What is the best type of lighting for restaurant dining rooms?

LoStOnE: What is the best type of lighting for restaurant dining rooms?
This restaurant has no windows and lighting is an issue. We want a comfortable atmosphere with lighting that helps relieve the cave-like feeling the restaurant has with no windows. This is a high quality restaurant, so dim lighting is usually wanted, but we don’t want the lighting to be too dim. any suggestions?

Answers and Views:

Answer by MiNNiE
I think that the lighting could be dim but not too dim, or you can have regular lighting but not too bright…whatever you think you like and suits your customers.

Answer by Chris
Your best option is to get light switches with adjustable brightness. Older customers might prefer a little brighter light so they can read the menus, while the younger customers might want dimmer lights to set a more romantic mood. In either case, I’d say you can’t stick with one brightness setting, and must adjust as needed or if a customer makes a request.

Answer by Julie
i would suggest getting light that has adjustable heads so it can go in different directions. so it can create shawdows and dimness and some cool affect to the walls. just dont have the light hit the floor directly, like more of againt the walls

Answer by LoLa19
Spot lighting are the best! They are not too dim and they are not too harsh like fluorescent lighting.

Answer by H-man
Table-side lighting, wall mounted or from the ceiling over the table.
Small modern spots can be quite accurate as far as the diffusion of the light to the surface.

Answer by Yuping
for romantic scences, make dim, soft beams come out of beautiful shades and for fast food or bars, just do whatever you observe the customers. if they don’t really care, make the light just enough where you can read a book. at bars, it don’t mattah if there are no lights cuz everyones so drunk that theyre blind.

Answer by alyssa
adjustable lights are always a good choice. any soft lighting really. also, if your light covers are tinted amber, it will still give off warm light and wont seem like youre eating in a cave, but it will still feel luxurious. just dont use flourescent lighting people will want to run out of your resturant. hope this helps.