When you have little experience in the restaurant business and plan to open a new dining establishment, the prospect can seem both exciting and scary at the same time; after all, there are so many things to consider. It’s about serving great food at reasonable prices, sure, but it’s also about making your customer feel at home, even providing some entertainment.
A restaurant should engage all the customer’s senses. The taste and smell of the food, but also décor for the eyes, music for the ears, and great furniture for touch and comfort – all are important. Need to find furniture for your restaurant? Here’s how to make your restaurant both stylish and functional with the proper restaurant furniture.
First things first: the seating plan
The seating arrangements are often a matter of available floor space as well as the number of customers you hope to be able to serve at any given time. Because of these practical considerations, a simple seating chart should be the priority. Once that is accomplished, it’ll help in deciding how large the tables should be, and how much space the tables and chairs should take up.
Tables and chairs
The size of the tables and chairs will largely be limited by the seating arrangement, but you should also keep in mind that the size, as well as the design, will directly impact how customers interact with each other, and how the meal will be enjoyed. Before purchasing restaurant furniture, imagine how chairs and tables can be moved, how customers would feel after sitting for an hour, how customers can pass the salt. Imagine the entire dining experience, and the daily cleaning, etc.
Go for durability
Tables and chairs in a restaurant tend to take a lot of abuse, certainly more than in a residential setting. They also need to be easy to clean and maintain as well as easy to move to clean areas such as the floor, for example. Go for quality and durability.
Upholstery and finishes
The material and the upholstery of your tables and chairs will depend on the setting; for example, stainless steel for outdoors, shiny strong wood for a subdued indoor setting with soft lighting, and so on. The finish and upholstery should also be practical and look great.
The tables and chairs you choose for your restaurant will have a great influence on the dining experience of the customer; choosing is a task that should be taken very seriously, and done with care. This does not mean it should be a stressful experience, however – on the contrary, it should be exciting. There are many choices out there, and the right furniture to create that perfect restaurant experience for your diners is certainly available. It’s all about having that vision and bringing it to life.