News & Media

A new survey from VoucherCodes has revealed that 56% of Brits expect the cost of international travel to go up this year as a result of Brexit. With staycations offering a cheaper travel option, 40% of respondents said they plan to go on multiple trips around the UK which is good news for bars, restaurants and cafes looking to benefit from domestic tourism.

So how can you draw in the crowds looking for the perfect spot for a holiday dinner or drink in the sun?

Make sure your decor and furniture make a great first impression

First impressions are incredibly important for attracting customers who may be visiting the area for the first time. If they don’t opt to search for dining establishments using tools like TripAdvisor or Google Maps, then they may simply look for options as they explore a new area. By ensuring your restaurant, bar or cafe decor is looking fresh and inviting you stand the best chance of attracting these types of customers.

Provide outside dining options

Although the British summer weather can be unpredictable, offering outdoor drinking and dining areas is a fantastic way to draw in customers. If you have a large outdoor space, then going all out with a garden dining area can be a big attraction. Even if space is limited, offering even a few outdoor tables can attract people looking to stop and enjoy a drink in the sun as they pass by. Storing outdoor furniture can be a hurdle to overcome when space is limited, so opt for stackable options to store vertically and save on precious space.

Trent Furniture has a great selection of outdoor furniture to choose from, including wicker, wooden and metal options - many of which are stackable.

Offer seasonal drinks and dishes

Alongside the alfresco seating options, why not adapt menus and dishes to feature summer favourites? If the local area is famous for a particular type of food or drink, then adding this to the menu can be the perfect way to attract customers looking to indulge in the local cuisine as part of their trip.

Utilise social media and reviews

Websites like TripAdvisor and tools such as Google Maps mean it’s easier than ever for potential customers to do their research and plan ahead when it comes to their dining choices. Setting up your profile on these services using plenty of stunning pictures of your interiors, dishes, promotions and more can set you apart from the competition and entice customers. These kind of photos and posts can also be shared on social media, allowing your brand to reach even more people.

How what, and where we eat has changed immensely over the last 10 years, and technological developments have played a significant role, with home delivery apps enticing a large number of us to stay at home at the weekends and in the evenings. Making your establishment more eye-catching and attractive to the passer-by is a sure-fire way to get them off the sofa and over the threshold.

As specialists in the industry, we know a thing or two about keeping your restaurant looking inviting, and the importance of it looking its best. From refurbishing and upcycling your furniture to changing layouts, we’ve got simple and easy tips to keep your customers happy.

Freshen up your furniture

Innovative designs have flooded our bars and restaurants, from the well-known chains right down to the independent eateries. From eco-friendly to Instagram-ready spaces, the look and feel of your restaurant is now just as important as the food and drink on the tables.

Dining is an experience, regardless of whether it’s just a whistle-stop coffee break, a catch-up lunch with friends or dinner do and finding furniture that reflects the sentiment of your restaurant is really important. Customers are looking for that together feel. You may not realise it but your choice of furniture says a lot about your establishment. It’s not all about looks but on a first glance, if your furniture looks tired, old, and dirty, you could be scaring off potential diners before they have even sat down. Your customers will judge your restaurant on what they can see from the outside. If a deep clean can’t bring it back to life, start looking for some new pieces.

Changing your furniture completely can give your restaurant a new lease of life, and indicate to the customer the different direction your restaurant is taking. Take into consideration the trends of the coming year, which for 2020 include multi-use, eco-friendly furniture. Also, think about your customer base, if you’re targeting families and or large parties of people, booth seating is a popular choice for the added privacy they bring. At Trent, we stock and supply a wide range of contract furniture suitable for use in restaurants, from contemporary chairs to dining tables, you’ll find all you need to upgrade the furniture in your restaurant.

If you’re not looking to invest in new furniture, upcycling your tables and chairs can be a great way to inject new life into the furniture you already own. With just a lick of paint, your tired-looking table can be transformed into something chic and contemporary, making a great addition to your space. See our latest helpful restaurant furniture hints and tips!

Don’t love your layout? Switch it up!

A fresh approach to your layout can help your restaurant to feel brand new, and understanding your clientele is paramount to finding spaces that work for you. Do you serve breakfast, lunch and dinner? Or perhaps just one of the three. Are you targeting the busy passer-by in the city or the families venturing out for a meal on a Saturday evening? Whatever your style, finding the layout solution can work wonders. 

Consider the space you have to work with, too many tables can crowd the space and drive customers away from your establishment, whilst too few can give off the dreaded empty feeling. It’s a fine line which all depends on the market you are trying to target and the ambience you are giving off, for example, a quick service restaurant will be designed towards fast eating for a quick table turnover, whilst family-orientated or finer dining eateries will have a shorter turnaround.

Keeping your customers happy is paramount to the success of your restaurant, therefore taking into consideration their needs when refreshing the look of your restaurant is important. For example, optimising each table for guests can be challenging, but avoiding placing guests near the kitchen and bathroom is a good start. The mobility of both your customers and staff is important too, there should be enough space between the tables to avoid an accident as customers are leaving and serving staff are carrying the food!

For more hints and tips to take your restaurant to the top of the menu, head over to our blog posts. If you’d like more information about any of our products, or to chat with one of our friendly customer service team for advice, don’t hesitate to call us on 0116 2986 866. With over 50 years’ industry experience behind us, trust us to help you get it right.

The pub. A social hub of activity that has been a part of British culture for decades.

Over the years, the pub has no doubt seen plenty of change as they have had to adapt and adjust in response to the latest customer trends and industry changes. Craft beer, high-quality food and a smoking ban are just some of the introductions that have swept across pubs throughout the country.

Pubs that find innovative ways to remain attractive to consumer continue to succeed in an industry that sees 18 pubs close every week. It’s a constant battle but for a pub to move forward, it needs to progress and move with the times.

The latest change the pub is seeing is a rise in the number of non-drinkers. Should pub owners be tapping into this market?

The rise of teetotallers

The number of non-drinkers in the UK has seen a stark rise in the past few years. A study by University College London found that the number of 16 to 24-year-olds who don’t drink alcohol has risen from 18 per cent in 2005 to 29 per cent in 2015.

The main driver behind it is health benefits and cultural factors. Researchers on the study found that teetotalism was becoming ever more common amongst the younger generations, whilst drunkenness was deemed less acceptable. 

Attracting non-drinkers to pubs

Generation Z includes those born after 1995. 78% of those in this generation surveyed believe that pubs need to make themselves more inviting to customers who don’t drink alcohol. This is according to a Nitro-Generation report from Nescafé Azera.

And there is more to embracing non-drinkers than simply offering them a pint of Coca Cola. By providing something different to this market, you immediately identify as a pub who appeals to non-drinkers. This could be anything from offering alcohol-free beer, coffees, specialist soft drinks and mocktails.

Give your pub a refresh

As well as giving your menu and offerings a refresh to attract non-drinkers, a third of those questioned in the survey also felt that pubs are becoming outdated. Another way to appeal to younger and older generations alike is to update your pub’s interior. Be honest, how long has it been since you’ve had an update?

Trent Furniture has a range of pub furniture that is ideal for bringing your pub up to date. 

Perhaps you’ve recently updated your pub furniture and are looking for the best ways to keep it maintained, or maybe you’re intent on scrubbing up the tables and chairs that you already own, making them good as new.

At Trent Furniture we often get asked for tips about how to maintain furniture, but none more so than the pub industry. Pub furniture certainly has a lot to go through so it’s only expected that furniture will succumb to the odd bit of wear and tear.

But there are some ways for you to extend the life span of your pub furniture, meaning you don’t have to go through the process of buying new tables and chairs as often.

In this post, we look into tips for keeping your pub furniture looking brand new:

Buying robust furniture

First things first, your pub furniture should be robust enough to deal with the high amount of use in the pub environment. There’s simply no use trying to maintain a chair that isn’t made to a high enough standard - you’re just fighting a losing battle.

At Trent Furniture, are our furniture ranges are tested rigorously by FIRA, which gives our customers peace of mind that they are suitable for a contract environment.

Tips for moving around your furniture

This little trick involves regularly moving the furniture around your pub. You might not know it but there are certain areas within your pub that get more use than others.

As such, it’s advised to maneuver your tables and chairs around the pub periodically to ensure that the wear and tear is distributed evenly. Being aware of which areas of your pub get the most traffic will slow down the total wear and tear of your furniture.

Monthly checks on your furniture

Make sure you schedule a monthly check of your furniture in your calendar. By doing this you can keep on top of any damage before it gets worse. Taking the time to inspect your furniture can make the world of difference in extending the lifespan of your pub furniture.

Keep an eye out for wobbly tables and chairs, loose screws, ripped upholstery, and marks and chips.

Tips for maintaining leather furniture

One of the major benefits of leather is that it’s really easy to clean. All you need is a damp cloth and a soft cloth to dry. Don’t soak the chair/sofa, though. Doing so, along with the use of detergents, waxes, and creams, can damage the leather. For more permanent stains, use a specialist leather cleaner.

Tips for maintaining wooden furniture

For everyday cleaning, you can use Relay Spray. Relay provides an all-purpose disinfectant suitable for all service areas which unlike some cleaners has no unpleasant smell and is specially formulated to be kind to polished wooden surfaces – perfect for use in between service.

Tips for maintaining upholstered fabrics

Most stains and spillages on upholstered fabric can be easily treated using a damp cloth. However, it’s important to do so as soon as possible so that the spillage doesn’t settle in the fabric. There are certain materials will need specialist cleaning products. Before using products, give it a test on a non-visible area to ensure it doesn’t damage the fabric even more!

To reduce the likelihood of the upholstered fabric fading, place upholstered furniture away from direct sunlight and radiators.

Pub furniture maintenance tips

We are proud to always to offer the very highest quality pub furniture at the best value for money. Over the years that we have been supplying pub furniture, we have been able to create a range of furniture which does both things.

Browse our full range of pub furniture including tables, chairs, stools and more here.

We’re just about half way through the year and we are pleased to have already played a part in refurbishing a host of existing establishments as well as some completely new ones.

So far we’ve furnished restaurants, bars, cafés, pubs, clubs and some more obscure venues.

Although we are proud of our part in all of them, here are some of our particular favourites from 2019:

Arty’s

Boasting picturesque views across Portsmouth Harbour from its Royal Clarence Marina location, Arty’s is a popular choice of restaurant.

The restaurant already had a unique, quirky interior but this year, Arty’s recently underwent a refurbishment that included a new colour scheme, artwork and additional pieces of furniture.

The Farmhouse table was selected as the perfect table to match with the restaurant’s eclectic theme. With a white under frame and legs combined with a walnut finish solid wood top, the table is a popular choice for quirky bistros and fashionable eateries.

Take a look at the makeover.

Alzheimer Scotland

Alzheimer Scotland, the leading dementia organisation in Scotland, launched a new project in 2019 that uses the social elements associated with a trip to the pub to help people living with dementia, their friends and family socialise in a comfortable environment.

‘Beer with Buddies’ is a new traditional style pub onsite at Alzheimer Scotland’s Paisley day centre that acts as a deterrent for social isolation.

We were pleased to play a small part in the launch of this worthwhile project by supplying the furniture.

Read more about the project and take a look at the interior.

Roe Green CC

This village cricket club found in the suburbs of Manchester decided to enlarge and refurbish the bar and clubhouse in a bid to encourage punters of Roe Green to use their facilities instead of local pubs.

The cricket club decided upon our Bar Furniture Package that includes three square shaker poseur tables and 12 tall squareback stools were the best choice for their needs.

We think that the new furniture looks great in the cricket club and matches seamlessly with the chairs and sofas already in place.

Take a look at the refurbishment project.

Contract furniture supplier

If you like the look of these interiors, and think it’s about time you gave yours a refresh, take a look at our range of commercial furniture.