About National Restaurant Designers


  • Firm
    Bio


  • LEED
    Personnel

  • Lee
    Mehler, AIA
    Principal

  • Glenn "Oscar"
    Lehmann, AIA
    Principal

  • N. Ray
    Thornton, Jr., PE
    Principal


National Restaurant Designers (NRD) is a division of LMHT Associates, PA located adjacent to Research Triangle Park in Durham, North Carloina. NRD specializes in various scales of restaurant design for national, regional, and local clients.


Our staff includes Architects and Engineers that have a broad range of experience in creating buildings for food service. We are working on individual and national corporate multi-site projects in 46 states, with projects ranging from renovations, end caps, and in-line up-fits to freestanding projects.


Over the past 30 years we have created dynamic national rollout designs, prototypes, and unique single location designs for the most recognizable major restaurant corporations.


NRD provides a comprehensive range of in-house services:

  • Building design and operations coordination.
  • Equipment, seating, and décor design.
  • Full computer 3D renderings, exterior and interior.
  • As-built investigations and adaptive reuse design.
  • Value Engineering for cost savings.
  • LEED Certified design capabilities.
  • Predevelopment Project Research.
  • Project Management.
  • Permitting expertise including Health Department.

  • N. Ray Thornton, PE
  • Stu Morecraft, RA
  • Alan Cave, PE
  • Shawn Slyter, PE
  • Lauren McDonald
  • Tammy Davis
  • Logan Luzader
LEED AP BD+C logo

Education

  • Master of Architecture
    North Carolina State University
    Raleigh, NC
  • Bachelor of Science, Architectural Studies
    University of Illinois
    Champaign, Illinois

Registrations, Licenses, and Memberships

  • National Council of Architecture Registration Boards
  • Additional States Registered: 24
  • American Institute of Architects
  • North Carolina, AIA
  • Durham Section, NCAIA (Former President)

Professional Positions

  • LMHT Associates, PA (1978 - present)
    Director of Architecture
  • Duke University (1975 - 1978)
    Staff Architect

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts, Architecture
    Iowa State University
    Ames, Iowa

Registrations, Licenses, and Memberships

  • National Council of Architecture Registration Boards
  • Additional States Registered: 30
  • American Institute of Architects
  • Durham Section, NCAIA
  • Construction Specification Institute

Professional Positions

  • LMHT Associates, PA (1978 - present)
    Director of Production
  • Klein & Hoffman (1970 - 1978)
    Draftsman/Designer

Education

  • Master of Science, Industrial Engineering
    University of Alabama
    Huntsville, AL
  • Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering
    North Carolina State University
    Raleigh, NC

Registrations, Licenses, and Memberships

  • LEED AP - June 2009
  • State Board of North Carolina
    Licensed Professional Engineer
  • Additional States Registered: 46
  • ASHRAE
  • Engineers State Board of Electrical Contractors
    NC Licensed Contractor
  • Illuminating Engineering Society of NC
  • National Society of Professional Engineers

Professional Positions

  • LMHT Associates, PA (1991 - present) CEO
  • U.S. Department of Defense (1988 - 1991)
    U.S. Army Missile Command
    Senior Engineer
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1985 - 1988)
    Mechanical Engineer