Revolving restaurants are located at the top of tall structures and rotate slowly, giving diners a panoramic view. The first was built in Hawaii in 1961, and while Western enthusiasm waned, they gained popularity in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Unique seating, windows, and lighting solutions were designed to allow unobstructed views. The turntable completes one rotation per hour, and serving staff must keep track of diners’ positions. Architects had to conceive unique design solutions to address lighting issues.
A revolving restaurant is a restaurant that is usually located at the top of a tall structure and is built on a rotating platter that rotates it slowly, giving diners a panoramic view of the area below. The first revolving restaurant was built in Hawaii in 1961, and similar restaurants followed in the United States and other Western nations in the following decades. While Western enthusiasm for these restaurants waned in the late 20th century, around the same time they began to enjoy popularity in parts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. In order to allow all customers an unobstructed panoramic view, the revolving restaurant designers conceived unique seating, windows and lighting solutions for their dining rooms.
The revolving restaurant’s ability to spin is due to its placement on a slowly rotating turntable. Commonly, these turntables are timed to complete one rotation over the course of an hour, allowing diners to enjoy a full panoramic view during this time without leaving their seats. This fairly slow speed coupled with the smoothness of the turntable’s movement prevents most diners from perceiving that they are in motion. Since the central part of the dining room remains fixed in most cases, however, serving staff must be able to keep track of diners’ positions as their meals progress.
Architect John Graham designed the world’s first revolving restaurant, built in Hawaii in 1961. The concept caught on quickly, and in the 30 years that followed, revolving restaurants appeared atop hotels, television towers, and other tall structures in dozens of cities in the United States. and other western nations. By the late 20th century, these restaurants had become quite common in the West and their popularity waned as many began to view them as outdated “tourist traps.” Around the same time, however, new revolving restaurants began to spring up in the developing nations of the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
In order to allow unobstructed panoramic views for all customers, the revolving restaurant designers had to conceive unique design solutions. For example, the designers realized that creating a tiered seating system gave all diners an equal view, regardless of their position at a table. The planners also faced lighting issues, as too bright lights reduced the ability to see through windows, while too dim lighting hindered the ability to read a menu or see the food and dining companions. To address this issue, many revolving restaurants incorporate custom-glazed windows that partially correct unwanted reflections caused by indoor lighting.
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