The Golden Palace Buffet

We chose the Golden Palace Buffet for our space ethnography. The Golden Palace is a little ‘hole in the wall’ Chinese buffet on Forbes Ave. When you walk in, you are immediately greeted by the cashier. The buffet is located in the middle of the restaurant and there are tables the whole way around it. The lighting is not the best and the music that is played comes from a small radio by the cash register. The tables and chair are outdated and some of cushions in the chairs are starting to rip. The carpet looks old and worn. The current set up of the tables is crowded and uncomfortable. It is easy to overhear the conversation of a table nearby due to the lack of background noise.

                To make this small space more appealing and to draw more customers in, we have made changes to the layout as well as to the fixtures and furniture. To start, the carpets will be replaced with laminate flooring. The lights will also be replaced with dimmed recess lights. We decided to move the buffet and the drink fountain to the back wall. This will free space in the middle for a small soothing water fountain. The updated tables and chairs will circle the fountain at the center. Also, a surround sound system will be added so that the music can be heard throughout the entire restaurant.

                We believe that these changes will bring in more people because it will be more appealing to the eye. The dimmed lights and water fountain will create a relaxed atmosphere in which people are able to eat and talk with friends and family members. The fountain will also appeal to little kids. We notice that it was most busy for dinner around 6 pm when people are leaving work and getting out of school. We also noticed that around this time a lot of people come in and get take out. The more relaxing atmosphere will invite people in and encourage them to stay and eat instead of leaving.