Restaurant Furniture Blog

There is so much variety in a restaurant tables design these days. Solid timber finishes include oak and beech wood or you could go for the hard wearing granite tops. The question is, though, with such elegant finishes, do you dare to go bare?

I am surprised sometimes to see very elegant table tops covered by table cloths. Why hide that finish? I can understand a restaurant owner wanting to protect those table tops. They are not cheap and some of the softer woods can mar easily. However, there are other options.

The first, and most obvious option is to plan ahead. If you are going to use table clothes, do you really need an expensive finish to your table tops? Probably not, so save your dollars early on and buy more practical table tops that need to be covered.

Table cloths have one disadvantage to them - they need to be laundered. That includes stain removal and pressing. The last thing you want is a table cloth that is stained, or full of creases.

If you like the elegance of some of the restaurant tables designs that are available then consider options like place mats instead of table cloths. Your table is on show for the world to see, but the area likely to become marked is covered.

You don’t think place mats would suit your restaurant’s image? Check out what is available first. You would be surprised at the type of place mats that are available, some looking more like miniature table cloths than place mats.

Of course, you could make the ultimate sacrifice and go completely bare. The danger in taking that route is the damage the table top may receive over time. Eventually you may have to resort to table cloths to hide the marks and stains - either that or have the tops resurfaced.

With so many natural timbers available in today’s restaurant tables design, you can really target your restaurant table top to fit your decor. If you do - don’t hide it. Dare to be different, dare to be bare.

Now there is a sentence I could finish in so many different ways - and I hope I do by the time I finish this post. Your restaurant furniture layout may well look good on paper, however, the reality can be completely different.

Using a floor plan to design the layout of your furniture is a sensible idea. However, you have to become the guinea pig and test it out. Here are some of those but’s that what you need to check out.

• Lighting
  Does your layout take account of overhead lighting? You may have your lights dimmed, which could mean that some tables are too dark.
• Services
  Are your tables placed a little too close to services like the kitchen, the entrance and cash register, the telephone, and of course the bathrooms?
• Features
  Placing tables too close to decorative features like water fountains or large mirrors can be off-putting for diners.
• Audio
  If you are planning on entertaining your patrons with music then be sure they are not too close or too far away from the speakers.

This is only a small list of the possible problems. The best way to test your restaurant furniture layout is by putting yourself in the shoes of your diners and sitting at the tables. Be sure to sit in all of the restaurant chairs as well. Things may look good in one seat but be totally unacceptable in the seat opposite.

Your restaurant furniture layout will look good on paper when you have finally finished playing with it. Just make sure that everything works in reality as well. Your reputation will hinge on how well your diners enjoy the experience.

Bar furniture is different than restaurant furniture in general. In restaurants you have to perform a fine juggling act. Get as many tables and as many seats into the available space as possible - without causing any discomfort for your diners. From your diners’ perspective, they want as much space as possible. When it comes to your bar area - the reverse is true. You can squeeze them in with a crowbar if necessary - forget the open spaces.

It’s true. At a bar people are used to sitting much closer. The bar itself becomes the table and people around part of the one big group. I probably went a little far in suggesting you squeeze them in. You do need a little elbow room, even if it is to raise the glass to your lips. You may need a little knee room as well, especially if you include swivel bar stools.

There is a big difference between the amount of space required in your dining room and the space required in a bar area. You can often do an experiment - place your bar stools about 4 feet apart then as the evening (or afternoon) evolves, watch how these stools seem to migrate along the bar. At some stage you will find the stools all bunched up with large empty spaces at one or both ends.

We humans are strange creatures. We will want to eat in private, often not even aware of our neighbors. We certainly wouldn’t strike up a conversation with them. Move us ten feet to the bar and suddenly the opposite is true - for some people, you wish you could stop them talking. Your bar furniture can help facilitate this interaction. Bar furniture that swivels, has arm rests and padded seats and backs encourages a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. You certainly don’t have to be generous with your bar furniture spacing.

If you are just starting out in the restaurant industry you need to be wary of taking cost cutting too far. Restaurant furniture is a big ticket cost - probably the second or third big ticket cost behind fitting out the kitchen and renting or buying the premises.

The temptation is always going to be there to cut costs - not just with your restaurant furniture, but across all areas of your new restaurant. It’s understandable and money management is very important. However, believe it or not, obtaining your furniture through a business that specializes in supplying restaurant furniture may actually save you money. In the long term it certainly will!

Specialist suppliers have a distinct advantage over other suppliers - they buy or order in bulk and you will generally receive the benefit of that cost savings. Specialists have also got a reputation to maintain. If they don’t supply quality products then they will not stay in business for very long. So, to find a reputable restaurant furniture supplier, look for those that have been in business for some time.

Suppliers with a good reputation can be a real asset to your business. They are aware of what is trendy, which manufacturers supply quality furniture along with other inside info like who delivers on time and who is a little tardy.

For you, the real bonus is in simply doing business with them. You can sit down, discuss your needs and ideas and they can show you what is available. They can also help you to get a good deal on the final price, including delivery times and rates. What is also important is that final price - that is exactly what it is - the final price. There are no add-on or last minute hidden charges.

The final piece of the puzzle comes down the track. If you need to replace any individual items, your specialist supplier is more likely to be in a position to supply them. Smaller retailers often only carry the stock until sold out. They then order in whatever the manufacturer is pushing at the time. Specialist restaurant furniture suppliers are there for one reason only, to ensure you get the right furniture at the best value possible. You can’t complain about that!

If you are a restaurant owner and you really want to cater to a variety of patrons, you should ensure your restaurant furniture layout is not set in concrete. I have come across restaurants where their policy for layout has been set in concrete and it can make for some uncomfortable moments.

Most restaurants have a layout that caters for two or four diners. Some push tables together to cater for six or eight diners. That makes a lot of sense since families, friends and business groups come in a variety of numbers. If you insist on table bookings then you can plan ahead and ensure you have sufficient seating.

The problem arises if you accept walk-ins that haven’t booked, particularly if you’re having a quiet night. Are you prepared to quickly push a table or two together to cater for a larger party? You would be surprised that many restaurants won’t compromise their restaurant furniture layout to accommodate last minute groups.

This can make for some embarrassing moments when you seat the group, offering two or more separate tables. Some groups don’t mind, others will ask for a larger table or to push tables together. I have seen other groups take matters into their own hands and push tables together. What would you do under these circumstances? Would you push the tables together, allow them to push tables together, or insist on separate tables or the door?

Being flexible is the key to good business. The last thing you want is to disturb other diners by pushing furniture around. However, if you are having a quiet night then I am sure you could find an empty area where you could quickly rearrange your tables. If your restaurant furniture layout is flexible, you will find you can cater for a much wider group of patrons - that has got to be good for business.

Did you know you can include your logo into your restaurant tables design? Well you can. Your logo is worked into the table top which can be a good way of promoting your restaurants brand.

Using melamine, you have a choice of round or square tables ranging in size from 24″ to 36″ in the square and from 18″ to 48″ in the round. Melamine of course is one of the toughest plastics available and is both scratch and stain resistant. It is also easy to clean and can withstand heat extremes well.

You don’t have to use your restaurant’s logo either. If your restaurant is themed, you can have suitable motifs or scenes created and added to the table tops. This can help to establish the theme and make for a more interesting dining experience for your patrons.

The complete table top is yours to design. You may want a single color background with your design in the center, or your design could cover the entire top - it is your table and your design. The customized tables come with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty, which gives added peace of mind.

Having your restaurant tables design customized does cost a little extra. However, as a marketing tactic, it could pay for itself many times over during the table’s life. Customized tables are often associated with big name restaurant chains. After all, they can have them made in bulk numbers. The reality is that every restaurant could have customized table designs at an affordable price.

If you are interested in customizing your restaurant tables design then check out what is available at the Seating Expert. Customized restaurant table tops are popular all around the world - perhaps you should consider customizing yours.

Bar furniture can transform an area of your restaurant from the formal or semi-formal to the casual and it can be done with real style as well. Casual bar dining stools have all the style and lines of your normal restaurant. In many cases, you can find bar stool variations of your dining chairs.

If you can obtain bar furniture in the same design and materials as your restaurant furniture then you will have a dining area that looks complete. As the eyes scan from front to back and side to side, the image is one of harmony - nothing stands out and attacks the eyes.

Obviously, bar furniture like bar stools stand out a little because of their height. However, if they sit in harmony with the rest of the restaurant, from a distance the height is almost unnoticeable.

There is a trend amongst restaurant owners to provide a casual dining area. Whilst not catering for singles (as in a singles bar), casual dining areas allow friends to meet and eat casually without having to set actual times. These dining areas work very well in areas where there are a lot of office workers, workers who take time off for lunch ‘when they can get away’, not at a specific time.

Bar stools suited to casual dining come in a variety of design styles, including swivel and stationary; high back and low back; and made from a variety of materials ranging from stainless steel to plastics or timber with all the natural and man made fibers in between.

Styles range from the classic Queen Victorian style to the modern futuristic looks. As I mentioned earlier, you would be surprised at how many bar stools are available that perfectly match restaurant dining chairs.

If your restaurant is in an area surrounded by office blocks, incorporate a bar type setup with matching casual dining bar stools. You may find your restaurant becomes the focal point for many workers looking to catch up on old acquaintances over a casual lunchtime meal.

When it comes to restaurant furniture, there is more to comfort than just a padded seat. If you’re new to the industry then you need to take care when buying in your first set of furniture. Whilst a table may look great, and the chairs appear to be a perfect match, it may not always be the case.

Tables come in a standard height of 28 inches. Chairs come in a standard seating height of 18 inches. The 10 inch gap in height is considered to be a comfortable height to sit and eat. However, not all chairs come in at 18 inches. To make matters worse, not all tables come in at 28 inches

Some tables are 29 inches and generally speaking, that extra inch doesn’t make a lot of difference. However, patio style tables can be as low as 20 inches. They are great as side tables or as coffee tables, but for dining, that 2-inch gap between table and chair just won’t cut it. You could of course get a chair that sits at 10 inches in height, but somehow I don’t see many patrons wanting to dine with their knees under their chins.

Using a combination of restaurant table bases and restaurant table tops, the base may stand at 29 inches. Add an extra inch or so for the table top and you’re looking at a total height of 30 inches. Most diners can sit comfortably at that height, however, those of a shorter stature may find the gap between chair height and table too much.

Before ordering, don’t just accept the standard measurements. Check to see what is available and whether or not you are providing a reasonable over height and a reasonable gap between the chair seat and the table top. If you get an opportunity, sit in the arrangement first and imagine yourself as a diner. Are you comfortable? If you’re of standard build yourself, and you are comfortable with the setup, then the chances are your patrons will be happy with your choice of restaurant furniture. If you’re not comfortable, they won’t be either.

A typical restaurant booths layout is one where you have a row of booths alternating between back to back and facing each other. The table of course sits between the two booths facing each other. There are variations on this layout but, in general, this has been the tradition for a very long time.

Today we are in a situation where floor space is often limited and we need to get more seating out of that limited space. There are a number of way of achieving this, the easiest being one that doesn’t use that much more space, yet can increase your seating numbers by up to a third.

This design relies on booths that are L-shaped rather than simple benches. In the traditional design, the wall is wasted space. Sure, many years ago they add small jukeboxes - today we have piped music, large jukeboxes, or no music at all. As I said, the wall is wasted space.

By incorporating L-shaped booths in your restaurant booths layout, you can use that wall space for extra seating. In fact, you can generally get an additional two seats per cubicle, four seats if your patrons don’t mind a corner seat. The two L-shaped modules placed together for a large U shape or what we often call a ‘club lounge’.

There will always be patrons that find this arrangement inconvenient, since one or two diners will need to stand to allow those on the wall side to get in or leave. This, however, is not a frequent occasion and most patrons accept the change well. It certainly makes for a cosier arrangement.

If your restaurant needs to provide extra seating and you are wondering to how you can manage it, consider a restaurant booths layout using L-shaped units. They can be easily installed and add a further dimension to the number of seats you have. More seats can equal greater turnover and, hopefully, greater profits.

When buying restaurant furniture it is important to understand all the finer details of the sales contract. Some restaurants have been caught, particularly when buying from overseas, because they didn’t understand the sales terms.

Buying from overseas direct does not always save money. You have to factor in shipping costs, and that is one area you have to double check as some shipping costs are only port-to-port. You still have the added road transport from port to your door. Other costs could include importation fees and government fees and taxes. You may suddenly find that your cheap restaurant furniture is now pretty expensive. Why? Because you failed to read your restaurant furniture shipping information properly.

Even if you buy locally, there are fine details in the sales contract that need checking and confirming. Lead times; that is, the time it takes from order to delivery may be an important factor if you are running to a tight opening day timetable.

Freight costs must still be factored in although these will be a fixed-to-your-door cost - no hidden extras. Generally speaking, resellers do not carry large quantities of stock so when you order it will most likely be a direct manufacturer to your door delivery. There should not be any hidden costs in this process - the sales price should include all fees and charges.

One aspect of your sales contract that needs close scrutiny is the warranty and the terms and conditions of that sales contract. Warranties can be from one to ten years and generally cover defects in materials and construction. However, if your restaurant furniture says a maximum loading of 150lbs, they mean 150lbs and not 151lbs so your warranty won’t cover a broken piece in that situation.

Restaurant furniture is one of the biggest cost factors for any new restaurant. Be sure to read and understand all the print details of a sales contract. This way, you will not be caught with any hidden surprises. Your restaurant furniture will arrive when expected at a cost that you have budgeted for and in perfect condition for use.