Honoka Restaurant
1345 Kempsville Road, Suite 100 Virginia Beach VA 23464Type/ Restaurant
Time/ 2018
Client/ Honoka Teriyaki Express
Contractor/ Spacemakers, Inc.
Kitchen Equipment/ Crest Foodservice Equipment
Signage/ Cardinal Sign Corporation (Exterior Sign); Image360 (Interior Sign)
Furniture/ Goold Furniture & Design (Table and Pendant Light)
Status/ Complete
Located at the intersection of Indian River and Kempsville road, Honoka Teriyaki Express is a prototype in restaurant design that balances function and aesthetics, while simultaneously being budget friendly. Opened in October of 2018, Honoka’s innovative visual concept celebrates the process of cooking and preparing fresh, crisp and inviting dishes.
The project concept for Honoka Teriyaki Express focused on showcasing the authenticity of creating and preparing each of the delicious meals available on the menu. Honoka’s intention is to design a dining experience that turns into a truly sensory event for the customer.
When you walk into the restaurant, the first thing that catches your eye is the panoramic view of the servery counter framed by the charcoal wood finish, your gaze then turns to appreciate the impressive logo shining on the wall. As you turn to look for more design features, you catch the aroma of delicious teriyaki cooking on the flat iron right beneath your nose, and your mouth waters at the thought of ordering one of the enticing meals available.
The charcoal wood finishes that are trimmed with deep red cove lighting, represent the hot iron plates that have a red color edge and are traditionally used to cook teriyaki. . The positions of the LED tape lights is carefully studied with full-scale mock-up model to create a uniform, thin and strong red line.
A mockup to test cove lighting
Virtual Construction
Honoka Owner Testimonial
"Honoka is my first restaurant after working years in the food industry. My goal is to create multiple locations in the Hampton Roads first, and expand in the region. So I want the design to help create our brand image and also to be repeatable in future locations. GARC did a wonderful job on achieving my goals and beyond. I like the fact that I was highly involved in the design process to give them my comments. They also gave me guidance and advice on health department review, building permit application, and negotiation with the landlord on built-out, etc. I will definitely hire them again to design my future restaurants. "
