Aside from the food and drink, one of the main reasons why potential customers will choose to dine with you is the style and comfort of your restaurant furniture, both of which reflect your brand. Customers need somewhere to relax for an extended period and are more likely to stay if your venue is visually appealing.
This guide will give you some top tips on how to choose the perfect restaurant furniture for your venue. Choose correctly and it will enhance your space, your brand and the overall dining experience, all of which helps to entice guests into your eatery.
Plan your Space
Firstly, before you consider purchasing any furniture, it’s important to ensure you plan your restaurant space. What space do you have and what do you want to achieve from it? Are you a fine dining restaurant which works best with generous gaps between tables, or are you a fast-food establishment which aims to house as many customers as possible with a speedy turnaround? Once you’re certain of your objectives as a restaurant, you can begin the planning process by simply sketching your floor plan and plotting where the furniture can go to make the best use of the space.
Are you planning a venue completely from scratch, so you’re able to decide exactly where you want everything to go. Or you may be working with an existing space, where the kitchen and toilets are already in place, and you’re only planning a refresh of the restaurant furniture.
This is one of the most important phases of choosing your restaurant furniture, because if you just guess at how much furniture you need, you could end up with a pile of tables and chairs that don’t fit properly and need sending back - which is an expensive mistake to make!
What furniture do I need for my restaurant?
When it comes to restaurant furniture, the very least you’ll need is somewhere for diners to sit, and a place to put their food and drink. And it goes without saying that any furniture that you purchase must be tested for contract use, as domestic items just aren’t strong enough to withstand the demands of the commercial environment.
Shown here: Lattani Side Chair, Antique Rustic Oak Table Top, PX23 Dining Height FLAT Table Base
Restaurant Tables
• Think about the types of tables you need - do you mostly cater for couples and small groups, or larger parties? Do you need places for lone diners to eat without feeling conspicuous?
• Will round, square, or rectangular table tops work better in your space?
• Plan for flexibility: Yes of course you’ll have a standard seating plan, but it’s important to be able to adapt to different bookings.
• Make sure the tables you buy are the same heights so that you can place them next to one another when needed
• Ensure table tops (both indoor and outdoor) are hardwearing! They need to be scratch, heat, and rust resistant. Our bestsellling Extrema Table Tops are crafted to be highly durable and come in a wide range of finishes.
• Table bases come in all shapes and sizes including round and square discs and ‘X’ bases, so make sure that they fit the style of your restaurant and the table tops you’ve chosen. Discs tend to be easier to clean around and X bases often allow chairs to fit closer under the table.
Shown here: Lars Side Chair, Antique Rustic Oak Table Top, Fabio Dining Height Table Base
Restaurant Chairs
• The style of your restaurant will dictate the material of chair you choose – Upholstered leather or fabric chairs, for example, exude comfort and may entice your diners to stay for that extra coffee.
• Wooden restaurant chairs add instant warmth to a space and are easy to keep clean.
• Metal and plastic are also comfortable options as long as they are ergonomically designed. They may be more fitting for your brand, and can be used both indoors and outside.
• Do your chairs look good with your tables? Do they fit style-wise and do they comfortably fit under the table, with enough leg room for guests.
• Fixed seating, in the form of booths or banquettes might work better if you have limited space to play with.
• For more relaxed zones in your restaurant, you might want to consider tub chairs or armchairs.
• Do you need to be able to store your seating or move it into a smaller place? If so, stacking chairs may be the best option for you.
Shown here: Brooklyn Bar Stools, Omega Black Marble Table Top, Moderno Bar Height Table Base
Restaurant and Bar Stools
• If you’ve got a bar area in your restaurant, then bar stools are a must. Or they can be a useful addition, along with bar height tables, if you’ve got limited space as they have a smaller footprint than regular dining chairs and tables.
• Bar Stools typically range between 71cm and 76cm in height, complementing the standard UK bar height of 106cm. That leaves around 30cm for customers to sit comfortably. Any more or any less and they may feel rather squashed or have to reach too far for their drink!
• Make sure that the stools you choose are easy to move and stack. They need to be safe and sturdy yet easy to relocate if necessary.
• Do you want a simple stool, or would your guests prefer a back and footrest?
Embrace your outdoor space
You may be lucky enough to have an outside space attached to your restaurant, in which case this area will also need some thought. When the British weather is at its finest, your guests may want to sit outside to enjoy an al fresco meal, so it’s important that any furniture purchased is both water and UV resistant. Rust-proof materials such as aluminium and rattan are perfect for outdoor restaurant furniture. If you need your furniture to be versatile, much of the outdoor furniture we offer at Eclipse also lends itself very well to indoor environments.
Shown here: Georgia Rectangular Dining Table and Georgia Side Chairs
What does restaurant furniture cost?
There’s a huge range of contract furniture available to restaurant owners in today’s market and so this means that as a buyer, you can benefit from economies of scale. It’s worth shopping around and checking with a company to see if there are any current deals. Don’t be swayed by cheaper, domestic furniture though, in the long term you will have to replace it sooner and it could be unsafe for your customers.
Try before you buy
Furnishing a restaurant is a big initial outlay and so the last thing you’ll want to do is order furniture, which upon arrival, you decide you don’t like or it doesn’t fit. Remember, shipping and returning a large quantity of furniture can end up being very costly. That’s why, at Eclipse, we have a showroom with samples of all our commercial furniture. You can either make an appointment to come and see us or we can give you a virtual tour, answering any questions that you may have and making sure you choose the perfect products for you and your restaurant.
Get in touch
Our expert team are here to help you every step of the way. If you’re interested in finding out more about our stylish and versatile contract furniture for restaurants, would like to book a showroom visit, or a complimentary consultation, please don’t hesitate to call one of our friendly sales advisors on 01452 336 520 or email sales@eclipsefurniture.co.uk.
