Let\u2019s turn museums into mmmuseums.<\/p>\n
When it comes to making visitors happy, museums sometimes overthink it. We focus on big, complex projects: thought-provoking exhibitions, unique objects and artworks, exciting events, and eye-catching designs.<\/p>\n
But for many visitors, it\u2019s amenities like cafes that really make or break their museum experience. After all, if we can\u2019t look after the most basic human needs of our visitors, how can they trust us to fulfill their emotional, intellectual, and social ones?<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s why we love awesome museum cafes, shops, bathrooms, and other amenities.<\/p>\n
Picture this: you\u2019re two hours into a museum visit. The exhibits are fantastic, but now your legs hurt, your bladder is full, and your tummy is starting to rumble. Face it: your brain is more peckish than Picasso right now. And there’s no cafe, toilets, or seating in sight.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve all been there.<\/p>\n
Great amenities like cafes and places to relax provide the essential foundation of a great museum visit. Visitors won\u2019t appreciate your amazing exhibits, events, staff, and volunteers if the only thing they can think about is how much they need a coffee.<\/p>\n
Even though cafes don\u2019t usually generate big profits<\/a> for their museums, good ones make sure your visitors enjoy their overall experience and keep coming back. And a bad cafe experience could mean you never see those visitors (or their friends and family) again.<\/p>\n As museum educator Elissa Frankle<\/a> puts it:<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to quiet\u2026physical anxieties [bladder, hunger, fatigue, disorientation] to open the mental space for engaging with the museum\u2019s content.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n She uses Maslow\u2019s hierarchy of needs to help museums understand how to prioritize their visitor offerings.<\/p>\n Most museums excel at the top part of Maslow\u2019s pyramid. But what about the basic needs at the bottom? Rather than being afterthoughts, these could be the foundation of a great museum experience.<\/p>\n Modern museum visitors are savvy consumers who often spend significant time and money on their visit. So there is increasing pressure to offer world-class amenities<\/a> that can compete with non-museum restaurants and shops.<\/p>\n Luckily, many museums have already accepted the challenge.<\/p>\n London\u2019s Wellcome Collection<\/a>, a medical history museum, has a cozy reading room which @crazymuseumlady<\/a> describes as \u201clike your own living room.\u201d It\u2019s definitely bigger than most living rooms but we agree it looks just as comfy!<\/p>\n Across the English Channel, the Rijksmuseum<\/a> in Amsterdam not only has well-designed entrance areas, toilets, and signage, but also allows multi-entry on a single ticket. This benefit encourages visitors to get some fresh air between Rembrandt paintings without needing to pay twice.<\/p>\n Museum cafes and shops are now also emerging as top competitors amongst commercial food and shopping destinations. Salts Mill<\/a> in West Yorkshire, UK has transcended the definition of a traditional museum by offering a combination of art gallery, shopping centre, restaurant, and visitor centre all in one historic former textile mill. This brings shoppers, foodies, and art lovers together to find what they want and maybe discover something new along the way.<\/p>\n No one can enjoy fossils when they\u2019re famished. But some museums have actually turned hunger into another opportunity to delight, educate, and inspire visitors.<\/p>\n At the National Museum of the American Indian<\/a> in Washington D.C, the Mitsitam Cafe<\/a> lets visitors enhance their experience by trying native cuisines from across the Americas. What could be better (and tastier) for immersing visitors in indigenous cultures than Western Bison Chili from the Great Plains, Roast Maple-Brined Turkey from the Northern Woodlands, or Mesoamerican White Bean Soup?<\/p>\n Even if your museum doesn\u2019t have an obvious culinary angle, you can still bring a taste of the exhibits to cafe patrons. At the Museum of Bags and Purses<\/a> in Amsterdam, visitors can enjoy High Tea<\/a> complete with mini chocolate replicas of the objects on display.<\/p>\n The Whitworth Art Gallery<\/a> in Manchester has taken the traditional museum cafe to the next level by offering gourmet breakfasts, lunches, and evening meals prepared by award-winning chefs. The cafe<\/a> has been wowing museum lovers and foodies alike since it opened in 2015, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows so you can pretend you\u2019re having a picnic without ever leaving the museum (or opening your umbrella).<\/p>\n And speaking of views between chews, the MCA Cafe and Sculpture Terrace<\/a> at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia<\/a> boasts panoramas of Sydney Harbour and Opera House. This means visitors can double-down on tourist attractions by experiencing Australia\u2019s great modern art scene and Sydney\u2019s famous skyline in the same place. Cafes can be much more than visitor refueling stations, so it\u2019s great that many museums are now making eating and resting just as awesome as visiting the galleries.<\/p>\n All this discussion about museum amenities begs the question: can everyone enjoy them? Visitors with mobility challenges and small children need to be able to get through the front door, and access the cafes, bathrooms, shops, and rest areas once they\u2019re inside.<\/p>\n Should looking for an accessible toilet in the cafe feel like a search for the Holy Grail?<\/p>\n The way to peoples\u2019 hearts is through their stomachs (and bladders and feet). Many visitors spend a lot of time in the museum cafe, so it\u2019s important to get it right.<\/p>\n Museums already rule at inspiring visitors through exhibits and tours. Now it\u2019s time to expand our kingdom into cafes and amenities, and conquer the hearts of hungry tourists everywhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":19801,"template":"","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRising to the occasion<\/h3>\n
From #hangry to happy<\/h3>\n
Getting through the door<\/h3>\n