What the Restaurants of the Future Will Look Like

When the sommelier Yannick Benjamin was planning his East Harlem restaurant Contento, he told his architect that he wanted to make it feel like home, a simple place where diners would step inside and instantly feel comfortable. And he has succeeded: A long, yellow banquette hugs one of the exposed brick walls, and navy blue wallpaper with gold accents is on display in the back.

Every detail in the restaurant has been considered so that customers of all ability levels can comfortably enjoy the space, which has been busy since it opened in June. Next to the bar is a lower counter with five chairs, designed so someone using a wheelchair can just pull up and Benjamin can serve guests eye to eye. They’re the most popular seats in the house. “We’re image conscious in the restaurant industry,” Benjamin says.

These new approaches will define the future of restaurant design — even after the threat of a new outbreak or new restrictions has passed. “The only thing that’s certain now is that when people set out to design things, things are going to be different than we think they are,” says David Rockwell, founder of Rockwell Group, the architecture firm behind Nobu, Vandal, and Union Square Cafe. “The need for pivoting and flexibility — that point has been driven home.

But at this pivotal moment, and coming on two years of use, many outdoor dining structures are falling apart, owing to shoddy construction and materials that were never meant to withstand inclement weather. And many have simply outlived their usefulness. Tropical Rotisserie, a Dominican American restaurant in the Kingsbridge area of the Bronx, received anfrom a pro bono program and used it for restaurant seating and community events. But it eventually had to be dismantled because of maintenance.

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