All good seafood restaurants have a few key things in common, and if you want to build your seafood restaurant into something that diners will rave about, here are three things you need.

1. Atmosphere and Environment

When it comes to creating a good seafood restaurant, you're going to want to create an atmosphere and environment that sets you apart and gives diners a clean and pleasing setting to dine in. Your restaurant should convey your branded style, be comfortable, and inviting to guests. The main goal here is to make your customers want to spend more time in your restaurant and keep coming back in the future.

2. Quality Food

Even more important than the environment is the quality of food your seafood restaurant can provide. While you can create the sleekest, most inviting restaurant possible, if your food doesn't deliver, then diners won't keep coming back. 72% of diners even ranked high-quality food as their top deciding factor in whether or not to visit a restaurant (per On The Line). You definitely don't want to sacrifice quality for anything.

When it comes to seafood, freshness is key, and the difference between local, fresh seafood and frozen pre-packaged seafood is night and day. Whenever possible, you should strive to provide only the freshest seafood to ensure that you're not sacrificing quality for quantity. Most diners will appreciate a smaller menu selection with fresh ingredients as opposed to a large selection made with frozen pre-packaged fish.

3. Innovation

Lastly, the best seafood restaurants will always feature some innovations when it comes to well-known dishes that help to set them apart from competitors. Using your fresh ingredients, you should try to create inventive twists on classic dishes such as plank-roasted salmon, crab cakes, coconut shrimp, clam chowder, and fish tacos. Creating your own unique recipes and playing with new flavor combinations can be a great way to turn your seafood restaurant into the talk of the town.

If you are looking to transform your seafood restaurant into one of the best in your area, these are three of the most important things you need to keep in mind. While it may take some time if you're able to create a welcoming atmosphere and fresh seafood with a unique twist, you can create a restaurant that can hold its own with the best of the best.