Even though I’ve spent a lot of time in California over the years, I will admit that on my most recent trip I finally had the opportunity to visit a California institution, an In-n-Out Burger stand. While not there to critique the interior or the food, which was very good by the way, I couldn’t help noticing some of the things that In-n-Out did well, and not-so-well as far as their Interior Branding was concerned.

Walking into the restaurant I was immediately impressed with the clean, bright interior. The red and white theme and feel of an old-time soda stand definitely hit me as soon as I walked through the door. While I’m not entirely sure what a palm tree has to do with hamburgers, I was also impressed with the clever way the tree was replicated in the wallpaper (tone-on-tone) and the wall tiles. The consistent use of the theme on the signage, cups, fries baskets, and in the décor reinforced the company’s logo and Southern California sense of place.

Once I was seated with my food, I was equally impressed with how fresh my sandwich was. The lettuce, tomato, and onion were actual leaves and slices and not some chopped and processed after thought to the sandwich. I think this is the first time I’ve actually enjoyed a burger at a "fast food" restaurant in I can’t remember when. My shake was quite yummy, too!

What seemed to be lacking in my In-n-Out experience from an Interior Branding standpoint were two things. First, the layout of traffic flow was not good. The restaurant was busy and there was nothing that directed patrons on where to form a line to order or where to stand while waiting on their order to be completed. One of the hallmarks of In-n-Out according to their website, www.In-n-Out.com is that nothing is ever frozen and that one’s burger is not made until you’ve ordered it. Given this, obviously there are going to be times during a rush when a patron is going to have to wait. The failure to properly plan the space allocation produced confusion, not only in me, but others around me as expressed by their questions, comments, and facial expressions. Confusion and frustration are not emotional responses I want any of my client’s patrons experiencing.

Additionally, while generally pleasant, the staff of the In-n-Out had not been trained on how to interact with the patrons to reduce or eliminate the confusion of where to go to place an order or to wait. Thus, the Human Interaction element of Interior Branding was also not fully addressed, further impacting the frustration and confusion of the poor space planning.

So, what does this have to do with designing a dental office you might ask? Well, think about your office and traffic flow coming into and out of your space. As one steps through the front door is it obvious where to go to check in? If more than one person arrives at the same time, is there plenty of space, and an obvious place, to wait? What does this do to those trying the check out and leave? Do they have to cross through those waiting to check in? Can those checking out pay their bill, schedule their next appointment, and ask follow-up treatment questions without everyone waiting to check in overhearing their conversation? This is a biggie as this is a HIPPA issue in addition to being a common courtesy. Lastly, how has your staff been trained to deal with a sudden flood of patients? Do they get flustered or keep their cool? Do they help direct traffic to alleviate traffic congestion? Do they take steps to insure the privacy of patients? The key is to remember that your brand is defined by how people remember their experience to your office and Interior Branding is about shaping and controlling those experiences so the emotional response is always a positive one.