However, one-way streets can either drive chi toward, or pull it away from, your building:
So the degree of benefit you gain from the location has a lot to do with traffic flow, both on the street and foot traffic on sidewalks.
Although modern feng shui defines the ba gua according to the location of the doorway, there are other factors involved in determining “front” and “back” of a space. If one street is a busy thoroughfare, and the other would be most accurately described as a side street, then probably the side of the building on the busier street is the front. You might also consider, if you get a lot of foot traffic, which direction those patrons come in from. Or where your parking lot is located. And which side of the building has more or larger windows. And where your signage is placed.
Use of the interior space can also affect which side of the building might be considered the “front.” You can judge this by where your attention goes when you step inside, and which way your customers naturally turn (or not) when they step through your door.
Where are the kitchen and bathrooms located? Often this will “feel” like the “back of the house,” although they could be “off to the side.” Which phrase would you use to describe them? That should tell you something.
I suspect that if you give yourself permission to define “front” and “back” yourself -- without worrying about how the space may have been used in the past -- you’ll intuitively know which way is the better match for your restaurant.
Keep in mind, as well, that when an entry is recessed the bottom edge of the ba gua is aligned with the doorway, not with the main wall on that side of the building. There's no missing area at the doorway. The "extra" space is just that: extra.
If business is good, then most likely your doorway position is not a problem and I wouldn’t worry about it.
Hope this helps makes some sense of your space,
Stephanie R.
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The purpose of this Q+A service is to clarify modern feng shui principles and remedies, and to help you make sense of contradictory teachings you’re likely to come across. If you are new to this blog, please read the Q+A Guidelines (see sidebar on left) before sending me a question. Do expect that I will edit your message for clarity and focus, and that it may be a week (or longer) before I post a reply. Keep in mind, too, that you’re getting my personal opinion on the topic. If you ask someone else, you might get a different answer.
