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Ever since  Starbucks opened its first UK branch in 1998, on London’s King’s Road, our high streets have become overwhelmed by the big chains: Costa, Caffè Nero, Starbucks and Pret a Manger. 

There is no doubt that these chains have changed our drinking habits for the better, introducing us to a wider range of coffees and beverages, and bringing swift American-style service to the British high street. Twenty years ago, few of us would have been asking for a “latte to go” or ordering an Ethiopian-blend cappuccino. Ten years ago, according to the BBC website, there were fewer than 10,000 places to buy coffee in the UK and fewer than a third of those belonged to the big chains. By the end of last year, there were more than 22,000 coffee shops, and branded outlets had doubled in number.

Corporate uniformity for coffee shops and cafes

But the big chains have also brought with them a certain corporate uniformity: everywhere, we see the same logos, the same brands, the same chairs, tables and stools. Another high street, another Starbucks. And then there are the complaints that the owners of these chains don’t pay their fair share of tax, which adds to the sense that they have become too big and too powerful. 

But is the march of the high street chains coming to an end? It seems that we are seeing a fightback from independent coffee shops. Last year, Costa saw its share price fall on reports that its sales had been hit by renewed competition from independent cafés. Consumers, said Costa, are becoming “more demanding”. Market research and consumer surveys show that customers want more than just a cup of coffee in anonymous corporate surroundings: they want something individual, local, special, distinctive, authentic, real. In short, they are turning to independent shops and cafés.

Coffee shop discerning customers

If you are the owner of a coffee shop, or if you are planning to open one, you will doubtless know your latte from your cappuccino – but as consumers become more discerning, you will need to think about broadening your offering and making your business stand out from the high street crowd.

The flat white, for instance, is a relatively recent arrival on the coffee scene – a shorter, stronger coffee that was introduced to the UK by coffee-mad Australian baristas. Is it on your menu? And do you have a variety of different coffee beans on offer? Be aware, too, that these days people expect to find alternatives to regular cow’s milk, such as oat milk and almond milk. 
And what about tea?

This no longer comes in two varieties – with or without sugar. Green tea is increasingly popular, especially among younger customers, as are herbal infusions. Last year, research by Mintel showed that 37 per cent of British consumers aged between 25 and 34 had drunk five to six different types of tea over the previous month. The choice of drinks in your offering will help to distinguish you from the big high street chains. If food is part of your offering, handmade cakes and pastries will add an authentic flavour.

Cafe decor to be proud of

Likewise, you can make your café stand out from the high street crowd with your decor. Take time to visit some of the high street coffee shops in your locality, and ask yourself: how can I make my café look and feel different from these? As an alternative to bland, blank walls, you could source some vintage prints of your neighbourhood or local high street and get them framed and hung on your walls.

These will add individuality and would also be a talking point. Or you could feature the work of local artists. And do you have space for a bookshelf or two? In which case, you could become a mini-library, operating on trust, with customers free to borrow and return books at their leisure. Fairy lights trailed around the bar area add personality and a quirky touch to an interior. A handwritten chalkboard menu on the wall adds a personal touch – and also makes it easier to change things around and add new offerings. 

Tableware for cafes

Cups and saucers can help your café stand out. Do they all have to be exactly the same? Mixing things up can help create a homelier atmosphere. If you serve tea in pots, an array of different decorative teapots can add interest to your tables – and look attractive stored on shelves. Your takeaway cups are also an opportunity to offer something distinctive: branded cups will cost a little extra, but they are unique to your café – and they function as a little travelling advert every time someone takes one out.

Furniture...

And then there is furniture. This is perhaps where the big high street chains are at their worst: ranks of identical chairs and tables which vary little from one branch to the next. These chains will have a strict corporate identity, which will prevent them from introducing anything that looks too distinctive or different. But if you are running an independent coffee shop, the choice is entirely yours. 

Mix and match furniture for cafes

Why, for instance, should all your furniture look the same? Why not mix things up? Trent Furniture has a wide range of tables and chairs for use in cafés. Many of Trent’s chairs are upholstered in durable, easy-to-clean fabrics.

These offer a chance to add colour to your café – and they don’t all have to be the same colour; mixing and matching will create warmth and add to the sense that a human being rather than a faceless corporation is behind these choices.

Trent Furniture’s Italia bistro chair, for instance, is a classic design with an upholstered seat available in a wide range of colours and patterns. Or you could introduce a mix of wood and metal chairs and tables, combine traditional with modern, or source some vintage pieces to sit alongside new chairs and tables. Trent Furniture’s Bentwood Slatback side chair, for instance, could be used alongside Trent Furniture’s Dalton chair and its Napoli side chair.

How to arrange your cafe furniture

The way you arrange your furniture will also be important. Here again, you can stand out from the high street crowd. A typical high street chain café will have identical chairs and tables set out in rows, whereas a smaller neighbourhood coffee shop can set things out at different angles, as well as changing things around when the mood takes.

Mixing up furniture heights

Mixing high furniture with low is also effective: Trent Furniture’s Bella tall stool would look good at a windowside counter or alongside a Trent Furniture poseur table. Regular-height chairs and tables could fill the main space, while corners and walls could be occupied by low tables and chairs or perhaps even a sofa or two.

Finally, if you are independent and local, don’t be shy: shout about it. Publicity material and menus could be headed with a phrase such as “Your local independent café”. If you have a social media presence, make sure that you use it to emphasise your local independent credentials. 

Eco-friendly cafe products 

And with all the recent publicity surrounding the use of plastic cups and straws and their effect on the environment, perhaps now is the time to clean up your act and adopt more eco-friendly products such as paper straws and compostable paper cups with biodegradable lids. Again, if you are an eco-friendly café, don’t be shy: blow your own trumpet. Be proud of it. It will all help to make your café stand out from the high street crowd.

If you're facing costs to repair or replace wooden beer garden furniture damaged by the rough weather in recent weeks - not to mention the wear and tear of leaving it outside through the winter months anyway - then you might reasonably want alternatives to wood that will stay in better condition for longer.

Luckily, you no longer need to use natural materials that crack or rot, or need sanding down and repainting every year, as there are synthetic alternatives to wooden beer garden furniture that look great, while needing far less routine maintenance to keep them at their best.

Synthetic wood beer garden tables

Trent Furniture's Capra tables are 70cm square or round outdoor tables in a synthetic light oak timber effect that is also used as decking on luxury yachts - a sure sign of its resistance to the toughest of conditions.

When used on these synthetic wood beer garden tables, it gives you a durable, natural-looking timber aesthetic, but with the performance of manmade materials including water resistance and a light oak colour that will not fade in sunlight.

That means in most cases, the only maintenance you'll need to carry out is a wipe down with warm soapy water, to lift dirt off of the surface and out of the realistic wood grain, so the tables are set to go for another spring-summer.

Wood effect stacking chairs for outdoor use

Monaco wood effect stacking chairs are the perfect complement to Capra beer garden tables, again using synthetic wood slats on the seat and chair back, with the same benefits in terms of low maintenance and durability.

The aluminium framed outdoor chairs match the same polished aluminium pedestals on the Capra outdoor tables, and if you want to move away from wood effect completely, we have all-aluminium alternatives available in outdoor chairs and tables too.

More pub and hotel garden furniture options

Our full range of pub and hotel garden furniture has plenty of options, including tall bar stools and outdoor poseur tables, wicker and rattan chairs and tables.

Together it gives you good control over the final look and feel of your outdoor furniture, so you can match it to your interior design scheme.

You can even use the same furniture in indoor spaces, especially where you need to resist environmental elements such as splashes of chlorinated swimming pool water, or exposure to direct sunlight in conservatory areas.

See our range of outdoor furniture at - https://www.trentfurniture.co.uk/products/all-industries/garden-furniture/1

The British pub is in transition. Social trends such as the ban on smoking in public places and the declining popularity of beer – and indeed alcohol in general - among younger drinkers are forcing pubs to change their ways.

There are commercial pressures, too. Many pubs are being bought up for development, often being demolished or converted into flats, though in some cases landlords and local communities are fighting back and saving their local pubs from the developers – as has happened with the Golden Lion in Camden, north London. And in northwest London, when a popular pub, the Carlton Tavern, was demolished by its new owners, the local council ruled that the demolition was illegal and ordered the owners of the property to rebuild it, brick by brick. The restaurant trade, meanwhile, is faring better, but while the number of enterprises is rising, it is still a highly competitive business. In 2017, the number of restaurants going out of business rose by one fifth.

This means that pubs and restaurants are having to fight harder than ever to maintain or increase their share of customers’ spending. One way they can do this is by making their premises more attractive, more comfortable and more efficient. Which means looking carefully at design in general, and at one factor in particular: furniture. 

Are your customers sitting comfortably?

Let’s begin with pub furniture. A relatively easy and inexpensive way of giving your pub a facelift is to invest in some new pub chairs and pub tables. You will be surprised at how much brighter and smarter an interior becomes with the addition of new furniture. Remember though, that while it might be tempting to go for a cheaper option, only commercial-grade furniture is built to withstand the rigours of a busy environment. 

Remember, too, that if pubs are to survive, they need to attract a wider customer base.

This means more young people, more families, more women. And furniture can help with this, by signalling that your pub is not just a tired old boozer with tired old customers, but a bright, welcoming and inclusive place. A big leather sofa or some comfortable armchairs, with low tables, can transform a wall or a corner into a cosy retreat. Contemporary high stools – known as “poseur” chairs – can be placed up against the bar for solo drinkers. There is no need to stick to a single style: traditional chairs such as Trent Furniture’s Wheelback chair could be combined with Trent’s Art Deco table. And the Wheelback chair is available either with a solid wood seat, or in an upholstered version for greater comfort.

Softly softly

Interior design trends come and go, and it would be ruinously expensive to follow the fluctuations from year to year. There are, however, long-term trends that are worth investigating. The pub-trade journal The Morning Advertiser suggests that pub interiors are set to become more “homely”, with an emphasis on comfort and tradition. So: solid wooden furniture, leather armchairs and sofas, and perhaps even cushions are the way to go. The Rovers Return in Coronation Street is an example of this: softly furnished booths, upholstered bar stools.

It’s worth remembering too that if you are buying in bulk, Trent Furniture’s pub furniture packages offer value for money.

You also need to think about disabled access. The law says you should make “reasonable” efforts to accommodate people with disabilities. Is there enough space between tables for a person in a wheelchair to move freely? And it’s not just about the law. A customer in a wheelchair might be accompanied by a group of family members or friends, so, by catering to the wheelchair-user’s needs, you are also welcoming in a larger group of customers. Everyone wins.

Choosing furniture for a restaurant

If you are furnishing or re-furnishing a restaurant, there are some basics to be borne in mind. There should be a minimum of 18 inches (45cm) between chairs – more if you are aiming for the “fine dining” end of the market. When coming up with a floor plan, the flow of staff and customers is a crucial factor. Is there an easy path from the door to the tables, and from tables to the lavatory?

Can waiters move easily between tables? It might be tempting to squeeze in as many tables as you can, but this can be counterproductive. Customers resent being squashed together; they want to have private conversations and don’t want to be banging chairs or clashing elbows with their neighbours.

Before making any decisions, you could do some research by visiting neighbouring restaurants and taking note of what works and what doesn’t work. And try to take a look at your own restaurant through the eyes of your customers. When you’re setting out your restaurant furniture, take time to sit in every single seat, and ask yourself: would you be happy to sit and eat there? 

What’s your type?

You also need to think about what kind of restaurant you want to be. Traditional? Contemporary? Relaxed? Formal? Fast food? Fine dining? Family friendly? This will determine your choice of furniture. Customers who are popping in for half an hour will be less concerned about comfort than diners who are spending a couple of hours over a three-course meal. Trent Furniture’s Italia bistro chair would be suitable for a more relaxed environment, while Trent’s Abbruzzo dining chair would suit a more formal restaurant. 

As with pub interiors, it would be ruinously expensive to follow the short-term trends in restaurant design and furniture, which change from year to year. But one long-term trend worth bearing in mind is for mixing up textures, finishes, colours and styles. Even a vast chain such as McDonald’s is taking heed of this trend with its redesigned restaurants; one such, in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, features chairs and tables in contrasting materials, plastic and wood, combined with long banquette-style leather club sofas.

New ways of eating

Your furniture should also reflect today’s changing eating habits. Single people are more likely to eat out on their own; but so too are large groups or families. Mealtimes are more flexible these days; brunch becomes lunch which merges into dinner. So your furniture arrangement should be flexible. Be prepared to move tables and chairs around into new groupings as people come and go. Perhaps you could invest in a large communal “sharing” table – today’s diners are less squeamish about sharing a table with a group of strangers. 

Another consideration is noise. There’s been a trend in recent years towards restaurants with lots of hard surfaces – metal, glass, tiles – as well as noisy open kitchens with metal counters. This can look impressive, but sound bounces off these surfaces and can make conversation difficult. So try to incorporate some softer surfaces or fabrics into your interior – leather chairs, upholstered chairs, wooden tables. 

In conclusion...

It’s important to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. A word that’s increasingly used in service industries is “experience”. People come to a pub or restaurant not just for a drink or a meal; they want an “experience”. By taking a long, hard look at your offering, including your furniture, you can help to make that experience a pleasant and memorable one

How Can I choose the right table tops?

It’s important to choose the right table tops when purchasing your tables, this means not only the right finish and style but the right size too.

If you aren’t sure what table tops you should be buying then  this handy guide is a great starting point for discovering the answer to ‘ Which table tops are right for me?’

So what should you be considering when buying table tops? Read on for our top advice for choosing table tops...

SIZE

Arguably, one of the most important things to consider is the size of your table tops and before you even look at materials, finishes, colours you should be asking yourself the question: what size tops do I need? This will depend on not only your target customers but how many covers you want to fit into the space and also what sort of menu you will be serving. Depending on the style of food and drinks, you may have multiple dishes, cutlery baskets, condiments and glassware that need to be accommodated when people are dining. Make sure you allow adequate room for all this as well as for the customer to dine sit comfortably. Choosing a top in a square size can be a great way to ensure you can cater for different group sizes and events as they take up minimum space, can accommodate two people if need be but can equally seat 4 or 6 when pushed together to create a larger table.

MATERIAL

Solid, veneered, melamine, laminate, plywood- the options are endless so how do you know which table top is right for you?

Firstly, the type of finish is less important than making sure that your tops are described as suitable for commercial environments. Table tops that you would buy for domestic use simply won’t withstand the demands of a busy contract environment, you need something much more hardwearing and durable.

So what is the different between the different types of table tops? The main difference between a solid finish and the others on offer is that the solid is a hardwood whereas the veneers and melamine are typically an MDF or other particleboard surrounded by either a melamine face or another form of protective coating such as polyurethane lacquer. Some people hear the phrase particleboard or MDF and have misconceptions about their suitability or durability but they are in fact  an excellent choice because they offer the look of a wooden top, but with an extremely durable finish and all at a fraction of the price of solid oak or pine tops.

Take a look at more detailed descriptions of table finishes here

COLOUR

Once you know what size and finish table tops you want, you might begin to ask yourself ‘How do I choose the right colour table top’? This is a tricky question to as this really is down to the décor and other furnishings that you have. Some customers like to match up the table top colours with the flooring and permanent fixtures such as the bar panelling and bench seating whereas others prefer a complete contrast or varied wood colours in a more of a ‘mix and match’ theme. Our wood tops come in three standard colours; dark oak, light oak and walnut. The darker woods are perfect for creating depth and character, whereas the light oak can open up an area and brighten up a space with limited natural light or small spaces. Perhaps consider a lighter wood for your table tops if this is the case so as not to enclose the space further.

HEAT RESISTANCE

Do I need heat resistant table tops?

We get asked lots of questions about the heat resistance of table tops and the answer is generally always the same whatever the finish and whatever the environment they are going to be used in.

When it comes to wooden table tops, whether they be solid hardwood, veneer, melamine or laminate, although they will be able to withstand warm plates and hot drinks to a certain extent, the bottom line is if it’s too hot to hold in your hands then it’s too hot for the table surface. Wooden tops are hardwearing and durable but they are wooden none the less and will mark if something too hot is put on them. If you don’t want to use table cloths with your tables its worth using place settings to protect the tops from marks and scuffs.

MAINTENANCE

Another consideration is the maintenance and cleaning of your table tops. Solid oak table tops may require more maintenance as they will need to be treated to make them suitable for commercial use and avoid marks or stains from regular use. You may need to do this every couple of years depending on the wear and tear they experience. Something like a hardwood with a polyurethane coating, veneer, melamine or laminate finish require much less maintenance as well as being easy to clean and available in a choice of sizes and colours. Table tops with a clear lacquer give a perfectly flat and smooth surface that is easy to wipe and will remain looking its best for years to come if looked after correctly.

Most people want to know which table tops are easiest to clean as well as the time old questions ‘How do I clean my table tops’ and ‘What should I use to clean my table tops?’

The first thing to know is DO NOT use antibacterial sprays and standard kitchen surface cleaners on your tables. There is a tendency for the ingredients in these to react with the lacquered wood and you may even find that over time a sticky residue builds up causing the table top to feel tacky to the touch, a patchy appearance as a result. You wouldn’t use anti-bacterial on a polished wood surface elsewhere and wooden table tops for contract use are no different. The best way to clean table tops between customers, during service or at the end of service is using warm soapy water or a specialised cleaner such as ‘Relay Spray’. This is cleaning solution available in easy to use spray bottled and has been specifically developed with anti-bacterial properties that won’t react with the lacquers and are designed for use in the hospitality industry.

Buy Table Tops Online Today

If you are ready to make a table top purchase, view our range of table tops now for top-quality furniture at competitive prices.

Britain is a nation of sports lovers. Football, rugby, cricket, boxing, tennis, F1, golf - you name it and you’ll never be too far from a fan. Even sports that aren’t widely adopted here such as American football have amassed a large following in recent years.

More often than not, big sporting events equal a trip to the pub with friends and family. That way, fans can celebrate or commiserate together and where better to do it than at the local pub?

For operators, these sporting events are a big opportunity to attract some extra revenue. For those of you who aren’t sports fans or have never use your facilities to host a screening of a sporting event, the thought of attracting masses of sports fans to your pub or bar can be quite daunting. To help, we’ve created this guide that will help you to plan and prepare your bar or pub sporting event and advise you on the biggest sporting events to look out for. 

Different types of sporting events...

Annual events:

• Super Bowl
• FA Cup final 
• Wimbledon
• Six Nations
• The Masters

Special events: 

• Football World Cup
• Rugby World Cup 
• Euros
• The Ashes
• Olympics
• Boxing 

Seasonal events:

• Premier League
• Champions League
• Premiership Rugby

How you prepare for each type of event will vary.  It would be strange for your venue to go mad and over-promote a generic Premier League match. It’s the one-off events like the Super Bowl or FA Cup final where it is expected that you push the boat out in terms of promotions and offerings.  

Keep an eye on the successes of your local teams too. Should your local football team reach a final in their respective competition, you want to make sure you the fans know they can watch it in your establishment alongside other fans. 

Creating a detailed plan

Organising a showing of a large sporting event is no easy task, so having a detailed plan in place will make sure everything runs as you envisage. For each sporting event, your plan should include promotions, expected capacity, whether it should be a ticketed event, type of furniture layout, number of staff needed and the publicity required. 

The details of your plan will ultimately depend on the size of the sport‘s following, the amount of hype surrounding the event as well as the date and time it is happening. For example, to celebrate Wimbledon, your pub or bar might have an offer on Pimms and strawberries. Wimbledon is a very family-orientated tournament so the types of activities and offerings should attract all ages. 

Comparatively, the Super Bowl is an annual event that runs in the early hours of the morning in the UK so the demographic for such an event is different. There are endless amounts of ideas to americanise interiors and the draw of the Super Bowl is more than just the match. Themed food and drink and a lively atmosphere is what operators must strive for to make a success of the Super Bowl.  

Do you have a suitable event location?

It goes without saying that pubs and bars need a suitable amount of television screens to cope with the amount of punters expected. TV screens could be dotted around the venue or there could be a large projector screen for customers to base themselves around. There are benefits with each and the decision for either will be much based on the layout of your bar or pub. 

Equally important as being able to see a screen is having enough room for customers to sit, stand and put down their drinks.  

Depending on the time of the year, the options available to you may be different. For late spring and summer sporting events, you might be tempted to have a large screen projector placed in your outdoor space for viewers to gather around. Summer sporting events where this would work particularly well include Wimbledon, the World Cups and The Ashes, when it is held in England. 

Remember that not all of your customers will be interested in the sporting action. They might have even come to your pub or bar to escape from the event. If your bar, pub or club does have a separate room, consider using this space to cover other visitors’ needs. It’s always wise to have at least one area where people can talk and drink in peace.

Sporting events furniture layout

To plan how you want to lay out the furniture in your pub or bar, you need to think about the demographic you are targeting for the sporting event in question. 

Owners can influence the atmosphere and type of clientele simply by the way furniture is laid out. Rows of stackable chairs with no tables and standing room at the back will create a more boisterous and rowdy environment as customers’ sole attention will be on the screen and they’ll all be watching it together. By setting out chairs with tables separately, the atmosphere will be more sedate as customers will be watching in their own groups instead of a collective. 

If outdoor space is available, it provides a more flexible approach. Customers can fill space as they choose with stackable chairs, picnic blankets, pub benches or sitting or standing on the grass. 

Whatever layout you choose, the most important thing is ensuring your customers are comfortable. Some sporting events last hours, so the comfort of the environment is paramount to ensure that enough people stay for the duration. Having sufficient seating is often the root of the problem. We find that sports bars and pubs who  host sporting events regularly prefer to opt for space saving or stackable bar tables and stools when adding additional furniture to a bar area or outside seating area to accommodate extra guests.

Upcoming sporting events

2018 is set to be a great year for sports fans, with the 2018 FIFA World Cup the biggest event on the calendar.

The World Cup this year takes place in Russia from June 14th to July 15th. England is the only home nation to make it to the competition and as always there will be much anticipation about their matches. The matches that operators need to focus on are all the England games, the opening fixture, the semi-finals and the final. Read our guide pub guide to the 2018 world cup.

Sporting event furniture

Whether you’re looking for stackable furniture, outdoor furniture or a cheap option for you to maximise the amount of seats available, Trent Furniture has a range of furniture that will help you to host sports events.