Local three 10 months later

A group from our studio gathered at Local three early in the morning with coffees in hand. 
Now that the restaurant has been open for ten months and preparing for their first anniversary, we thought is was time to measure our success with Chefs Chris Hall and Todd Mussman .
HOW DID WE DO?

We believe in the ai3 process and our ability to create a strategy that produces results. 
Strategy + Results
We can always make ourselves and our designs betters, so we took 2 hours to learn from our client.
        Would you change anything about our process?
        How was the design execution?
        What solutions are working and which ones have you had to tweak?

A great opening comment from Chef Chris,  "We have exceeded our revenue goals in our first year."
ai3 Process:
1. Vision Session
"The Vision Session is the most important thing we did with ai3.  It is probably, emotionally as a tool, the most important thing ai3 does."  -  Chris Hall
      #1 EMOTIONAL- With the Vision Book, they finally had a tangible thing to show what they've spent
           so much time thinking about.
      #2 TOOL to RAISE MONEY- Since the ai3 Vision Book includes floor plans & important concept
           elements, they felt comfortable handing it to someone and simply stating, "This is what we're all
           about."
2. Construction Administration
Chris needed to know that ai3 was protecting the design we agreed upon and to use ai3 to help him with things he didn't understand.  The space was a living, breathing, changing thing and he needed ai3 to be nimble.  He felt money invested in Visioning and CA was money well spent.

DESIGN:
1. Local 3 is hard to find and they like it that way.  Guests are transported to another place once they are past the door.
2. The Front Hallway "speaks to us." It is unapologetic about who they are, and they love it.
3. The Art Wall was a great decision.  Everyone loves to hear the story about Chris, Todd, and Ryan.
4. The Dining Room carries a GREAT energy; Just loud enough, busy & vibrant.
5. The Semi-Private Dining Room is their most successful space because it is so connected to the Dining Room.  It is their biggest money-maker and provides enough privacy for a business meeting or personal celebration.  Doors allow guests to be private or to crack and be a part of the dining room.
6. Flexibility has been key.  The banquette that can acoomodate 2-tops or up to a party of 10.
7. Extended bartop in the bar area with seating on both sides is a huge success.

LESSONS LEARNED:
1.  They cut the communal table in half for more flexibility.
2.  Additional acoustical panels were added to the ceiling (originally cut from the design).
3.  They replaced all of the backless counter stools for a more comfortable dining experience.
4. Always, always put more shelving than you think you'll need.
5. Add chair rails anywhere you think you'll often rearrange tables pushed against walls.
6. Where do you put banquette pillows when not in use?
7.  2-top tables could be larger to accommodate the many plates/glasses.

Photo Essay - Freeway Park

Location:Mission Bay San Francisco

7 Billion of Us Living Together

As we make decisions and develop designs for a city's growth, infrastructure, transportation, education etc. we will continue to be challenged by how our needs and desires affect density. A positive view about the urban condition can expand our resources and enrich our live.

3 Days of Shadowing Local three

- Blog Post by Mark Peterson, "Newest ai3 Member"

I recently started at ai3 where we have a reputation for quality restaurant design, and even though I have practiced architecture for over seven years , I have never designed a restaurant.  I hoped to spend time observing restaurant operations and how the staff interacts with the clients and the architecture.  Chris Hall, one of the owners of Local three, was kind enough to allow me to shadow his staff for 3 days. Below is my first experience:

After spending several nights observing the team at Local three, I can't help but be reminded of my time in the service as an aircraft mechanic. All the key ingredients are the same: quality, physical and mental agility, and the ability to work under pressure.  Whether you are keying a jet up for a mission or putting together meals for a table of six, you have to have a team of professionals that move on instinct.  There simply isn't enough time to explain to everyone how to do the job. 

As I heard over and over from Chris,
"Local three is not a place where you just earn a check, it is a place where the staff is perfecting their craft."











My first lesson I will share with you is that the Host is the key to a restaurant's success.  He or she is your first impression of the restaurant.  If you receive a rude greeting or are told that your reservation wasn't entered into the system, your first visit might well be your last. 

I also did not realize that the hostess is in constant motion, moving seamlessly between the kitchen and their station.  A good host will always have an eye on the kitchen, because unless they know the load the kitchen is under, they cannot gauge the flow for seating the guests. If the host seats a table before the kitchen and the servers can handle them, then it might lead to that feeling we have all had where we wonder if the server forgot about us.  Worst still is when the kitchen is behind, and it results in more tables having to wait longer for their food.  If you have ever wondered why you can't be seated right away when you show up to a restaurant, the flow is the reason.

As Chris Hall said, "It's all about flow, it will make or break a restaurant."

As a guest, you become a participant in the flow and your experience is contextual, setting the tone for the rest of the night.  So if you start off with a bad experience with the Host, than you can bet that your poor experience will make its way through the room. On the other hand, if the Host is on top of their game, you and the restaurant are going to have a successful night.

How will our designs impact first impressions?
How do we make the Host's job easier?
How can our designs create successful flow?
How do we make sure we have open sight lines?

ai3 Bowling for Boobs

ai3 will have 2 bowling teams tonight at Midtown Bowl.  The 4th Annual "Bowling for Boobs" will raise money to benefit Susan G. Komen For the Cure. Of course there are prizes for best and worst score, but the coveted awards are for "Breast Dressed." 
Our final two team names:

Of course there were other names generated over a Friday afternoon Vision Session.
These are the ones that didn't make the cut:

The Boobie Traps, Stop the War in my Rack, Man's Breast Friend, Left Breast Pocket, Wonder Twins, DBL Trouble, Honkers, Bowling Bags, "Tune in Tokyo" with headlights, Knockers, Twins, The Breast of Us, Breast of Luck, Rack Pack, Juggernauts, Juggulars, Breast of Show, Breast Laid Plans, Fun Bags, Ballers, Pin-Ups, Twin Peaks

ai3 tours Das Haus: Sustainable & Energy design concepts

The Das Haus is a traveling pavilion, now located at Pemberton Place by The World of Coca Cola.The goal of the exhibit is to create an ongoing international dialogue about advanced technologies for home construction and solar energy use. Concepts are meant to demonstrate the future of sustainable building and the resources and integration needed to reach that future.  Several of us ventured to the exhibit over lunch and jotted down the following notes:

EXTERIOR: The exterior cladding consisted of corrugated steel covered with photo-voltaics that were hooked up to a master computer.  The rectangular form of the pavilion was inspired by a shipping container, and was in fact shipped to Atlanta in one. The pavilion only takes 3 days to assemble and 4 days to disassemble. All of the parts of Das Haus are German fabricated components except for the white oak flooring in the central portion of the structure.

SYSTEMS: A small water tank is located inside for the sink and coffee machine.  The construction focused on cutting down heat gain by using concepts such as triple-paned windows that include argon 90 gas and walls insulated with vacumn sealed insulation. Das Haus uses a heat recovery system that cuts down on the amount of energy used by capturing the energy from interior air as it is exhausted.  The pavillin PV array's power is stored in a series of (12) closed-valve lead acid batteries. These batteries feature a gell electrolyte which cuts out the refilling process. There is no maintenance required, very little ventilation, and the batteries can be installed horizontally and vertically.

INTERIORS: Doors, floors, and walls provide 10 times more insulation than those constructed in the U.S. and featured streamlined hardware. Interior materials feature plastic "3-Form" type cabinetry doors, wood flooring, and vinyl wall panels.  The majority of the lighting is LED.

It takes 197 cheese balls to win....

Erin Maas won an enormous container of cheese balls by incorrectly guessing the number of balls in the jar. (It was an "opposite party," to her dismay... she hates cheese balls).

What to do with a HUGE amount of cheese balls?
For Dave Heimbuch, logically, you challenge the studio to a Cheese-Ball-Eating Contest. Never the one to turn down a challenge, Kerry was the first to sign up and Ethan the second.
Ethan ate the fabulous orange dust for only 5 minutes.  He claimed he was full, but Heather said he went back to his desk and ate a bagel.

With Kerry and Dave left to the challenge, the puff-popping continued for about a half hour. 

For personal motivation, "Eye of the Tiger" kept Kerry in the challenge for the last few minutes.

But in the end, the challenger was indeed the winner.  

CONGRATULATIONS to Dave for eating 197 cheese puffs.

Since I wasn't there, I asked what the prize was? 
Nothing.
.... Anything's worth a good laugh around here.