perfect fit for fine dining or upscale eateries where longer visits mean higher check averages.
• Neutrals: Whites, beiges and grays convey sophistication and versatility. They provide a timeless backdrop that works year-round and helps smaller dining areas feel open and inviting.

Color combinations matter just as much as individual shades. Accent tones can inject personality, highlight key areas or balance stimulation and relaxation throughout your space.

Here’s a quick reference for how color groups influence perception:

• Neutral: Whites, tans and light grays can convey cleanliness and simplicity.
• Earthy: Greens and browns suggest natural, organic and sustainable dining.
• Deep: Blues, purples and blacks evoke sophistication and premium positioning.
• Bright: Yellow and bright red generate energy and attract attention.
• Warm: Dark red, orange and brown create comfort and a sense of traditional hospitality.

“Color subtly influences customers’ emotions, which is a significant driver of decision-making,” said Kevin Huang, CEO of Ambient Home. “Knowing this, it makes sense to understand which colors create certain feelings and use them thoughtfully in the right areas of your restaurant.”

How to use color in your restaurant

Strategic color implementation across all customer touchpoints — from digital menus to plate presentation — creates a cohesive brand experience that drives both satisfaction and sales.

Menus

Color psychology on menus directly affects ordering behavior and average check size. Instead of relying on arbitrary percentages, research shows that menu items displayed with higher color saturation are perceived as fresher, tastier and more desirable, leading to stronger purchase intent. Applying this insight, you can use warm accent tones, like red or orange highlights, to draw attention to signature entrées or premium dishes. Cooler hues, such as blue or green, meanwhile, work well for lighter fare or vegetarian options by creating a sense of calm and balance.

When it comes to color, it isn’t just about setting a mood, according to branding expert Brandon Wilkes, head of SEO at M3.agency. It can also be a strategic tool to highlight specific dishes or specials. Wilkes suggests using pops of color, such as red text for a particular menu item, to subtly grab diners’ attention and make them more likely to order it.

Plating

Visual presentation directly affects how diners perceive value. In other words, presentation is everything. Research shows that the way food is plated can meaningfully influence both how much guests enjoy it and how much they’re willing to pay. In one Oxford University study cited by Le Cordon Bleu, diners rated identical salads on plates with artistic color contrasts as up to 18 percent more appealing and were willing to pay more for them compared with plain presentations.

Don’t be afraid to get creative and colorful when plating. Picture a vibrant sauce on a plain plate or a handful of fresh herbs that make the dish pop. Those color choices don’t just make food prettier — they help tell your restaurant’s story.

“Color can be used to create a cohesive look or to add a personal touch to table settings,” Wilkes said. “For example, using a specific color scheme for the tablecloths and napkins can create a polished look, while adding a colorful table runner or placemats can add a bit of personality.”

Decor

Small restaurant color design calls for thoughtful execution. Following the 60-30-10 rule (60 percent dominant color, 30 percent secondary and 10 percent accent) helps create visual balance without overwhelming limited square footage.

White walls are a popular base for their clean, airy feel, but don’t be afraid to layer in decorative elements that add depth and personality. Add personality with artwork that reflects your brand image, a few cheerful plants that bring in nature, or a standout piece that ties your color palette together. Remember, color isn’t about covering every surface: It’s about using thoughtful accents to tell your restaurant’s story and create an atmosphere guests remember.

Best practices for using color

Understanding the basics of color psychology can help restaurant owners make smarter design decisions that match their brand and appeal to their ideal guests.

Know what colors to avoid.

Some colors can actually work against your restaurant’s success by dulling appetite or creating the wrong emotional tone. For example, cool tones like blue and purple tend to suppress hunger, so they’re rarely used in dining rooms, branding or plate presentation. Likewise, overly bright or neon shades, such as intense yellows, oranges or greens, can overwhelm guests and make the space feel chaotic or rushed.

Rosalin Siv, former chief branding officer for Just Salad, cautioned that restraint is key. “We avoid using high-energy colors, such as orange, red, neon colors, etc., as they vibrate to the eye and can be unsettling, especially with food,” Siv explained.

There’s also a scientific reason behind that advice. Neuroscience research shows that highly saturated hues can activate stress responses in the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, which may reduce guests’ sense of comfort and even affect their likelihood to return.

Know how to break the rules.

Like any good design rule, there are times to bend it. Some brands successfully use colors that typically go against convention and make them work beautifully.

Take Just Salad, for example. The company uses navy blue in its logo to convey calm professionalism while standing apart from the many competitors that rely on green. “We [used] a saturated navy blue for our logo to further differentiate ourselves from our competitors that use a lot of green,” Siv noted.

Another standout is The Taco Stand, a taqueria inspired by the vibrant taco stalls of Tijuana. Founder Julian Hakim said bold color is central to the brand’s energy. “Vibrant and lively colors paint a ‘fun’ place image in someone’s mind,” Hakim explained. “The Taco Stand intends to recreate what it feels like to eat in Mexico at a taqueria. It’s casual, vibrant and fun.”

The takeaway? Knowing when and how to break the rules can help take your restaurant to the next level. When color choices are deliberate and tied to your brand story, they don’t clash; they connect.

Know what colors work well.

The best restaurant color schemes balance psychology with practicality. Lighting, space size and upkeep all matter just as much as the emotional effect of color itself.

For Just Salad, that balance started with calm, timeless tones that reflect its health-focused menu. “Classic colors will be timeless and elegant — soft whites, grays and taupes make for a good base, and then you can add one or two fun colors as an accent for contrast,” Siv explained. “We strategically [used] calming colors (gray and taupe interiors) to offset the ordering experience, which during the lunch rush can be hectic.”

Choosing the right mix isn’t just about style; it’s about how your space feels and functions when it’s busy. Subtle, neutral bases paired with thoughtful accents help keep the environment welcoming and cohesive, no matter how fast the pace gets.

Think about your brand.

Brand consistency across every touchpoint — from storefront design to social media — helps customers recognize and trust your business. It can also pay off: According to Marq’s State of Brand Consistency report, 68 percent of organizations say brand consistency has contributed to 10 to 20 percent of revenue growth. 

To make the most of your brand identity, set a clear goal for how you want guests to feel, and let your design, color and layout choices support that emotion. As you plan your restaurant’s look, keep in mind that color should complement the experience, not dominate it. “There’s a line to be drawn,” Hakim cautioned. “You can easily overdo it and saturate a place with unnecessary images and colors, which will lead to a place feeling like they tried too hard and have no concept at all.”

Modern restaurant branding extends well beyond the walls of your dining room. Make sure your color palette carries through to your digital menus, mobile app and delivery packaging so guests have a seamless experience no matter where they interact with your brand.

A big part of that consistency comes from repetition. Use the same set of complementary colors across your website, social media, signage and logo so those hues become instantly recognizable. Some of the best restaurant point-of-sale systems even let you customize interface colors for online ordering or tabletop checkout, another subtle way to reinforce your brand identity.

Consider other factors.

Successful restaurant design goes beyond color. It brings together lighting, acoustics, spacing and even scent to create a multisensory experience that reinforces your brand promise.

“Your surroundings play a big role in how you feel. Being in a lively place with lots of color sets your mind up for a fun experience,” Hakim said. “Have a clear concept in mind and execute it. It’s easy to want to incorporate 100 different ideas and bring them all into one space, but that is dangerous. The key is in the details, and many times, less is more.”

Design works best when every element feels intentional: when lighting supports mood, sound matches energy, and space allows guests to feel comfortable. The right balance creates harmony that guests can sense the moment they walk in.

Experiment.

Testing different color schemes in your space can reveal what truly resonates with guests. A/B testing across various zones, such as dining areas, entryways or bar sections, helps you make data-driven decisions. Track key metrics like dwell time, order value and customer feedback to refine your approach over time.

Leo Kremer, co-founder of Dos Toros Taqueria, encourages owners to stay flexible when adjusting design elements. “You can test it, and if you paint your wall white and it’s the wrong color white, you can repaint it,” Kremer said. “These decisions aren’t set in stone … I think people feel like they make a decision and they’re stuck with that result, whether they like it or not, and that’s not always the case.”

Color shapes the way guests feel in your space, but it’s only one element of good design. The bigger goal is creating a setting that reflects your brand and makes people feel welcome. Pair the right palette with great food and attentive service, and you’ll give guests a reason to return.

Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.