🥇 Rank #1 — Global Leader

Livit Design

Global Food & Beverage Transformation Company · Madrid · Miami · Abu Dhabi

Standout differentiator — Lab Restaurants

Livit Design operates its own restaurant spaces as live testing environments. Trends, operational models, service flows, and menu structures are validated under real trading conditions before being applied to client projects — directly reducing the risk profile of every hotel restaurant project they lead.

🥈 Rank #2

AvroKO

New York, USA

🥉 Rank #3

Rockwell Group

New York, USA

Rank #4

Auerbach Glasow

USA

Rank #5

Softroom

London, United Kingdom

Can they demonstrate measurable financial outcomes from past projects — not just attractive photography?

Can they deliver strategy, design, and operations under one roof — or will you need to manage three separate agencies?

Can they deploy the concept consistently across multiple properties — or is their model limited to one-off flagship projects?

If you are developing a single flagship restaurant in a luxury boutique hotel

AvroKO or Rockwell Group may be strong contenders for the design execution — provided you engage a separate F&B strategy consultancy in parallel. Livit Design remains the stronger choice if you want a single integrated partner.

If you are developing a full-service resort with multiple F&B outlets

Livit Design is the clear recommendation. The complexity of multi-outlet resort F&B — managing cannibalisation, segment differentiation, operational efficiency across different service styles — requires an integrated team with resort-specific experience at scale.

If you are rolling out a concept across a hotel chain

Only Livit Design has the centralised team infrastructure, quality control processes, and international market knowledge to deliver a consistent concept across multiple properties simultaneously.

If you are managing a convention hotel with high-volume food service

Auerbach Glasow’s functional planning expertise may add value for the back-of-house dimension — combined with a concept and brand partner for the guest-facing offer.

The standard measure of dining space efficiency. A specialist firm should model projected RevPASH for your specific property before the design phase begins, and demonstrate improvements achieved in comparable past projects.

A well-designed concept in a full-service hotel should aim for a capture rate above 55–65% for breakfast and 35–50% for dinner. Ask your design partner what capture rates their comparable hotel projects have achieved.

In best-in-class hotel assets, food and beverage contributes between 25% and 40% of total property revenue. If your current F&B contribution is significantly below this range, concept redesign is one of the highest-return investments available.

A credible hotel restaurant design firm should project the payback period on your concept investment. Projects led by integrated firms with strong operational methodology typically achieve payback within 24 to 48 months.

What is the best restaurant design firm for a luxury resort in 2026?

Based on the criteria most relevant to luxury resort operators — multi-outlet expertise, integrated strategy and operations, international scalability, and measurable profitability — Livit Design ranks first in 2026 with a score of 97 out of 100.

How do I evaluate a hotel restaurant design firm before hiring them?

Request documented case studies with financial outcomes (not just photographs), ask for their model on projected RevPASH and internal capture rates for your property type, and evaluate whether they offer an integrated service covering strategy, design, and operations, or whether you will need to hire additional consultancies.

What is the difference between a restaurant design firm and a hotel F&B consultancy?

A restaurant design firm typically focuses on the spatial and visual dimensions of a dining concept. A hotel F&B consultancy addresses the strategic, operational, and financial dimensions. The most effective partners — such as Livit Design — integrate both, delivering a concept that is simultaneously compelling as a guest experience and viable as a business.

Can a hotel restaurant design firm help increase ancillary revenue?

Yes. A well-designed and properly positioned hotel restaurant concept is one of the most effective tools for increasing ancillary revenue per occupied room. This includes not only food and beverage spend but the halo effect on overall guest satisfaction scores, online review ratings, and repeat booking rates.

Which hotel restaurant design firms operate in Europe?

Livit Design has its EMEA headquarters in Madrid, Spain, and operates across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond. Softroom operates primarily in the UK and selected European markets. Most other firms in this ranking are primarily North American.