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What Is a Revolving Restaurant?

M.C. Huguelet
M.C. Huguelet

A revolving restaurant is a restaurant which is usually located at the top of a tall structure, and which is built on a turntable that causes it to slowly rotate, offering diners a panoramic view of the area below. The first revolving restaurant was built in Hawaii in 1961, and similar restaurants sprang up throughout the US and other Western nations in the decades that followed. While Western enthusiasm for these restaurants dwindled in the late 20th century, around the same period they began to enjoy popularity in parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. In order to allow all patrons an unobstructed panoramic view, revolving restaurant designers conceived unique seating, window, and lighting solutions for their dining rooms.

The revolving restaurant’s ability to rotate is due to its placement upon a turntable which slowly revolves. Commonly, these turntables are programmed 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 combined with the fluidity of the turntable’s movement prevents most diners from perceiving that they are in motion. As the central part of the dining room remains stationary in most cases, however, serving staff must be able to keep track of diners’ locations as their meals progress.

Seattle's Space Needle features a revolving restaurant.
Seattle's Space Needle features a revolving restaurant.

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 throughout the US and other Western nations. By the late 20th century, these restaurants had become fairly commonplace in the West, and their popularity dropped as many began to regard them as outdated “tourist traps.” Around the same period, however, new revolving restaurants began to spring up in the developing nations of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

The popularity of revolving restaurants declined in the West during the late 20th century, but they remain popular in other parts of the world.
The popularity of revolving restaurants declined in the West during the late 20th century, but they remain popular in other parts of the world.

In order to allow all patrons unobstructed panoramic views, revolving restaurant planners were required to conceive unique design solutions. For instance, designers realized that creating a tiered seating system offered all diners an equal view, regardless of their position at a table. Planners were also confronted by lighting issues, as lights which were too bright reduced one’s ability to see through the windows, while excessively dim lighting obstructed one’s ability to read a menu or see one’s food and dining companions. To solve this problem, many revolving restaurants incorporate windows with customized glazing which partially corrects unwanted reflections caused by interior lighting.

Discussion Comments

orangey03

I wonder how hard it is for a waitress to remember where her customers are seated in a revolving restaurant? I never really thought about it until the article mentioned it.

Since several minutes go by during her visits to their tables, their orientation changes. I wonder if this affects her at all?

healthy4life

This article answers a question I have had about revolving restaurants. I always wondered how the people eating in them kept from getting dizzy and nauseous. I could not eat or drink on something that spun around, so I wondered how these restaurants could be so popular.

I suppose that eating on something that turned so slowly you could hardly feel it wouldn't even affect my appetite. Though it would be strange for my view to change over time, I don't believe it would sicken me.

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    • Seattle's Space Needle features a revolving restaurant.
      By: Harry HU
      Seattle's Space Needle features a revolving restaurant.
    • The popularity of revolving restaurants declined in the West during the late 20th century, but they remain popular in other parts of the world.
      By: Andres Rodriguez
      The popularity of revolving restaurants declined in the West during the late 20th century, but they remain popular in other parts of the world.