Restaurant Furniture Blog

If you are considering opening a new restaurant then you may find yourself in a bit of a catch-22 situation when it comes to restaurant furniture. Statistics are not kind to restaurants. At least 50% of all new restaurants are reported to have closed down within the first 12 months of trading. This has a few implications when it comes to your budget.

Do you risk spending up big and buying in the very best quality furniture, in the hope it will impress, or do you cut back your budget so that you can ride out the tough first 12 months. It is a difficult decision to make and is going to be a judgment call.

Restaurants aimed at the lower end of the market can afford to look at cheaper restaurant furniture. Customers are not going to expect $1,000 chairs - mind you, they may not be expecting $10 plastic camping chairs either.

The more up market your restaurant is, the more up market your patrons will expect of your furniture. There are ways to satisfy both. Whilst I wouldn’t be looking at laminates for up market restaurants, you could look at granite table tops with chairs in decorative timbers that complement them.

One thing you don’t want is to spend up big on furniture and within 12 months be left with expensive furniture that you may only get 10 cents on the dollar for if you are forced to sell. Of course, you could get lucky and be the person buying that furniture at 10 cents on the dollar - good luck if you are.

Restaurants are a risky business. You have to ensure the restaurant furniture you use is going to be accepted by your patrons. You must also ensure that your budget can well afford that furniture. If you get it right, and you survive the first 12 months, then you can look at more expensive furniture for your restaurant.