When opening a restaurant, you will be overcome with questions when it comes to making important decisions before you even open. One of the many questions that will arise in the initial stage is deciding what furniture to use. It is an essential factor because the furniture has an influence on your customers experience.
Why restaurant furniture is so important
Furniture is an important ingredient in the recipe of success for a restaurant. Whether you’re opening a new restaurant or are rebranding, furniture plays a large part in the feeling, ambience and overall character of the space.
The restaurant’s décor, is vital for customers’ perception of an establishment. The design and furnishings serve as a signal of what quality should be expected from the dining experience. Just by looking through the window of a restaurant, you get an impression of what kind of eatery it is.
Just think of a fast food chain and compare the décor with that of a Michelin starred restaurant. The choice of furnishing paints a picture of what to expect in terms of the type of cuisine, customer service standard and price to expect. This is all vital in attracting your target customer.
Features to consider when buying restaurant furniture
For restaurant managers, there are plenty of features to consider when buying furniture. The furniture needs to be comfortable for customers, durable, functional, match the desired ambience and be visually appealing. With all of that in mind, it must be difficult to find the perfect restaurant furniture, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be.
In this buying guide for restaurant furniture, we’ll be covering any concerns and provide tips on how best to furnish your restaurant.
There are a range of areas that must considered before buying restaurant furniture. Some of the most common questions include:
- What is the restaurant’s cuisine?
- Who is your audience?
- Are you upmarket or a casual dining establishment?
- What is your budget?
- How big is the space?
- What is your desired layout?
How to choose a restaurant theme
To start, you need to picture what you would like your restaurant’s theme to be. This will be helpful in matching you with the right furniture. You’ll hopefully already have an idea of what type of restaurant you will be running. An Italian? American diner? Or perhaps a traditional British restaurant?
From here, you need to refine this idea into what audience you want to attract. Will you be upmarket or casual? Do you want families or groups of friends to be your main guests? Sit down and research thoroughly into the different markets, competition and possible gaps in the market for the location that you’re opening.
All of the above will impact the choice of furniture. It’s all linked. As an example, an American diner that attracts young people shouldn’t use dark oak square back side chairs and rectangular shaker tables. It should instead present an original 1950s diner ambience with traditional red and white or black and white booths with aluminium tables.
How to increase the volumes of people eating out
The UK’s eating habits aren’t what they used to be. Our needs have changed; thanks to the vast availability of foods that are now open to us. As a country, we are no longer restricted by the clock and can go out for a meal as and when it suits us. Casual dining has risen and that means that going out to eat is no longer such a ‘big event’. Of course, there are restaurants that are more accustomed to hosting special occasions but on the whole, eating out is part of everyday life for many.
With the public eating out more regularly it’s easy to see why so many new restaurants are opening up. With so many places available for people to eat now, a good first impression is needed to attract the growing market of those eating out. Furniture and the décor in restaurants has a big part to play the first impression. Potential customers will be asking themselves “is the restaurant furniture cluttered, dated or poorly arranged?” and “is the décor modern and in-keeping with the atmosphere?”.
Opinions will vary, though. Some customers will find identical tables and chairs daunting, but some will see mix and match shabby chic furniture similarly off-putting. There are no rules to follow stating that all restaurant furniture should match. In fact, mixing things up can create a more homely, natural atmosphere. Depending on the impression you’re trying to create and the market you’re trying to reach, the furniture should be arranged accordingly.
Choosing the right restaurant furniture
When you come to choose your furniture, forget about your personal taste and focus on creating the desired ambience. Establishing the right character that you want to create in your restaurant should be at the forefront of furniture buying decisions. Ultimately, your furniture buying will cover two areas: restaurant tables and chairs.
Choosing the best restaurant chairs
Unlike tables, there are more possibilities available with seating. There are single chairs, stools, booths, sofas or a mix of them all! Then you have to decide on wooden, leather, metal or plastic. We told you there was lots to think about! Once again, your decisions should be in keeping with the desired ambience and theme.
As an example, sofas and booths fit well in a family-friendly restaurant and casual eateries. Families generally prefer booth seats as they add to the intimacy of the meal. You are also more likely to see this type of seating in more casual restaurants. However, elegant, leather chairs are a better choice for fine dining restaurants.
As well as the target market and restaurant theme, the size of the restaurant also plays a part in the decision. Restaurant managers will want to maximise the number of possible places in the restaurant without overcrowding. Booths are a good option if space is restricted.
Even if it is a small space, it is recommended that there are at least some single chairs. For single chairs, there are many chair designs to choose from: Squareback, Washington, Boston and Abbruzzo leather chairs. For a more casual restaurant design, you might be tempted to use sofas in certain areas. Nevada sofas are often matched with low dining tables.
Lastly, it isn’t a good idea to buy restaurant chairs without considering your table choice too. The chairs need to fit under the table and the designs should match.
How to choose the best restaurant tables for your restaurant
Table size is a critical factor in a restaurant’s furniture buying. Yes, you can push tables together if a large group of people arrives, but this can impact the layout and flow of the restaurant. Think about whether your customers will have a comfortable dining experience in the space they have.
It’s likely that the style of dining table that you decide on will come in different sizes. It is beneficial to get a mixture of sizes so that you can cater for different sized groups. The last thing you’ll want is to turn away a large group because you simply cannot manoeuvre a layout to fit them in.
Most popular restaurant tables
Square tables are the most popular shaped table is restaurants. They can be used alone to cater for two or four guests or can be pushed together to cater for larger groups. Rectangular tables are ideal for restaurants where larger groups are expected.
It’s rare to find circular tables in restaurants however they do have a place in more casual establishments. Round tables are seen as more social and are versatile in the sense that customers can pull in as many chairs as they wish.
The audience that your restaurant will target should determine your decision on the size and functionality of the tables and layout.
Getting the right restaurant layout
The layout of your restaurant is as important for your guests as it is for your waiters and waitresses. Both need to move around the restaurant freely so that the risk of accidents is low. No one should find it hard to move around in the restaurant, without knocking anything over.
As well as the safety aspect, if you pack too many tables into an area, customers will feel cramped and the restaurant will appear over crowded. However, if there’s too much empty space, your establishment will appear empty and unpopular. You will also be losing out on profits by not optimising your restaurant’s space properly.
It’s a fine balance to strike. But again, it depends on the market and ambience you are trying to create. In more upmarket establishments, one would expect more room between tables. This encourages people to stay for a longer span of time; groups can relax and not feel pressured into leaving straight after they’ve finished the meal. Perhaps they’ll order some coffees or another bottle of wine.
In a casual restaurant, turnover is faster and customers aren’t expected to stay for long periods of time. For this reason seating is closer together and in some cases tables are shared with other parties.
Straight-backed dining chairs are a popular option for restaurants that are short on space but don’t want to sacrifice missing out on potential eaters. The chairs provide a design that leaves room for people to pass behind.
How to extend life span of your restaurant furniture
All furniture will be used and be expected to endure the demands. Restaurant furniture, however, lives an even more demanding lifespan than residential furniture. The constant use and moving around that is put on restaurant furniture means that it can, if it isn’t well kept, be a regular purchase.
To avoid having to buy new furniture every few years, the key is to ensure that the furniture is designed well and is durable. As well as carefully selecting furniture that is composed of the highest quality materials, creating using rigorous manufacturing processes, there are some maintenance and cleaning tips for keeping your restaurant furniture in good condition.
Effective restaurant furniture examples
Indian restaurants, American diners and hotel restaurants are just some of the establishments that our restaurant furniture has helped with profits.
We provide the furniture but it is up to the restaurant to ensure that it matches with their ambience and is laid out in an appealing manner. A restaurant that we supplied who did this particularly well was Urban Dhaba, a restaurant in Milton Keynes. Their choice of dark oak furniture presented a smart, contemporary restaurant with rustic design elements that matched the authentic nature of the restaurant.
A restaurant’s furniture makes up the overall design and there is awards and praise available for those that do it well. Some customers will even go to restaurant, because of its design. It all adds to the experience: food, atmosphere, staff and the design should all work together to create the ultimate dining experience.
Around the world, there are restaurants that take pride in their design and should be an aspiration for those opening up. In case you’re interested, here we picked our top restaurant designs from around the world.
Buying restaurant furniture
As you can see, there is plenty to consider when buying restaurant furniture. It needs to serve its purpose while fitting in with the décor and ambience of the restaurant.
Following reading this guide, you should have an idea of how much furniture you need and what thoughts should go into deciding on the right seating or tables. Ultimately, it all depends on what impression you want to give to customers and how you want to position yourself in the market. Each restaurant’s answers will vary to these questions, so it’s impossible to give an overall judgement.
What works for one restaurant will simply not in another. Can you imagine an upmarket, classy restaurant where diners share tables with others? Of course not. This layout is designed for casual restaurants where space is limited.
Trent Furniture has a wealth of experience in supplying restaurants with tables and seating. You just need to look at some of the restaurants around the UK that we’ve helped to furnish and refurnish.
If you are confused and unsure about your furniture decision, our team can help advice you and point you in the right direction with recommendations for your restaurant. Call us today on 0116 2986 866 for more information.