El-Dahhan Restaurant — Suez Road

The brief

The Suez Road branch of El-Dahhan Restaurant in Cairo covers 530 m², and NoVi's commission for it was hospitality interior design. It is one of two El-Dahhan branches in NoVi's portfolio, alongside the Nasr City branch, and the larger of the two: 530 m² against about 250 m².

The challenge

A restaurant of this size is several rooms in one. It has to feel full and lively at busy hours without seeming empty at quiet ones, give families, groups and couples each a place that suits them, and keep service routes clear of guests. Acoustics, lighting levels and the rhythm of the seating plan all shape how a large dining room feels.

Our approach

In hospitality interior design these questions are addressed at the planning stage, where a floor is divided into zones of different character and scale, and seating, circulation and service are arranged around one another. Materials, lighting and furniture then give each zone its atmosphere while keeping the restaurant recognisably one place, and one brand, from the entrance to the last table.

When a restaurant name operates more than one branch, interior design also has to balance consistency with a sense of place: guests should recognise the brand at every location, while each branch responds to its own size, its own setting and the way it is actually used through the day.