Author Archives: Gayla

What color restaurant tables and chairs should I buy?

color paletteHave you ever noticed when entering a restaurant the lovely shade of blue used for the interior?  It is quite unlikely you have encountered many blue restaurant decors. Why is this?  In general, the color blue is an appetite depressant, so it’s very seldom used in restaurant décor.

Why does this matter when it comes to restaurant tables and chairs?  Most restaurants will want the restaurant furniture to accent and highlight the restaurant décor, either by matching or contrasting the restaurant colors.  This blog article covers just a few of the infinite colors available, and some typical effects and uses of each color in restaurant design.

Blue, Purple and Black

As discussed above, in general blue is seldom used in restaurants as blue, along with purple and black, are the least appetizing of colors.  That said, if you look at the inventory available at various restaurant furniture suppliers, you will notice there are plenty of restaurant furniture options in blue, purple and black.  Why is this?  Well, it is certainly all right, and even suggested, to use some of these visually exciting colors as accents, just use them sparingly.  Lively colors like blue and purple, when placed correctly in the restaurant design scheme, can create the chic, ultra modern design look which is very trendy now.

Red and Yellow

Have you noticed driving down any street where there are multiple dining establishments the predominant use of red and yellow?  Many popular international fast food chains use red and yellow in their logo, restaurant and advertising design.  McDonalds, one of the biggest food chains in the world, uses red and yellow in its décor and brand.   This is because the colors that stimulate appetites the most are the primary colors red and yellow.  Numerous businesses use this knowledge when designing their restaurants colors, themes and advertising.

Does this mean you should paint the walls of your restaurant bright yellow and buy 100 red plastic chairs?  Maybe, depending on the type of restaurant, but in general, accenting red and/or yellow with other more neutral colors and materials, such as metal chair legs or silver table bases will achieve a great restaurant interior design.  For example, using metal restaurant chairs with red vinyl seats and some matching laminate tables is a great look for many restaurants.  Yellow resin chairs on an outdoor patio will give a great sunny look and a visual pop of color.

White, Black, Brown and Grey

These four colors are considered neutral colors, or passive colors, depending on how they are used.  You will see white, black, brown and grey used in many restaurants in restaurant furniture and as background colors.  That is because a neutral background allows for a lot of flexibility in restaurant design.  When you create a neutral background in your restaurant, this allows for the use of almost any color of restaurant furniture and accent pieces.

There are a few general things to consider when using these colors.  White walls may encourage restaurant turnover, allowing you to turn more tables during a shift.  The use of white can also make a small space feel larger.  In contrast, the use of black or brown, can make a cavernous dining room feel smaller and cozier.  Black or brown wood tables, such as restaurant butcher block dining tables, add visual interest and a warm feeling to restaurants.  Glossy black metal dining chairs, or black granite tables, are perfect as an accent when using other colors.

To achieve the best look for your restaurant interior or outdoor dining space, perform your own investigation.  Look at pictures on the internet of restaurant dining spaces you find attractive.  Take note of the other restaurants in your locale with interesting design.  Search for color matching websites on the internet and learn how color design works in general.  Soon, you will have one of the best looking restaurant dining spaces around.

 

 

Trends in Hospitality Furniture

While true style never goes out of vogue, trends keep life fun and exciting. For the hospitality industry, following trends has become a necessity to keep guests intrigued. To stay current in the industry and keep the atmosphere fresh, business owners need to keep abreast of the latest trends in hospitality furniture.

Trends in Hospitality Furniture

One of the most popular trends in hospitality furniture is making items that are old into a new outdoor granite restaurant tablescreation. The concerned consumers of the world today are passionate about the environment and conservation efforts. Even in hospitality furniture, people are looking for furniture that has been repurposed from other items, authentic antiques and vintage, and hand-crafted products.

Another green trend in the hospitality industry is using locally sourced products, whether chairs from local trees or pillows manufactured in the same state to cut down on gas emissions.

With the earth-friendly trends in hospitality furniture continuing to take over, there is also an increasing emphasis on blending the natural elements of the outdoors with the often artificial indoors to create a harmonious environment. Many hospitality businesses are moving away from bright, bold colors for more neutral, earthy tones, as well as focusing on more soothing graphics instead of the in-your-face style of the past few years. They are also using more wood and granite furniture instead of plastic or aluminum to add to the natural vibe guests are looking for.

Another popular trend in furniture for the hospitality industry is the notion of making furniture smaller. Keeping with the eco-friendly frame of mind, many hotels are opting for smaller chairs and tables to take up less space and consume less of the planets valuable resources. Hospitality leaders are discovering that guests do not necessarily prefer larger loungers to having more floor space. An open use of floor space can not only make a guest feel less cramped, but it can also make the entire room look bigger.

No matter what the hot trends are in hospitality furniture, it is always essential to know your guests and what they expect from your business. However, knowing what they like doesn’t mean you can’t shake the room up with a fun, fresh trend!

Wholesale Patio Furniture Design Tips

outdoor restaurant furnitureAs a restaurant owner, take some time researching the outdoor dining spaces of your industry and competitors.  There are many new design themes and trends restaurant owners can use to design an outdoor dining space of their own, or to renovate their existing outdoor decks and patios.  Creating an appeal restaurant patio is easy. Simply start with your restaurant patio tables, add matching restaurant patio chairs, and mix in some outdoor restaurant barstools.

1. Start with Restaurant Patio Tables

Restaurant patio tables are the cornerstone of any well designed restaurant patio.  Start with your selection of a gorgeous table style, and build the rest of your restaurant patio around the tables.  Some great options for outdoor restaurant table tops are discussed here.  Granite table tops with a lightweight design are excellent for outdoor use as they are more easily movable.  Granite tables require virtually no maintenance and are very easy to clean.  Granite tables can be found in a wide variety of colors and sizes to fit into any patio design.  They can be paired with a vast array of styles of outdoor restaurant chairs and barstools.

Werzalit table tops are another excellent outdoor table style choice. Werzalit consists of a molded laminate table top.  Werzalit tops are seamless and weather resistant, and have been proven in extreme conditions around the world.  They are made using a special process combining resin and woods with pressure and heat.  Werzalit table tops are also available in a wide variety of styles and colors.

Other choices in outdoor restaurant tables include stainless steel and teak.  Outdoor stainless steel table tops provide a contemporary option in outdoor table tops.  They are easily movable for cleaning and combining seating for large groups.  Outdoor stainless steel tables are also a very budget friendly option.

2. Add Restaurant Patio Chairs

Of course, any well designed restaurant patio will need quality, attractive outdoor restaurant chairs.  Quality commercially rated outdoor chairs are available in a variety of colors and styles to perfectly complement your selection of restaurant patio tables.  Aluminum patio chairs are an excellent option for commercial use.  Aluminum patio chairs are waterproof and light weight making them excellent for patios, where ease of movement is essential.  Many styles of aluminum patio chairs are also stackable which makes storing them much easier.  Aluminum patio chairs are available with many styles of accenting backs and seats, such as wicker, teak and polyprolene.  They are also available in a vast array of styles, colors and designs.

Some other choices in restaurant patio chairs are weave chairs with a wicker appearance, cast aluminum for a wrought iron look, and clear molded polycarbonate for a contemporary feel, among others.  A wide variety of these restaurant patio chairs are available with or without arms to accommodate each specific patio design.

3. Mix in Restaurant Patio Barstools

Just like with outdoor chairs, outdoor patio barstools come in many colors and styles to match patio chairs and tables.  When shopping for patio barstools, look for options that are commercially rated patio. There are many choices in outdoor barstools that feature a lightweight design for easy mobility. The large selection available ensures there are plenty of attractive and durable design choices.

 

 

 

Restaurant Furniture: Designing the Perfect Dining Space

For restaurants that want to deliver the perfect ambience, the dining space is where you need to spend quite a bit of time making the feel of the dining area just right. A dining space is much more than restaurant tables and chairs randomly arranged. People need to feel comfortable and relaxed to enjoy the good food and appreciate the service. The dining area defines the overall ambience of the restaurant and the kind of experience it can deliver. A well planned dining area should complement and accentuate the theme of the restaurant, highlight the features that make it a better dining option, and ensure that the staff functions with maximum efficiency. Below is how you can create the perfect dining space for a restaurant.

Getting the Theme Right

You need to choose a theme for your dining space, so it is coordinated with what customers expect with the design rule of function before form.  An excellently executed theme provides a soothing dining experience. Incorporate the theme into the restaurants’ décor, music, lighting, staff outfits, culinary style, and even the menu items.  A theme is a unique feeling a person gets when in a space that everything is coordinated.  Your restaurant furniture should accent and highlight the theme of your restaurant.

The idea is to ingrain the theme on a customer’s mind.  Walt Disney’s theme parks are an example of developing a great theme.  Each area of Disneyworld has a distinct theme from space to pirates and each area does not waiver from mixing one theme with any other theme.  This kind of visual penetration of a distinct theme can make your restaurant very memorable which helps to turn occasional customers into regular patrons. It is important you choose a theme to which your clientele can connect.

Suggestions for Getting the Right Theme

  •  Visit other restaurants to get a theme idea
  •  Hire a designer to assist
  • Go to other places to get ideas that are not restaurants, like a mall, a small town downtown shops, or go to other cities.

Appropriate Color Palette for Dining Space

Colors play an important role in affecting various interactions within the dining space, i.e. interactions involving the customers that eventually make the difference between a popular restaurant and just another eating-out option!

Engage People, Don’t Overwhelm Them: People react to different colors, and each shade has a slightly different psychological impact. For instance, the choice of wall and flooring color can greatly affect the way your customers perceive your restaurant, particularly the first impression. It is better to create a color blend that stays away from extremes. A decent play with colors in the dining space means creating points of visual engagement and prepping a few zones that help people to disconnect and relax.  You don’t want the dining area to overwhelm the customer with overzealous color patterns!

Using Lighter Colors: A small restaurant with a cramped dining room can look bigger by using lighter colors on the walls. Colors such as ivory, pale yellow, off-white, and light gray exude a serene feeling. This helps people to unwind and spend some more time, translating into repeat customers.

Using Darker Colors: A darker color palette using deep shades of blue, crimson or dark purple helps to camouflage the emptiness found in expansive dining halls where the dining crowd might feel spaced beyond their level of comfort. Here, darker shades help to induce the feeling of a cozier setting. Dark colors also aid in concealing small flaws in the property like ductwork in the ceiling.  Avoid blue as some people say it makes them less hungry.

Using Warmer Colors: Colors like reds, yellows, bright greens, and burnt orange help to add to a cheery dining space.  But also know that bright colors such as yellow or red can be irritating to customers, so do not overuse them. Green can be more relaxing as it may represent the outdoors. Some dining areas use basic colors like white, black, brown and grey—called neutral or passive colors. These are helpful in creating a likeable contrast with a brightly colored dining area ensemble.

When developing a theme such as sports, cowboy, Italian décor, strictly business, or something like Disney uses in their parks make it an extension of your written business plan. Then use the right colors for the theme and especially for your target customer.

 

Where is Restaurant Furniture in the Restaurant Opening Process

There are so many steps that go into opening a restaurant, it’s hard to make sure you plan for all of them.  First time restaurant owners can become overwhelmed easily with all that goes into the process.  Many restaurants can take a year or longer to work through the process of opening.  Creating a great restaurant opening plan from the very beginning can be very beneficial and cost saving in the long run.

classic restaurant furniture

Here’s a short list of the steps involved, in generally the order they should be completed.

Decide on the concept.
Select the location.
Choose a name.
Write a restaurant business plan.
Find financing.
Apply for license and permits.
Design the restaurant.
Create the restaurant menu.
Buy the kitchen equipment and furniture for front of house.
Hire staff.
Advertise restaurant.

As you can see, purchasing restaurant furniture is towards the very end of the restaurant opening process.  While that may seem reasonable, this can cause problems if furniture isn’t at least considered earlier in the process.  Below is some basic information about buying furniture for your restaurant and some topics to consider that should make the process smoother for you.

Budget

How will you pay for your furniture?  Do you have an estimate of the total amount your restaurant tables and chairs will cost?  Are you going to buy new furniture or used?  Are you aware there is a difference between commercial furniture and residential furniture options?

Of course, the first consideration in purchasing tables, bases and seating is the total amount you can afford to spend.  This is why furniture should be considered when you are writing your business plan and finding financing.  If you can get a commercial furniture vendor involved at this stage of the process, you can achieve a very good estimate of the total amount you will need to spend for furniture to include in the amount of financing necessary.

Considering whether to buy new or used furniture at this point is also valuable.  Used furniture can seem like a great cost savings, and sometimes it is a substantial savings.  An example would be at an auction a high quality chair may be purchased for $15 each.  If buying used commercial furniture, you will need to carefully inspect it and ensure it is in very good condition.  You may not be able to find the quantity you want of certain tables or chairs if buying used nor the exact color.  Used furniture normally does not come with a warranty like new commercial furniture does.  New commercial furniture from a reputable vendor comes with a warranty.  There are new table, chair and bar stool options in almost every price range.  Restaurant furniture suppliers can provide options that fit within your budget even though they may not be your first choice.  Functionality of the furniture and fitting within the type of restaurant you have may be more important than getting the exact restaurant chair or table you initially selected.

Lead time

Considering furniture early enough in the process can allow you to get certain products you desire that may have a longer lead time.  Just as an example, many customers aren’t aware that the awesome butcher block restaurant tables are custom made.  Some customers think these tables are available for immediate shipment.  There are many in-stock selections in every category, but they may not be your number one choices.  Talk with a commercial furniture vendor early in the process so you’ll have a great idea what the lead time is for your selected products and ensure their delivery before your restaurant opens.

Storage and labor

Storage and labor are a few other topics to consider when purchasing restaurant furniture.  When your furniture arrives, it will need to be properly stored in a climate controlled space.  There is normally a lot of activity going on in a restaurant before it opens, and it can be tough to store boxes and pallets of furniture.  Planning where you will store your furniture, and how much space this requires, will relieve a lot of stress.  As for labor, consider whether you will have employees or some type of assistance when your furniture arrives.  Many restaurant owners don’t have assistance at this point, as the restaurant is not yet open.  You will need someone available to unload the furniture from the freight carrier when it arrives.  You may also need labor available to assist in setting up the furniture, and attaching table tops to bases, among other items.

Considering your restaurant furniture budget, its lead time, and storage can save you time, money, and stress in the long run.  Good luck on opening your new restaurant!