As a pub owner, you’ll be aware that your bar furniture plays a vital role in the feeling that patrons get when they visit. This can be the difference between them staying for one drink or becoming loyal customers, bringing friends and family for a few drinks and food regularly.
With the days getting longer and the nights getting lighter, now is the time when people are more likely to spend time enjoying a drink after work and at the weekends. This makes it the perfect time to think about your current bar furniture and contract furniture and make sure your beer gardens and outdoor spaces are prepared as well as creating inside spaces that are inviting.
It’s also worth considering trending and ambient colour pallets and styles to introduce new bar furniture and give your pub a fresh new look for your summer visitors.
The bar furniture you choose for your pub is an extremely important ingredient in the success. It helps to define the feeling, ambience and character of the space which is important to entice return visitors.
Whilst money may not always be abundant, especially for large projects and complete renovations, below are some tips and ideas to help you plan your pub contract furniture this summer.
Our top tips for planning your summer pub and bar furniture budget:
1. Plan and prepare
Proper preparation and planning is absolutely essential when it comes to furnishing or refurbishing your pub. Take time to consider what atmosphere and style you want to achieve and what your budget looks like. After all, there’s no point in planning something that’s just totally out of your price range!
Start by thinking about your reasons for restyling your pub or upgrading your bar furniture. If you’re having a full refurb or just preparing for the summer season, there is more to think about cost-wise than just the physical contract furniture itself.
So, write everything down, and make sure you over-budget and allow for extra as a contingency plan.
2. Be strict
Will the cost come from an allocated refurb or refit pot or will the budget be coming from somewhere else?
Is this work something you had already factored in or do you need to address this within your annual budget moving forward?
You should think about how and where to allocate the money for the work and of course the outdoor furniture and bar furniture to make sure you stick within your budget. It’s wise to break everything down and keep a record of what you spend, otherwise, it’s just too easy to lose track and go over budget!
3. Know which items to make a priority
If you’re planning for the summer months and want to make the most of your outdoor space as much as you possibly can, then draw out what you need and where it’s going to go – don’t leave this to chance!
Think about what items you need to ensure that you’re maximising your outside areas and pub beer gardens. You want to make sure your customers are comfortable, not too cramped, and shaded from the elements as a minimum.
4. Shop smart
It’s important to make sure you don’t just buy the first bar furniture and additional styling items that you find.
If you’ve followed all the steps above, then you’ll know what you need to maximise your space and your budget. Make sure you spend some time researching your options online to see how much everything is typically selling for.
Call pub furniture suppliers to see if there are any special offers and see if you can benefit from economies of scale. Do they have any clearance items or contract furniture special offers? If so, make sure you check through these to see if there are any hidden gems to suit your pub and the experience you want your customers to have.
5. Some additional handy tips:
Re-arrangement
Overhauling your venue doesn’t necessarily mean you have to spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on all things bar furniture or decorative items though. Sometimes you can simply re-jig the tables and chairs and voila – you have a fresh new look!
Table overhaul
Good contract furniture which is taken care of and well maintained shouldn’t need replacing for a long time. However, if your tables are looking a bit shabby (after all, these see the most use), you can easily replace the tabletops rather than the entire tables and save some money.
Generally, commercial furniture suppliers sell indoor tabletops, outdoor tabletops and table bases separately, which means it’s less of an expense to solely replace the top half.
Accessorise
You can create an oasis of calm just by adding some pops of colour in the form of pots and plants, string lighting/lanterns and even artwork.
Feature candles on each table, and vases of flowers. These will all instantly create a cosy atmosphere, and won’t cost the earth!
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to budgeting for your refurb, but you can certainly make a difference in the way you spend your money with some careful upfront preparation and planning.
What this also means is that you may be able to achieve more than you thought, especially if you shop around wisely!
Ready to start planning your pub furniture budget?
Be sure to start on the right foot by exploring the pub and bar furniture options we have available here at Eclipse!
