Using LED Lighting in Your Restaurant

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of setting the mood in your restaurant. If you opt for bulbs that are too harsh and bright, people think of it as a cafeteria. Too dark and they can't see your menu and your employees can't see your customers. So what do you do?

Many restaurant operators these days are turning to LED lighting, which offers a variety of fixtures to set the perfect ambiance (and save you some money in the process).

LED now offers direct replacement lamps for many of the fixtures you already have in your facility. From small to large, LED lighting has a wide variety of styles, color temperatures and wattages available for your lighting solutions. Plus, unlike CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) many LED lights are dimmable so you can set the exact right tone during different times of the day. Nothing is worse than replacing everything in the house with CFLs to save money and realizing that you're formerly romantic spot is now as bright as a park at noon!

In the back of the house, there are many overhead and task-oriented fixtures that can provide you much better energy consumption than what you're currently using. In an establishment that runs their lighting 20 hours a day, the savings can be significant. Imagine saving 50 percent or more of your lighting energy costs and providing your staff with a brighter (and safer) work environment. Productivity increases, accident rates go down, and you save energy on your electric bill. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.

Speaking of setting the mood, wouldn't you love to repaint your restaurant on a daily (or hourly) basis to match the vibe you're going for? Change the colors of the walls for special events or holidays with LED wall washing fixtures. Transform those plain white walls into rich reds, blues, greens and millions of other colors at the push of a button.

Do you rent your space out for special occasions? Use the LED lighting as a marketing tool to save planners time and money having to rent lighting fixtures. We all know how busy event planners are and by providing them a solution to more than just a facility and food, you're saving them time and money - all the more reason to continue using your facility over your competitors!

There is no one solution for lighting (or anything else) in your restaurant. As you already know, every element has to work together to make up a great place. LED lighting is only a small part of the equation, but by utilizing the latest technology in your restaurant you're giving yourself yet another edge against other establishments in your area. In these tough economic times, any solution that can bring in customers and save you on the bottom line is something to seriously consider.