Although steamboats were originally designed more with trade in mind, they were also certainly popular for carrying travelers, and it is this function that you will probably want to focus on when designing your interior. Nautical accessories such as a ship’s wheel and mirrors that look like portals, for instance, can be brought almost anywhere nowadays.
However, for your interior, you are probably going to have to do more research and work in order to create the right impression.
Tables and chairs
You will probably want to go for something luxurious and comfortable for your dining chairs. At the same time, tables can be relativity basic, as they can be hidden under tablecloths, although the tables will then have to be dressed to perfection. For the most part, traveling on a steamboat was and still is a luxury experience, so it is important that you bring this feeling into your restaurant.
Of course, in order to get the right sort of furniture for your restaurant, you are going to have to invest in some freight shipping as the items are likely to be heavy. Sourcing them from one place could mean that you save the hassle of having to shop around and, therefore, only have to pay out the once for bulk freight. Possibly buying older versions of furniture over the new modern counterparts could make your interior look the part as steamboats were created in the late 1780s.
Uniforms for servers and waiters
Undoubtedly, you could make even more of an effort for your customers’ pure enjoyment and have your waiting staff or servers dress up in the attire that they would have worn when working on the steamboats. This can be a great morale raiser for staff members and make your customers feel that they are experiencing something very novel.
Undoubtedly these uniforms will have to be made to be worn and worked in, so you would probably do better to have them made for you by professional dressmakers rather than purchase off-the-shelf versions. This is because you will get better quality and harder-wearing fabrics and needlework by hiring the services of a professional, whereas cheaper versions, although they may save you money at the outset, will be poorly fitting and more likely to fall apart at the seams after a few wears and washes.
So, to wrap it all up
Creating a themed-based restaurant can not only be fun to design but also to work in and visit. However, in order to make your restaurant a quality venue, you will have to pay particular attention to detail; otherwise, it may end up looking like an outdated eatery rather than the experience that you are working so hard to provide.
In fact, if you do all of your reconstruction well, you may find that your restaurant becomes the place to go with visitors venturing from near and far to sample your food and enjoy the experiences that your restaurant and its surroundings are offering.