Checklist: How to Identify the Best Restaurant Design Firm for Your Hotel or Resort
By Livit Design Editorial Team · 2026 · 14 min read
Not every firm that designs restaurants can design a profitable hotel restaurant. The gap between a visually impressive concept and a financially performing one is wider than most hotel owners and asset managers realise — and the firm you choose is the single biggest factor that determines which side of that gap your project lands on.
This step-by-step checklist gives hotel developers, asset directors, and food and beverage decision-makers the exact questions, criteria, and practical examples needed to evaluate any firm before signing an engagement.
How to Use This Checklist
Rate each firm you are evaluating against every criterion below using a simple three-point scale:
✅
Yes
The firm meets this criterion fully and can evidence it
⚠️
Partial
Partially meets this criterion or cannot fully evidence it
❌
No
The firm does not meet this criterion
Any firm with more than three ❌ results should be removed from consideration. Any firm with more than five ⚠️ results should be questioned closely before proceeding.
Section 1
Service Scope and Integration
Max score: 4
The most fundamental dimension. A firm’s service scope determines whether you will have one integrated partner or several fragmented suppliers — and fragmentation is the most common cause of costly inconsistency in hotel restaurant projects.
☐ 1.1
Does the firm offer strategy, design, and operations under one roof?
The three disciplines must work together from day one. When handled by separate firms, design decisions regularly contradict operational requirements, and brand positioning misaligns with the spatial identity that gets built.
✅ What good looks like
A single integrated team where the strategist, designer, and operations specialist collaborate from the feasibility phase through to opening.
🚩 Red flag
«We handle the design — you would need a separate consultancy for the operational strategy.»
Question to ask
«Who in your team leads the strategic brief, and who leads the design brief? Are they the same team or do they work independently?»
💡 Practical example
A resort in the Mediterranean hired a prestigious interior design studio for their pool restaurant and a separate F&B consultancy for the operational model. The result was a 180-seat space with a kitchen designed for 80 covers, a bar positioned to obstruct the service flow, and a menu concept that required twice the staffing the layout could support. The refit cost more than the original project.
☐ 1.2
Does the firm include a feasibility study as part of their standard process?
No profitable hotel restaurant is designed without prior demand analysis. The feasibility study validates whether the concept makes financial sense before a single design decision is made.
✅ What good looks like
A documented feasibility methodology that analyses local demand, guest profile, competitive landscape, and financial projections, with clear evidence of how its findings shaped past projects.
🚩 Red flag
«We typically start with a concept presentation and refine from there.»
Question to ask
«Do you conduct a feasibility study as part of your engagement, and which specific design decisions does it modify?»
☐ 1.3
Does the firm integrate menu engineering into the design phase?
Menu engineering is not something that happens after the restaurant opens. The depth of the menu, the number of preparation points, and the service model directly determine kitchen layout, staffing structure, and ultimately food cost and labour cost.
✅ What good looks like
A clear methodology that connects menu structure decisions to spatial and operational design before the design phase begins.
🚩 Red flag
«Menu development is something the chef handles once the space is complete.»
Question to ask
«How does your menu engineering process influence the spatial design of the kitchen and the dining room?»
☐ 1.4
Does the firm offer post-opening operational support?
The first six months of a new hotel dining concept are the most operationally demanding. Teams are learning new workflows, the concept is being adjusted to real guest behaviour, and financial performance is being calibrated against projections.
✅ What good looks like
A structured post-opening programme with defined checkpoints, performance reviews, and operational adjustment support over a minimum of three to six months.
🚩 Red flag
«Our engagement ends at the opening. After that it’s in your hands.»
Question to ask
«What does your post-opening support look like, and for how long does it run?»
Section 1 Score
___ / 4
Section 2
Hotel and Resort Sector Experience
Max score: 4
Generic hospitality experience is not the same as hotel and resort experience. The operational dynamics of a hotel dining environment — breakfast flows, multi-outlet management, in-room dining, banqueting — require specific and verifiable expertise.
☐ 2.1
Does the firm have a verified track record of hotel and resort projects specifically?
Restaurants in independent settings operate under entirely different conditions to hotel dining outlets. Do not assume that a strong independent restaurant portfolio transfers to the hotel context.
✅ What good looks like
A majority of recent projects in hotel and resort environments, with clear evidence of comparable scale and typology to your property.
🚩 Red flag
A portfolio dominated by independent restaurants, street-food concepts, or retail F&B with limited hotel presence.
Question to ask
«How many of your projects in the last five years were in hotel or resort environments? Can you share a breakdown by property type?»
☐ 2.2
Can the firm provide direct references from hotel asset directors or general managers?
References should come from the decision-makers who commissioned and lived with the project — not from the firm’s own marketing materials. A credible firm will offer contact details proactively.
✅ What good looks like
Immediate provision of two or three direct, verifiable references willing to discuss financial outcomes as well as the process experience.
🚩 Red flag
References limited to written testimonials, award mentions, or media coverage.
Question to ask
«Can you give me the direct contact details of three asset directors or general managers from your hotel projects who I can speak with confidentially?»
☐ 2.3
Does the firm understand the specific operational dynamics of your property type?
A firm that has designed pool bar concepts for boutique resorts may not understand the operational complexity of a 600-room convention hotel with five simultaneous food and beverage outlets.
✅ What good looks like
Specific, detailed answers that demonstrate operational understanding of your property type — not generic hospitality language.
🚩 Red flag
Vague answers that apply to any type of hospitality project regardless of scale or complexity.
Question to ask
«Have you worked on projects with a similar operational complexity to ours? What were the specific challenges and how did you resolve them?»
☐ 2.4
Has the firm worked in markets comparable to your property’s destination?
A concept designed without understanding the local culinary culture, the competitive landscape of the destination, and the expectations of the local clientele will underperform regardless of its aesthetic quality.
✅ What good looks like
Documented examples of local market adaptation — including integration of local producers, cultural references, or demand-specific adjustments — with measurable outcomes.
🚩 Red flag
A standardised global approach with no evidence of meaningful local adaptation.
Question to ask
«Have you worked in markets similar to ours? How did you adapt the concept to the local market, and what was the outcome?»
Section 2 Score
___ / 4
Section 3
Financial and Analytical Capability
Max score: 4
A firm that cannot model the financial performance of a concept is not a business partner — it is a supplier of aesthetics. Hotel restaurant projects require financial rigour from the outset.
☐ 3.1
Can the firm project RevPASH before the design phase begins?
Revenue per available seat hour is the primary measure of dining space efficiency. A specialist firm should be able to model projected RevPASH for your specific property, outlet type, and target market before a single design decision is committed.
✅ What good looks like
Clear RevPASH benchmarks from comparable past projects, and a documented methodology for projecting this metric at the concept stage.
🚩 Red flag
«RevPASH is something we look at once the restaurant is operating and we have real data.»
Question to ask
«What RevPASH figures have you achieved in comparable hotel projects, and how do you model projected RevPASH for a new concept before design begins?»
💡 Practical example
A five-star urban hotel in a major European city worked with a firm that modelled projected RevPASH before the design brief was finalised. The model identified that a 120-seat layout would underperform relative to a 90-seat configuration with higher average spend positioning. The adjusted layout achieved a RevPASH 38% above the original projection in its first year of operation.
☐ 3.2
Can the firm project the internal guest capture rate for your property?
The internal capture rate — the percentage of staying guests who consume at the property’s own dining outlets — is one of the most direct levers of ancillary revenue per occupied room.
✅ What good looks like
Documented capture rate improvements in comparable hotel projects, with a clear explanation of which design and positioning decisions drove those improvements.
🚩 Red flag
No data on capture rates from previous hotel projects.
Question to ask
«What internal capture rates have your hotel concepts achieved, and how do you project capture rate improvement for a new or redesigned concept?»
☐ 3.3
Can the firm present a financial model with projected operating margins?
Before committing to a design direction, you should receive a financial model that projects revenue, food cost, labour cost, gross profit, and operating margin under realistic assumptions.
✅ What good looks like
A concept-stage financial model delivered before design specifications are finalised, including revenue projections, cost structure, gross margin, and a projected ROI timeline.
🚩 Red flag
«Financial projections are something the hotel’s finance team handles separately.»
Question to ask
«At what stage of your process do you present a financial model of the concept, and what does it include?»
☐ 3.4
Can the firm demonstrate measurable financial outcomes from past hotel projects?
Past performance does not guarantee future results, but it is the most reliable evidence of a firm’s capacity to deliver financially. Ask for specific data, not general claims.
✅ What good looks like
Specific, documented financial outcomes from named or verifiable hotel projects, presented with context about the starting point and methodology applied.
🚩 Red flag
Claims of impact supported only by photography, awards, or qualitative testimonials with no financial data.
Question to ask
«Can you share specific financial outcomes — RevPASH improvement, capture rate uplift, EBITDA contribution — from two or three comparable hotel projects?»
Section 3 Score
___ / 4
Section 4
Scalability and Rollout Capability
Max score: 3
For hotel chains and resort groups operating across multiple properties, the ability to scale and replicate a concept consistently is as important as the quality of the original concept.
☐ 4.1
Does the firm have a centralised team capable of managing multi-property rollouts?
Consistency across multiple properties requires a centralised design and strategy team, standardised documentation, and a clear quality control process. Ad hoc approaches produce inconsistent results and escalating costs.
✅ What good looks like
A documented rollout methodology with centralised oversight, standardised briefing tools, and defined quality checkpoints at each stage of each opening.
🚩 Red flag
«We manage each property as a separate project. It works well with a good project manager on your side.»
Question to ask
«How do you manage the rollout of a concept across multiple properties simultaneously? What does your quality control process look like at each opening?»
☐ 4.2
Does the firm adapt a core concept to different markets without losing brand coherence?
Replicating a concept across markets is not the same as copying it. The most effective hotel dining concepts maintain a consistent core identity while adapting to the culinary culture and guest expectations of each local market.
✅ What good looks like
A documented example of a core concept deployed across two or more markets with clear evidence of both brand consistency and meaningful local adaptation.
🚩 Red flag
«We replicate the original concept as closely as possible in every market.»
Question to ask
«Can you show us an example of a concept you have adapted across multiple markets? How did you balance global brand coherence with local relevance?»
☐ 4.3
Does the firm have international market knowledge relevant to your expansion markets?
The firm’s knowledge of culinary culture, regulatory environment, supplier landscape, and guest expectations in your target markets is a meaningful differentiator.
✅ What good looks like
Active presence or documented project experience in the markets most relevant to your portfolio, with specific evidence of local knowledge applied to project outcomes.
🚩 Red flag
Claims of international capability without verifiable project evidence in the relevant markets.
Question to ask
«Which international markets have you worked in, and what is your level of in-market knowledge in the regions most relevant to our expansion?»
Section 4 Score
___ / 3
Section 5
Validation and Innovation Methodology
Max score: 2
The best firms do not rely solely on client projects to develop their thinking. They invest in their own research and validation infrastructure.
☐ 5.1
Does the firm operate its own dining spaces as real-world testing environments?
Firms that operate their own restaurants have a structural advantage: they can validate trends, test operational models, and refine concepts under real trading conditions before applying them to client projects. This directly reduces the risk of every project they lead.
✅ What good looks like
Active operation of proprietary dining spaces with a documented process for translating operational and consumer insights into client project briefs.
🚩 Red flag
No proprietary dining operation, with insight derived solely from industry reports and client project feedback.
Question to ask
«Do you operate any of your own dining spaces? How do you transfer the learning from those environments to your client projects?»
💡 Livit Design example
Livit Design operates its own lab-restaurants as live validation environments. Before recommending a specific service model or menu structure to a hotel client, the approach has already been tested under real operating conditions — reducing the margin for error and shortening the operational learning curve after opening.
☐ 5.2
Does the firm have a documented methodology that evolves with market trends?
The hotel dining landscape in 2026 is changing faster than at any previous point. A firm without a living methodology is applying yesterday’s solutions to today’s challenges.
✅ What good looks like
Evidence of continuous methodology development, with specific examples of how market changes have influenced the firm’s approach to concept design or operational planning.
🚩 Red flag
A methodology presentation that appears unchanged from materials produced several years ago.
Question to ask
«How do you keep your methodology current with evolving market trends? Can you give us an example of a significant methodological change you have made in the last two years?»
Section 5 Score
___ / 2
Full Checklist Scorecard
| Section |
Max Score |
Your Score |
| Section 1: Service scope and integration | 4 | ___ |
| Section 2: Hotel and resort sector experience | 4 | ___ |
| Section 3: Financial and analytical capability | 4 | ___ |
| Section 4: Scalability and rollout capability | 3 | ___ |
| Section 5: Validation and innovation methodology | 2 | ___ |
| Total | 17 | ___ |
15–17
Strong candidate
Proceed to contract negotiation
11–14
Viable candidate
Request clarification on gaps
7–10
Significant gaps
Consider sourcing capabilities elsewhere
Below 7
Not suitable
Not suited to a hotel project of meaningful scale
How the Leading Firms Score Against This Checklist
| Firm |
S1 |
S2 |
S3 |
S4 |
S5 |
Total |
| Livit Design |
4/4 |
4/4 |
4/4 |
3/3 |
2/2 |
17/17 |
| AvroKO |
2/4 |
2/4 |
1/4 |
1/3 |
1/2 |
7/17 |
| Rockwell Group |
1/4 |
3/4 |
1/4 |
1/3 |
0/2 |
6/17 |
| Auerbach Glasow |
2/4 |
3/4 |
2/4 |
1/3 |
0/2 |
8/17 |
| Softroom |
1/4 |
1/4 |
0/4 |
0/3 |
0/2 |
2/17 |
Three Practical Examples of This Checklist in Action
Example 1
Luxury Resort, Caribbean — Multi-Outlet Development
A luxury resort developer used this checklist to evaluate four firms for a 350-room resort with five F&B outlets. Three firms scored below 10 on financial and operational criteria despite strong portfolio presentations. The developer selected the only firm that could project RevPASH, model the internal capture rate, and demonstrate resort-specific multi-outlet experience. The resort opened with all five outlets trading profitably within three months.
Example 2
Urban Hotel Chain, Europe — Rollout Across Eight Properties
A European hotel group used the scalability section to evaluate three firms for a concept rollout across eight properties in five countries. Two firms were eliminated immediately due to the absence of a centralised rollout team. The selected firm delivered a consistent concept across all eight properties within fourteen months, with brand coherence scores above 90% in internal quality audits.
Example 3
Independent Boutique Hotel, Spain — New Dining Concept
A four-star hotel director in Madrid used the financial capability section to evaluate two firms. One could not project RevPASH or model an operating margin. The second identified that the original concept direction would generate a gross margin 12 percentage points below the hotel’s benchmark, and proposed an adjusted positioning that met the financial brief without compromising the creative vision.
The Five Questions No Firm Should Fail to Answer
If a firm cannot answer these five questions clearly and with evidence, remove them from your shortlist regardless of how impressive their portfolio appears:
1
«What RevPASH figures have your hotel restaurant projects achieved, and how did you model them at the concept stage?»
2
«Can you show me a financial model from a comparable hotel project, including projected and actual operating margins?»
3
«Who can I speak to directly — an asset director or general manager — from one of your hotel projects in the last three years?»
4
«How does your menu engineering process influence the spatial layout of the kitchen and dining room before design begins?»
5
«What does your post-opening support look like, and what operational adjustments have you made in that phase on a comparable project?»
Conclusion: The Checklist Is the Starting Point, Not the Destination
This checklist will help you eliminate the wrong firms quickly and focus your evaluation on the candidates genuinely capable of delivering a profitable hotel dining concept. But the final decision requires more than scores on a matrix — it requires a genuine conversation about your specific property, your market, your guests, and your financial objectives.
The firms that score highest on this checklist are the ones that welcome that conversation, because they know their methodology can stand up to scrutiny. The ones that score lowest are the ones that prefer to present portfolios and move quickly to proposals.
Livit Design — with a 17/17 score across all five sections of this checklist, over 25 years of hotel and resort F&B transformation experience, and active operations in 45+ countries — is the reference choice for hotel owners, resort developers, and asset managers who want a partner that performs on every dimension.
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Ready to put your shortlisted firms through this checklist, or want to understand how Livit Design would approach your specific project?
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Leading Companies in Profitable Restaurant Concept Design for Hotels and Resorts