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We have been the restaurant owner’s commercial furniture supplier of choice for a number of years. We’ve furnished hundreds of restaurants all across the UK and even overseas. It’s fair to say that we have plenty of experience when it comes to furnishing a restaurant.

For those of you who are a first-time purchaser of restaurant furniture, there are some common mistakes that can happen in the buying process. At Trent Furniture, we’ve decided to share our knowledge and explain some ways to avoid these mistakes with some top tips. 

Spend time planning your restaurant 

Buying your restaurant furniture shouldn’t simply be a case of going to our website and placing an order of however many chairs and tables. You can never spend too much time planning your purchase. To ensure you get it right, you need to think about the space available, amount of furniture needed and how it will affect the flow of your restaurant. Other considerations include your budget, the durability of the furniture and if it will fit with your restaurant’s image. 

Space considerations for diners

Overcrowding a restaurant with furniture is a common problem. In a bid to get more covers, restaurant owners can be tempted to squeeze in an extra few tables and chairs where space is already at a premium. The result is a restaurant that appears cluttered with little space to manoeuvre. This sacrifices customer’s comfort and privacy for extra seats - not a strategy that we agree with.

There should be at least 45cm between chairs, ensuring tables have space and staff have enough room to work around the tables. The higher quality of the restaurant this space should increase. 

Getting the measurements right

Check your restaurant’s dimensions more than once. There’s nothing worse than setting up a table only to find that it doesn’t fit into the corner of the room how you’d hoped. 

Once you have measured you’ve done this, take note of the dimensions of the furniture you’re looking to purchase and draw a sketched floor plan for every idea you have so that you can assess the pros and cons of each layout design.

Considering you customers’ needs

It might well work with you, but what about your customers? After all, they’re the ones who will be using it. Stay true to your restaurant and the demographic you are looking to target. Is speed important to your customer base or are you a more fine-dining establishment? The comfort of your seating should align with how long you want customers to stay.

Buying restaurant furniture

Each restaurant and bar will have different needs and requirements depending on the image they’re trying to present. Whatever space you are working with, it is nearly always possible to alter the ambiance of a space with careful manipulation of design elements.
Whatever interior your restaurant is looking to create, Trent Furniture can help. Call us now on 0116 2864 911.

Furnishing hundreds of pubs, cafés, bars and restaurants every year, it can all merge into one big project. As such, it can be nice to look back and see what has happened over the past year.

As usual, our furniture has been used in plenty of pubs, restaurants and cafés but we also see our furniture used for a whole host of other purposes.

Here are some of our favourite transformations through 2017...

The best wedding venue furniture 2017-18

Early on in 2017, we furnished a picturesque wedding venue with our fitting limewash Chiavari stacking chairs. The wedding venue dates back to the 14th century and is a barn found in Hertfordshire. The traditional wooden features of the venue worked perfectly with that of the carved chairs.

Take a look at the wedding venue furniture.

Football club furniture favourites 2017-18

Our furniture was found in numerous football clubs through last year but a particularly favourite transformation was at Eastleigh Football Club. In a bid to improve the hospitality services at the stadium, the club has been developing a new hospitality building on the North End of the stadium. Our Buckingham silver frame chairs were used in the glamorous bar and restaurant which will be open to players, supporters and sponsors.

Have a look at the football club’s development.

Indian restaurant furniture - the best choices for 2017-18

Our restaurant furniture has been used for both new and established restaurants across the country. Halfway through 2017, over 100 of our chairs and 25 of our tables were used to fully furnish a new Indian restaurant in Milton Keynes. Urban Dhaba was opened by the Mayor of Milton Keynes at an event that featured fire performers and Bollywood dancing. 

Get some inspiration for your restaurant.

Jazz bar furniture favorites 2017-18

Jazz bars are a particular favourite of ours at Trent Furniture and we were thrilled when the owner of a new café and jazz bar in Cardiff got in touch with us about ordering furniture. We’re pleased to have helped The Pomegranate fill the venue with stylish furniture to create a chic, modern décor. 

See the furniture chosen for the jazz bar.

Best street food venue furniture 2017-18

Street Feast converts disused spaces in London into unique eating and drinking environments. Street food is a growing trend and these transformed spaces are a sight to behold with smells from either cuisine imaginable filling the space. For one of their venues, furniture was needed for a special Martini Weekender event. 

Our loopback chairs and bentwood stools were propped against the main cocktail and aperitif bar at the event. Take a look here. 

UK commercial furniture supplier - Trent Furniture

Whatever your commercial space you are looking to furnish through 2018, Trent Furniture can help. We have a selection of tables, chairs, sofas, and stools that are available to browse.

The ECB (England Cricket Board) offers various funding to support Cricket Clubs in England and Wales. Whether you are looking to expand your club, improve current facilities or refurbish your clubhouse, there is a number of options with the ECB that can help facilitate the process. From their interest free loan scheme to the small grant scheme to Sport England Lottery funding and help with fundraising, your club could benefit from ECB support.

What is an ECB grant?

The EWCT Small Grant Scheme helps cricket clubs make small changes that contribute to their long-term sustainability.

This year, clubs can apply for the grant to be used to improve facilities linked to national programmes; this could mean increasing covers or redeveloping the clubhouse to provide a more family friendly environment.

The grant can be used towards the purchase of relevant materials as well as any expenses related to professional labour costs. The procurement of new furniture to increase covers in the clubhouse restaurant or new seating for the bar area to encourage family dining and match day attendance are all included under these themes so a small grant could be the help you need if you are looking to buy new furniture!

Am I eligible to apply for funding for our cricket club?

Yes any Cricket Club can submit an application by contacting their local Country Cricket Board, however priority will be given to affiliated Clubs that are that are actively engaged in the following national programmes

• Get the Game On
• Supporting All Stars Cricket  
• Women’s Cricket
• U19 Club T20

It is likely that you will be asked to provide quotations for the materials/works that you plan to purchase with the grant so you will need to contact suppliers to obtain formal quotes. Here at Trent Furniture we are more than happy to assist with this and we can provide multiple quotes if required to assist with your application.

How do I apply for an ECB grant?

First you should contact your local County Cricket Board (CCB) to request and application note. They will be able to provide instructions on how to apply and full guidance notes for completing your application.

Make sure you complete all stages thoroughly, obtain current and formal quotes from suppliers and submit your application before the deadline!

For more details and to visit the official ECB website click here

You’ve chosen the location, your menu is in development and fixtures and fittings are in place but what about the design of the dining area of your restaurant? Layout is fundamental in creating and running a successful restaurant. When you consider that on average, the dining space of a restaurant takes up two thirds of a restaurants total space it’s no wonder that planning of the area needs to be a priority. It’s near pointless having a top of the range kitchen and extraordinary menu if the interior and layout doesn’t work, doesn’t enable the venue to operate to its full potential and leaves customers dissatisfied.

1. Capacity

If you are asking yourself ‘Where do I begin in designing the layout of my restaurant?’ then the experts at Trent Furniture may have the answers you need! First things first, you need to calculate how many covers you can fit into the area. This will depend to some extent on the type and tone of the restaurant.  In a fast food restaurant setting, diners can be positioned much closer to one another, you can even introduce shared dining experiences and have seating within very close proximity to the next dining table. Less than 1 square metre per person would suffice. However, in a full service restaurant this would feel crowded and you need to allow more area per customer, anywhere between 1 and 1.5 Square Metres per diner is adequate and should enable you to work out a ball point maximum capacity for your restaurant. Depending on whether your restaurant offers fast food, buffet, full service dining or a fine dining experience will affect how much space you allow and ultimately what type of dining experience you want to create so consider this at the initial planning stages.

2.Size

Once you have figured out your maximum capacity, what next? When you know how many diners you can fit in, or at least have a good idea, you need to decide what size tables will work best. It is important to cater for various group sizes so a combination of square and rectangular tables is the ideal solution. Square tables are perfect for couples and rectangular for families or bigger groups. Then for large parties and events, the tables can be joined together to cater for more people if necessary. The combination of both square and rectangular tables in different sizes tables provides ultimate flexibility so you can adapt efficiently to meet the needs of your customers.

Answering the question of ‘What size tops will I need for my restaurant tables?’ is much more difficult because the answer is very much determined by the type of food you will be serving. Most restaurants combine square and rectangular shape tables to cater for different group sizes, but the final sizes will depend on the style of food, number of courses and accompaniments as well as any additional tableware that might be required. If you specialise in tapas, offer a seven course tasting menu or the menu focuses on little plates, extras and side dishes then you might need to allow for slightly more table surface per person! We recommend a minimum area of 45cm x 30cm but going up to anywhere in the region of 75cm x 40cm for each individual diner. See our table top size guidelines in the image below;

3.Positioning

When it comes to the positioning of your tables and chairs, generally, we suggest approximately 45cm from the back of one chair to another so that customers have room to get in and out from the tables without disturbing other guests. The last thing customers want is to be knocking elbows with the stranger on the table next to them, not only will the uncomfortable experience be likely to lead to a lower overall spend but it also leaves them with a negative impression of the venue, unlikely to recommend your restaurant to others or to return themselves in the future. As a guideline, aim for a minimum of just under half a metre distance between the backs of chairs which will give your customers plenty of room to access their seats.

Once you have your furniture in place, get a feel for the space by sitting in each seat and identifying any potential issues. It’s inevitable that there will be the ‘best seats in the house’ and some that are less impressive but by trying out the position of each chair in the restaurant at least you will be aware of where and able to improve on them. If there is a table within close proximity to the bathrooms or main entrance for example, consider using bench seating to minimise disruption from passing traffic or even utilise the area for a different purpose such as a lobby or storage. When trying out the seats, take account of what the customers view will be form their seat and for drawbacks such as draughts, kitchen noise and lighting. Often very small adjustments to the position of a table can make a huge difference and there will be a very simple solution!

4.Circulation Routes & Flow

The whole restaurant should have a natural flow, from the main entrance to the bar and the dining area right through to storage and the kitchen/food preparation area – you should carefully consider your circulation route both in terms of your customers and the staff. People must be able to move around with ease and the waiting staff need clear pathways and adequate room between tables to be able to maintain high quality service. Ultimately, the positioning and spacing between furniture is integral to an establishments success and has a major effect on how effectively your restaurant operates. Ensure there is space between seating for diners to move their chairs back from a table without obstructing the circulation route.

It can be difficult to get the right balance between an effective circulation routes whilst fitting in as many tables as possible to maximise capacity and accommodate the greatest number of customers but it really is something you should consider carefully when designing the layout of your restaurant. When designing these routes, always consider the seated customer as you do not want them constantly surrounded by people traffic. The key here is to keep circulation routes to a minimum-just enough to allow people to move around with ease and get in and out from the tables, ideally this means a minimum of 40-50cm between chairs which are placed back to back.

Do not position tables in the middle of main route from the dining area to the kitchen or toilets where they will obstruct the flow in the highest traffic areas, not only does it inconvenience waiting staff but it’s an unpleasant dining experience for your customer.

5.Partitions & Dividers

If you are designing your restaurant floor plan to include a waiting area then it should be within easy reach of the entrance but not in any way blocking the entrance or exit. Position furniture at low levels by using sofas and coffee tables or perhaps high bar stools and poseur tables which take up less space. By introducing different level seating to the apace it helps to isolate the waiting area as a different section to the other parts of the restaurant where customers are eating and drinking. A bar area is a good addition to a waiting area to increase a restaurants profitability so you could also consider positioning the bar area in between the entrance and main dining area to separate the two. The addition of a few bar stools strategically placed creates a welcoming ambiance and doubles up as a waiting area when people are waiting for their table.

It’s a great interior design technique to combine high and low level seating in a venue as it adds interest to the layout and help to distinguish different areas within the restaurant. The bar might have tall tables and bar stools, the entrance some tub chairs and low tables, whilst standard dining tables and chairs feature in the main dining section. If you decide to use this technique, make sure there is enough distance between sections that those sitting in low seating don’t feel like they are being looked down on by high tables. Try using the same model of chair in tall and standard height to create a coordinated look but still differentiate the more casual seating with more formal dining areas.

You might also want to section off areas in your restaurant layout to offer some variations in atmosphere, create some more intimate and private areas by using free standing benches which create the feel of a private booth area or high back dining chairs positioned in rows to create barriers and increase the feeling of privacy. Solid back dining chairs can be really effective at sectioning off large groups from the rest of your customers and tables placed at certain angles can restrict view.

NB: Don’t forget the incorporate these other areas when designing your restaurant layout;

• Waiting Area
• Bar
• WC’s
• Kitchen & Food Prep
• Storage
• Staff Area & Office

All will form an important part of the design process and need to be considered in the early stages of planning your restaurant layout and will influence how much and what furniture you can fit into the venue

When you have a good idea of how you plan to layout your restaurant you might be thinking ‘what type of furniture works best for my layout?’ If you need any advice on furniture style, recommendations or information on sizing and product specifications then please call our experienced sales team who will be happy to talk through options and answer any questions.
 

The British pub and sport have been linked for centuries, going back to the days when cock-fighting and prize fights were held as entertainment for drinkers in pubs and ale-houses. But there is a special association between the pub and football. In the early days of football, in the 19th century, the pub and the local football club were closely linked; football was a growing game in working-class communities, which made the new clubs based around local neighbourhoods a good fit with their local pubs.

Pubs and football - Using pubs as player changing rooms

Some pubs were used by the players as changing rooms, and fans and players would gather there before and after games. Tottenham Hotspur were helped in their early years by the brewery that ran the local pub, the White Hart, and which provided a ground in the lane (White Hart Lane) running behind the pub. This connection between pubs and football is a tradition that continues to this day, with countless Sunday league football teams being based around local pubs.

The British passion for watching football in bars

But it’s only relatively recently that the British have been watching football in pubs in large numbers. When football was first televised in the 1950s, it was watched at home. The 1962 World Cup in Chile was covered by BBC TV – but viewers had to wait three days while the rolls of film were flown back to the UK and edited for broadcast.

Watching football world cups with family and friends

Most people who remember the 1966 World Cup will recall watching it with family and friends, crowded around a black-and-white TV as the rollercoaster game took its course. By 1970 colour television had arrived, but still, most football was watched at home as people huddled around watching the slightly grainy satellite images and listening to David Coleman’s crackly commentary (“Gordon Banks”!). As time went on, some pubs began showing football on TV, but it would usually be in the background, often with the sound turned down. 

Football as a mainstream hobby

In the 1990s things started to change. Football was moving beyond its traditional working-class fan-base and becoming popular among a wider audience.

The Premier League arrived, and Sky started showing pay-per-view football, which meant that those who were not Sky subscribers often went to the pub to watch games. Also, crucially, the televisions themselves started to get bigger. During the Euro 96 football tournament, held in England, watching football in pubs suddenly became popular as fans followed the progress of the England team (and others) to the semi-finals.

Coping with demand - Bars and football matches

Some pubs were taken by surprise and overwhelmed by the numbers; they found they hadn’t enough pub chairs or tables to accommodate the viewers. But two years later, for the 1998 World Cup, they were ready, setting aside areas for fans to watch, setting up big screens and buying in new furniture. Across the country, millions of fans congregated in pubs, bars, sports clubs and other venues to watch the tournament, up to and beyond England’s defeat to Argentina in the quarter-finals.

Brits prefer watching sport in pubs and bars to the 'real thing'

As a fascinating research paper on pubs and football by Kevin Dixon at Teesside University says, many football fans now prefer watching football in the pub to the real thing. For one thing, with today’s high prices for Premier League football, it’s cheaper. And for another, some fans prefer the camaraderie of the pub, rather than sitting next to a bunch of strangers in the stadium. (Also, the law forbids drinking alcohol within sight of the pitch in football stadiums.) In 2002, as another research paper shows, more people watched live sport in a pub or bar than paid to watch live sporting events.

2018 Russian world cup

All of which brings us to 2018, and the forthcoming World Cup. This year’s tournament is being held in Russia, and offers the owners of pubs, bars, sports clubs and other venues the chance to attract customers throughout the tournament. The tournament kicks off at 4pm UK time on June 14th with Russia’s game against Saudi Arabia.

The final takes place a month later in Moscow on July 15th. UK kick-off times are mostly at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm, with some games starting at 11am. Spare a thought for fans in Russia: matches have been timed to attract maximum TV audiences in western Europe, which means that some games don’t kick off until 10pm Russia time. 

Football fans today are an inclusive bunch; they will of course be watching England’s games in great numbers, but they will also want to watch other games, such as, Germany v Sweden on June 26th. And it’s worth thinking about your local population.

If you have a substantial number of Polish people in your area, you could make a special event of screenings of Poland’s games, which begin with Poland v Senegal at 4pm on June 19th.

Watching England vs Tunisia - Football World Cup in bars - June 18th 2018

England’s games begin with a match against Tunisia on June 18th at 7pm UK time.  This is a Monday night, not normally a particularly busy time for pubs and bars. So this is a chance to bump up your takings. It’s vital of course to have a big screen located where everyone in the bar can see it. For the afternoon or evening of the match, you might want to re-arrange your furniture – more chairs, fewer tables.

Some people will be happy to stand at the back. This might be a good time to invest in some new furniture. Stacking chairs would be useful; they could be brought out for matches to increase your seating capacity, and stored away until they’re next needed. Today’s stacking chairs are relatively inexpensive and durable, built to withstand the hard wear and tear of a commercial environment, while still being compact enough to stack away. Trent Furniture’s Remo chair is sturdy, affordable, stackable and practical. 

English pubs showing the 2018 football world cup

Pubs that show football on big screens will have different atmospheres depending on the kind of customers they attract and the layout of the furniture. Some will be boisterous and rowdy, others more laid-back. A pub or bar can influence the atmosphere by the way it sets out furniture. Rows of chairs with no tables and standing room at the back will foster a more raucous environment while setting out chairs with tables will lead to a more sedate atmosphere; people will be sitting at their tables watching the game but also talking to each other. The choice is yours.

Football fans and British bars

Finally, it’s worth bearing in mind that not everyone is a football fan. There are customers who will walk into a pub or bar, see a big screen showing football, and walk straight out again. Football fans, especially if they are loud and vocal, can be off-putting. So if your bar, pub or club has a number of rooms, you could consider setting one aside as a space where people can talk and drink quietly.

This could be furnished with softer, more comfortable chairs, sofas or armchairs, to encourage people to sit back and linger. You could make a point of labeling it as a “football-free zone”. 

But for those who decide to watch the World Cup in a bar or pub or club, the viewing experience will be better than ever before. Big screens offer crisp, high-definition images that everyone can see. And with today’s slow-motion replays, and with goal-line technology in use in this year’s World Cup, there will be no more 1966-type arguments over whether the ball crossed the goal-line.