Restaurant Furniture Blog

If you spend way too much time watching TV shows like Top Design or Top Chef before you start thinking about the restaurant furniture design that you’ll use in your establishment, there is a risk that you will be focused a bit too much on getting everything perfect.

Similarly, if you spend too much time thinking about design when you choose restaurant furniture, you just might discover that you’re in a position where you don’t have a fully functional layout or, worse, you might find that the message that you want your restaurant furniture to convey is not the one that it sends.

In other words, if you find that you’re spending all of your time thinking about the restaurant furniture design that will work in your space, you may get caught up thinking about color and style more than form and function. While you may end up with a space that looks great this way, you might find that you haven’t maximized seating potential or that the color scheme doesn’t mesh with the food that you’re serving.

By focusing instead on what you want to accomplish with your restaurant furniture, the better the position that you’ll be in.

One of the things that you’ll be thinking about when it comes to your restaurant furniture options is the style that you are aiming for. The challenge is that there are times when those who are planning a restaurant sometimes feel that there’s a temptation to combine two styles. Ultimately, then, this is going to leave others questioning whether or not they should think about combining styles when they choose their own restaurant furniture.

There are some cases in which it works to combine styles when you’re choosing your restaurant furniture. In these cases, you’ll be looking at options like sports bars or casual restaurants that combine a sort of a traditional pub inspired style with the convenience of family friendly dining (to some extent, this is something you’ll see in the TGI Fridays chain).

When you do make the choice to start to combine styles with your restaurant furniture, you’ll want to make sure that you’re not going overboard. You’re going to want to be sure that you’re thinking about what you are trying to accomplish overall, and you’re going to want to think about whether there is some carry over between the two: that will be the most effective way to blend styles if is something that you’re interested in doing.

When you start to think about the options that you have for your restaurant furniture layout, there’s a chance that you’ll get a little bit stuck during the decision making process. So if you find yourself stuck while you’re trying to choose a restaurant furniture layout, where should you turn to try to find a bit of inspiration?

Here’s one option that I’ve seen suggested:

(source)In planning the layout of your restaurant, one good place to start is with any franchise restaurant. These establishments spend a lot of time, and a money, and resources determining the most profitable ways to set up and run their restaurants. Using their layout suggestions in your sample restaurant floor plans is an excellent place to start.

While reluctant to fully agree on a variety of levels - the most notable of which is that you don’t want to infringe upon designs that are so (insert name of chain restaurant here) that when you’re customers come in they say, “oh, this looks like . . .” Similarly, if you are thinking about the restaurant furniture layout for a high end restaurant, you’re not going to want your customers to come in and think about, say, a chain bakery.

In other words, there is some merit to looking at what others have done when you’re trying to figure out your restaurant furniture layout plans, but don’t allow what others have done to dictate all of the choices that you make.

One of the things that you are going to want to think about when you’re planning your restaurant furniture layout is whether or not the plan you have is going to help everyone who comes in the door understand what you’re all about.

Think about it. When you walk into a restaurant that features an Irish Pub sort of theme, more often than not you’re going to find a lot of dark wood and the restaurant furniture layout will showcase the bar which is central to what the owners are trying to showcase. Similarly, if you walk into a family friendly sort of restaurant, you’ll find that the restaurant furniture layout leaves plenty of space for those who need to pull up a high chair.

Other restaurants have a different focus and also make an effort to choose a restaurant furniture layout that showcase it at well - a good example would be the Fire and Ice grill locations in Boston and Cambridge, MA where the cooking surface and the raw foods are in the center and tables, chairs and booths, leave everyone room to go and choose their meal and watch while it’s cooked on the grill.

Your restaurant furniture layout is something that you are able to use to make sure that your customers know what you’re all about - especially if you use the layout to create a focal point.

If you have been taking some time to think about your restaurant furniture options, one of the things that you are likely to think about is the new and current trends in restaurant furniture. One of the big trends in restaurant furniture - and in restaurants in general - is going green.

Should you go green with your restaurant furniture however?

Per usual, it depends. When you are thinking about restaurant furniture and you are looking into renewable resources, you’ll find that it is possible to get what you are looking for. On the other hand if you are looking at the options that are available for restaurant furniture that has been made with recycled materials, there may be more challenges and more factors that you’ll want to take into consideration.

In other words, you are still going to want to think about the durability of the furniture that you choose, about the look that you are going for and the overall theme of your restaurant and the vibe that you want your customers to experience when they come in through the front door.

Going green is important for the environment and is a big part of what you should be thinking about overall. However, don’t allow your desire to follow this restaurant furniture trend to derail the plans that you have for your space.

When you start to think about restaurant furniture, one of the things that you’ll find - time and time again - is that there are a few essential points to consider.

When you’re thinking about restaurant furniture, you’re going to want to make sure that:

• The restaurant furniture that you are looking at is well made. Nothing is more important than knowing that the furniture that you buy is going to last rather than collapsing within the first couple of weeks.
• The restaurant furniture that you are looking at is going to suit the style of your restaurant. If you’re looking for a traditional sort of theme to your restaurant, you aren’t going to want to look at all metal chairs with really funky curves and angles because the just wouldn’t fit the decor.
• The restaurant furniture that you are considering should fit into your budget. Simply put, you know what you can and cannot afford, while your restaurant furniture is important, you aren’t going to want to sink another month’s profit into the furniture before you’ve even opened.

Simply put, when you are looking into restaurant furniture, the thing that is important is the big picture. Know what’s appropriate for your restaurant, and then do what you can to meet the needs that you have.

One of the things that you are going to want to think about when you are looking at restaurant furniture and you are still at a point of planning your layout and the restaurant overall is simple: you need to be sure that you are choosing the right restaurant furniture. In some cases, that is going to mean that you should go for a traditional look, in others, you are going to want to step out on the edge a little bit and to try something a little new.

How traditional should you keep your restaurant furniture? ?

Ultimately, there is no one set answer to that question. But consider this: would highly traditional furniture be appropriate if you had ultra modern decor and nouveau cuisine? Similarly, if you were going to serve traditional pub fare in your restaurant, wouldn’t there a least be a part of you that wanted to make sure that you were able to choose a decor - and restaurant furniture and a layout - that make people recognize right away what you were trying to accomplish?

In other words, when you are choosing restaurant furniture and are working through the planning stages, you’re only going to want to stick with tradition as much as it makes sense.

Sometimes, when you are opening a restaurant and you’re thinking about the tables, chairs and booths that you will be using along with your restaurant furniture layout, you are going to read about those restauranteurs who are a bit restless and don’t stick with the decisions that they make.

The challenge, when you are thinking about your restaurant furniture layout is that it’s important to know that this sort of thing tends to draw strange looks and odd thoughts about whether or not someone coming into the restaurant is going to have a meal of the same quality and style as their last time in. In other words, what you are going to find is that if you shake up your layout rather than just sticking with a restaurant furniture layout, you’re likely to create some confusion for your customers.

Simply put, changing the focus of your restaurant on a regular basis is something that will stand in the way of establishing brand identity. Not only that but, when you your customers don’t know what to expect from your restaurant furniture layout, there’s a good chance that the elements that have drawn people into your restaurant in the past won’t be there the next time that they come in - and that’s the reason why sticking with a restaurant furniture layout is so important.

One of the things that is interesting for those who are in the planning stages with their restaurant and who have started to think about the restaurant furniture that they are going to use is the consideration of where they are located. One case in which this matters is in colder areas where there are a number of skiers who will be coming in at the end of the day - it’s important to make sure that they will be able to find a warm place to be.

In other words, your location is something that should have an impact on the restaurant furniture (and the restaurant furniture layout) that you choose. If you’re in a warmer area where tourists are common, one of the things that you’re going to want to focus on is finding restaurant furniture that will be comfortable for those who have been on their feet all day.

In other words, you are going to find that it’s important to think about your restaurant furniture - and the way that you lay it out - based on what people in the area are going to be doing, how they spend their time and what they are going to be looking for at the end of the day when they come in for a meal.

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and thought that something just wasn’t quite right? Maybe you couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but if the restaurant had booths, you may want to take a second look. One of the most common mistakes that is made in restaurant booth layout planning involves choosing one too many double booths. This often ends up with the bench of a booth facing the wall or, in some cases, the bench of one booth just kind of being there.

When you are thinking about using booths, you need to be sure that you are thinking about the restaurant booth layout options that are going to be available to you. You’re going to want to be sure that you are thinking about the amount of space that you have overall and about how much of that space you are using for booths. You’re also going to want to make sure that, when you are choosing restaurant booths, you consider the amount of space that each will take up.

Of course, don’t think that it is only because of appearance that you should be thinking about your restaurant booth layout. The other reason is far more to the point: you want to be able to create as much usable space as possible.