At a location operating 24 hours a day, an open entryway may also give customers an immediate visual impression that the restaurant is accessible and open for business.

However, the design and operating practices can vary from one restaurant to another. A feature seen at one location should not automatically be assumed to be part of a chain-wide change.

A Small Detail With a Noticeable Effect

The interesting part is that the change does not involve a dramatic renovation or a new piece of technology.

It is simply an entrance.

Yet small architectural decisions can influence how customers experience a familiar place. Something as ordinary as opening a door—or realizing there is no door to open—can make a restaurant feel slightly different before a customer has even reached the counter.

For now, the doorless entrance appears to be something customers may encounter at particular locations rather than a universal feature.

And perhaps that is why people notice it: sometimes the smallest changes to a familiar place are the ones that make us stop and look twice.