At Windows on the World, an entire floor is devoted to a dozen private dining rooms. Architect Kenneth Potts, of Shea Architects Inc., Minneapolis, juggled space for three small private rooms in Goodfellow's, a restaurant located in an historic Minneapolis building. The structure, built in 1929, challenged Potts with strict building and preservation codes. Ceiling heights and floor levels were manipulated to section off areas. Privacy was also achieved through use of screens, draperies, window walls, columns, mirrors and planters.
Space is only part of the challenge.
Knowing how to cater to special needs is another. It requires devotion to detail, an honest and abiding desire to please plus a sharp sense of business acumen. Twelve of his 13 restaurants in the United States and Asia offer private dining. Room capacities range from 10 to 400 seats. Tapping this niche with its ready source of income is not for everyone, though.