Restaurant Furniture Blog

The idea of a “visible kitchen” is nothing new, the concept gained in popularity years ago as a way for chefs to show off both their ingredients and cooking skills. It moved from something typically only seen in delis or pizza joints where space is limited to being a prominent fixture upscale eateries and fine-dining establishments as a critical part of the ambiance. If your restaurant has a “visible kitchen” that isn’t living up to its potential, why not take the time to give the space a design overhaul designed to be both appealing to the diner and help increase kitchen functionality.

Here are a few tips for creating a great “visible kitchen” space:

1. Switch your stainless steel counter-tops out for black granite. This surface is still easy for your cooks to work on, but gives a level of sophistication to the area. It can also help cut down on the amount of light being reflected back at the customers sitting around the counter space.

2. Sacrifice the few small tables that typically sit across from the “visible kitchen” in favor of counter sitting. Removing two or three tables and their set of chairs gives your servers a lot more room to maneuver between the kitchen and the rest of the restaurant. It also brings those patrons up close and personal with your “visible kitchen,” providing them with a rare, front-row seat to the culinary dance taking place.

3. Include design accents in the “visible kitchen” like tiled walls or creative storage spaces and shelving solutions to make the kitchen both staff friendly and organized, while at the same time being visually interesting to patrons watching.

A “visible kitchen” leaves no room for major errors or untidiness. Customers are watching chefs and waiters handle their food, so all bad habits are on display for everyone to see.

When the weather gets warmer, people’s thoughts turn once again to the outdoors. Taking vacations near and far, hosting outdoor barbeques and pool parties, picnicking in the park and more. People get more active in the spring as the days lengthen and get warmer. It’s all about the fresh and new! Spring is a great time for starting over, shaking the winter life off and breathing life back into your restaurant. If you were thinking about springing for a new restaurant design or décor, now is the time.

Why not take use the warmer weather as an inspiration for your new restaurant décor. Go for a Mediterranean theme with warm colors, bright yellows and blues. Invest in new window treatments that let in more natural light and provide a delicate touch to the overall design. Find uniquely shaped lighting fixtures to add personality and a little pizzazz. Replace your white tablecloths with colorful patterns to reflect the new attitude of your restaurant.

If you have the space to do so, invest in creating an outdoor patio for your guests. Even if it’s just big enough for a few tables, your patrons will be glad for the chance to wine and dine outside. Decorate even the most industrial of patio spaces with flower boxes and potted plants to transform a generic patio into a spring garden. Maybe even consider erecting a trellis and planting rose bushes and vines to create a unique fence.

Get rid of old, chipped and stained furniture and opt for lighter pieces that can be easily cared for and rearranged to take advantage of your dining space. Expand the bar area with a few high tables and chairs so guests can eat and drink in a more casual setting.

When most people think about booth seating, they are immediately transported truck stop diner or fast food burger joint. Stylish and elegant aren’t usually the first descriptions that come to mind. But it doesn’t have to be that way! When styled appropriately, booths can be just at home in a fine dining restaurant as the local mom and pop pizza joint.

One of the easiest ways to bring some style to your booths is with the fabric choice. Most casual restaurants go for vinyl booth coverings because they are easy to clean and stand up to the wear and tear of daily use. If you want a booth with style, opt for an intricately designed fabric cover, or even a leather cover. Upholstered booths can be designed to mesh well with the rest of your restaurant’s design.

You could also opt for a wooden, high backed booth to add an element of atmosphere to your booth design. You can choose the right type and finish of wood to keep it simple, yet elegant.

One of the biggest benefits with incorporating stylish booths into your restaurant is that you can make your diners much more comfortable. Plenty of patrons will choose a booth over a table when given the choice. A well-designed booth can be made to feel like a private dining room, creating an expensive and intimate atmosphere.

For some restaurants, being able to rearrange your dining space at a moment’s notice is a blessing. It lets you seat that surprise party of ten with minimal fuss or fanfare. It lets you section off part of your dining room for a corporate function and it makes it easier to clean up at the end of the night. For some other restaurants, trying to move their tables around is like taking on the Goliath of tables. Lightweight table bases can make it a lot easier to maneuver.

Resin can be a good choice if you need the flexibility of having tables either indoors or outdoors. Resin is easy to keep clean, is scratch and chip resistant and is tolerant of most weather conditions. Resin table bases can weigh as little as 13 pounds, so a server can maneuver a table by themselves with ease. This will keep you staff from getting bogged down and potentially hurting themselves from dropping a piece of equipment.

The beauty of lightweight bases is that you can easily manipulate your floor space to meet the needs of any given night. Because they are so easy to handle, you don’t have to worry about scratching your floor (or the furniture), because the tables won’t be dragged across your dining room. Lightweight table bases can still look very elegant and chic, yet can also be designed to match a more casual design.

Dining bars, or at-the-bar dining, has become a restaurant trend in recent months according to Eater.com. This type of dining style has been huge in parts of New York City restaurant culture and more restaurants are trying to duplicate the style. Says Eater.com:

“Many of the big fall openings have either created bars designed for enjoying a big meal with your drink, or areas that replicate this experience, without the actual liquor component.”

This means that the bar is no longer just a place to sit while enjoying a beer or specialty cocktail. While people have previously enjoyed light snacks like nuts or popcorn at the bar, they are now eating multiple course dinners at the bar. Some people prefer this because in many establishments it’s a lot less formal. The bar area never goes on a wait and tends to operate on a first come, first serve basis. So, instead of waiting around outside with families and screaming kids, many people prefer to head on over to the bar and grab a drink while they wait. Most of the time it’s easier to just stay in the bar area than venture back over to the dining room. So, if you think about it, it makes sense that more people want to just stay at the bar to eat.

Restaurants need to accommodate these “bar diners”. It means that the bar area should now be created with more volume in mind. It should be more spacious and comfortable. When purchasing bar chairs, think about incorporating chairs with cushions into the mix. If people are staying longer than for “just a drink”, they will want to be comfortable. The bar itself and tables in the bar area also need to be bigger. In addition to having room for a few glasses, there should also be enough room for multiple plates.

While this might not be the case for all restaurants, the bar is becoming a more popular hangout spot at many establishments. Therefore, it’s best to have a bar that’s ready to entertain for an evening.

Why do people come to restaurants? To eat, of course! Sure, they might be there to get away for an evening, or to catch up with friends, but primarily people go to restaurants so that they don’t have to cook for themselves. Therefore, tables are an extremely important part of a restaurant, if not the most important part. While it’s essential that the tables look good in the restaurant and have the right kind of design that fits with the theme, it’s important that they serve their main purpose- which is to hold the food.

Think about the type of food that you will be serving and the kinds of plates, silverware, and glasses that you will be using. The tables that you choose need to be sturdy enough to handle the weight. People also typically tend to lean on the tables. They shouldn’t be wobbly or crooked because that just provides a bad dining experience. Think about a person that orders a thick piece of steak- will the drink of the person across from them go flying if they apply pressure to the table while cutting into the meat? It’s a good idea to seek out sturdy tables that can handle it.

It’s also important to think about the color of your tables when it comes to the food. Let’s face it- spills happen, especially if you own or operate a restaurant that is family friendly. Unfortunately, it’s possible that a spill can stain something. This is especially true when it comes to pasta sauces. Light colored tables will show stains sometimes, no matter how hard you scrub. It’s also important to factor in the heat of the plates. Customers like their meals hot, and the table needs to be able to stand the heat.
While a fancy table might look nice, a table is there to serve a purpose. Before choosing your tables, make sure that they will function properly.

There are two main categories of chairs to choose from when opening a restaurant. Your chairs can be made of metal or wood. The type that you choose should largely depend on what kind of establishment that you operate. Restaurants can be categorized based on the furniture that’s used.

Metal chairs are often considered to be more modern. They can be painted or polished to show their natural silver look. However, the silver often doesn’t match the rest of the décor being used in the restaurant. This chair style is also a lot less formal. Metal frames are becoming quite popular and include teak, bamboo, or leather finishes. Rattan chairs built on aluminum frames are also a popular modern style. It is possible to find traditional looking chairs that are based on metal frames, it just might take some extra time to search.

Wooden chairs can work well in all types of restaurants, whether they are modern, traditional, fancy, or casual. Wooden chairs don’t have to be plain and boring. There are many good looking wooden chairs out there. A lot of it comes down to the look of the backrest that you are going for. There are many ladderback and lattice back designs to choose from. There are wooden arm chairs and chairs without arms. They can also include upholstered seating and many fabric and vinyl choices are available.

Before choosing the type of chair that you’d like, decide on the theme of the restaurant. The theme of the restaurant will determine what kind of chairs to get. Wood and metal chairs are both good options, but ultimately you should choose whatever looks best and will be the most comfortable for your patrons.

There are many things to consider when deciding on your restaurant booth design. The booth design should match the look and feel that you want your restaurant to have. If you are going to incorporate booth seating into your dining area, it’s best to choose the booth size and design first, and then you will know what kind of space you are left with for the other tables and chairs since booths tend to take up the most space. They sit up higher than other chairs and their pattern and design are sometimes the first things that patrons notice. The color and design that you choose for your booths should also determine how you decide to decorate the rest of the dining room, since it should all match.

You should really choose your booth color scheme and design based on the kind of establishment that you operate. If the restaurant is casual you can probably get away with using bright colors and crazy patterns. However, the booths at an upscale restaurant need to portray that feel. If you are at all confused, as they say “keep it simple”. It’s far better to be conservative when it comes to the booth design that you choose than to have your patrons wonder, “what were they thinking?!” There are simple designs available that could fit into both formal and casual environments.

It’s also a good idea to keep it simple regarding size and shape. There’s really no reason to have a booth that fits more than six people. A booth gets less comfortable the more people that are added to it. Also, the bigger the booth, the less space there is for regular tables. Not everyone likes to sit in a booth so it’s a good idea to incorporate a combination of seating types into your restaurant.

Who are the most important patrons at a restaurant or bar? Well, they are all important and should each be treated with the same amount of courtesy and respect. However, most restaurant owners and managers will agree that people that frequent their establishment on a regular basis, or “regulars”, are looked after a bit more carefully and sometimes get preferential treatment. After all, it’s important to keep the people that spend a fair amount of their money in your establishment happy. If you do, they will recommend you to others and keep coming back.

In order to get these “regulars” it’s important to create an atmosphere that’s relaxed and inviting. People should feel comfortable and receive good quick and friendly service. After all, it’s sometimes as much about the environment and the people in it as it is about the food and drink that is served. The environment should be welcoming for people from all walks of life, for people that come to socialize and others that use your bar as a place to escape and read the paper and drink a beer in peace.

Many people like having another place, outside of their home, in which they feel comfortable, a place in which they know that they will run into a few friendly faces. It’s important for restaurant owners to understand the importance of a “regular” and to ensure that the bar atmosphere suites their needs. You shouldn’t have to bend over backwards for them, but it’s nice to feel appreciated. Throw a free drink or two their way every once in awhile. It will mean more to them than you can imagine and ensure that they continue to patronize your establishment and say good things about you. After all, providing a good guest experience is really what it’s all about.

Tables are one of the most important elements of a restaurant. After all, people come to a restaurant to eat. Therefore, the tables that you choose are very important. To some, a table is a table is a table. But there are so many different styles and designs to consider. You need to choose the material and finish. If you decide to go with wood, there are lots of wood options to consider. You also need to decide if the tables should be square, round, or rectangular based on the space that you have.

Another important factor is to figure out what kind of base is right for your restaurant tables. You will need to decide how tall they should be. The height of the base should be determined by comparing it to the height of the chairs and booths that surround them. It’s important to keep the guests comfort in mind while accounting for the fact that their height varies greatly. You need to find that perfect spot in the middle where the majority of people will be comfortable. You don’t want them to be sitting too high or too low in comparison to the table.

The style of the base is also an important factor to look at. Like everything else in a restaurant, it all comes down to the look and feel that you are going for. Some bases and table tops are very basic while others are more ornate. If you are operating a casual environment basic is probably OK. On the other hand, if your establishment is a little classier, you might want to find a table top and base that is more stylish.