Action Steps for Restaurant Furniture
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find multiple uses for your restaurant furnishings

Most of the restaurant furniture you purchase can be for use in more than one way. For example, a folding table with tablecloth can hold complimentary food items, such as bread baskets or crackers when guests must wait for seating. You can also provide deep restaurant chairs, booths or benches for guests who must for seating or for the rest of their party to arrive.

I recommend: Foodservice Warehouse is a restaurant furniture supply company. Many of the items this company sells are customizable. You can find a variety of tips on how to use the furniture in various ways. Contract Furniture sells a varied selection of elegant furniture, including deep seating, love seats and tables appropriate for waiting areas.

Appeal to parents by providing kid friendly restaurant furnishings

Kids can become bored while waiting on food to arrive. Help parents alleviate this problem by purchasing game tables to keep kids busy. You can purchase tables with different games, such as some tables with checkerboards and others with tic-tac-toe boards. Remember toddlers that visit your restaurant will need highchairs and booster seats. Accommodate parents by placing changing tables in all of your restrooms.

I recommend: Restaurant Furniture.com and GalaSource are both restaurant furniture suppliers. Restaurant Furniture.com has a varied selection of game tables for sale at discounted prices. GalaSource sells high chairs, boosters and changing tables in a variety of styles.

Add restaurant furnishings to make the restaurant feel like home

In most cases, the little things are what make the decor of a restaurant memorable. For example, adding dividers between booths gives your customers a little more privacy, which is important to many couples. Items, such as signs, pictures and condiment holders that match your decor show the guests that they can always expect consistency from your restaurant.

I recommend: JaysFurnitureProducts.com sells glass and wood dividers. This company offers installation in certain areas. DinerDecor.com has various signs, clocks, shakers and condiment holders for sale. Huber Decor offers framed artwork, themed packages and custom plants for restaurants.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Purchase table cloths and chair covers that match the restaurant decor if you use outdoor restaurant furniture or portable restaurant tables and chairs to accommodate large parties or guest overflow.

1. Determine the dimensions of your eating area. Restaurant tables and chairs, bar tables, and bar stools vary greatly in size. Whatever you get has to fit.
2. Create a unified and aesthetically appealing look using various colors, textures, sizes, shapes and grades.
3. Use a supplier that is willing to provide samples, warranties and quantity discounts.
4. Consider the impact and expertise that an interior designer can offer. Yes, you'll have to invest in design expenses, but the payoff is a look that sets you apart from the competition.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Invest in design expertise

An interior designer who specializes in restaurants can help you determine the type of furniture that works best in the layout and atmosphere of your establishment.

I recommend: Maxeyhayse Interior Design's checklist explains the benefits of using a restaurant interior designer. For help in finding a designer, check out ASID's "Find a Designer" page. Or see a list of designers of hospitality furnishings and restaurant tables and chairs at Dezignare.

Match space, size, color and function

The multitude of sizes, finishes, designs and colors of restaurant furniture can be daunting. You can choose from wood or metal, laminate or stained, painted or natural finish. Seating fabrics can be cotton, plush velvet, natural fiber and more. The same holds true for sizes.

I recommend: For expert help in determining sizes and functional elements of furniture, check out Jean's Restaurant Supply or see restaurant furniture sites at Business.com.

Get all the details before placing your order

Restaurant-furnishing companies can offer the most basic or most accommodating service. You'll want the latter. A qualified and professional furniture supplier should be willing to provide catalogs, swatches and delivery assistance, at the least.

I recommend: For a comprehensive list of restaurant furniture suppliers and their services, try Food Service Central.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Wood furniture can be as simple as oak or as exotic as zebrawood and Brazilian cherry. Ask for samples to view a variety.
• •  Color affects diners' moods. Warm earth tones make customers feel comfortable while cool colors, like icy blues, can make a restaurant feel less inviting.
• •  Don't forget the bathrooms. Incorporate your furniture design into your restrooms to create a unified look.
• •  Get warranty information on all your furniture purchases. Ask if the manufacturer will replace or repair damaged pieces.
• •  A counter stool is normally 24 to 26 inches high while a standard bar stool is 30 inches high. For a functional and appealing look, take into account all elements of seating, service and pathways.
• •  Some furniture suppliers offer in-house computer-aided design (CAD) specialists who will provide you with layout suggestions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find indoor restaurant furniture for the dining area

The majority of a restaurant's customers will sit indoors to eat. Finding comfortable restaurant tables and chairs for your customers ensures that they will be comfortable while dining, which makes for a more satisfactory visit. In some cases, tabletops and bases or pedestals are for sale separately, so make sure that you order full sets of these items.

I recommend: Affordable Seating has a varied selection of indoor restaurant furniture, including restaurant chairs, booths, bar stools, pedestals and table tops. Beaufurn has restaurant tables and chairs, including tabletops and bases, chairs and restaurant booths for sale.

Purchase outdoor restaurant furniture

Outdoor restaurant furniture is a good addition to many restaurants. In some cases, outdoor dining areas can help you to accommodate more guests as long as your staff can handle the overflow. Some restaurants use outdoor dining areas on a regular basis for customers who enjoy eating outdoors. Keep in mind that your outdoor furniture should be able to withstand the natural elements in your area. In some areas, such as in a hurricane prone area, you may have to store the furniture indoors.

I recommend: SeatingExpert.com is a restaurant furniture supply company. It sells umbrellas, tables, chairs and stools. This company offers fast shipping and discounted prices. You can find outdoor restaurant furniture at ivgStores. This company's large selection of furniture includes metal, stone and rustic style furniture.

Remember the back of house restaurant furniture

When you purchase restaurant furniture, your main focus is usually on the front of house area. While it is important to make sure you have the dining room furniture for guests to enjoy, it is equally as important to remember the furniture that your employees will need. Kitchen furniture, such as prep tables, and break room or training room furniture are also essential.

I recommend: Millennium Seating sells break room furniture, such as cluster seating complete with table. This company offers fast shipping on certain items. FoodServiceDirect.com sells back of the house restaurant furnishings, including kitchen food prep tables and work stations. Salsbury sells bridge lockers that feature a clothes bar in between the lockers to hang coats and other items.

Buy restaurant furnishings for the office

You will need to purchase restaurant furnishings for the office unless you want to do paperwork and store files in the dining room or another non-private location. Most offices in restaurants are small. Because of this, an L-shaped desk or small computer desk with a lot of storage for papers and a chair is ideal.

I recommend: OfficeFurniture.com, CSN Office Furniture and ComfortChannel.com are restaurant furniture suppliers. OfficeFurniture.com sells numerous desks for restaurant offices, including L-shaped desks. CSN Office furniture has a varied selection of furniture, including mobile desks, single wall desks, corner desks and L-shaped desks. ComfortChannel.com sells office chairs.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Order extra restaurant tables and chairs in case you need to replace some in your dining area or you need to add extra seating for a large party.

Guide to Restaurant Furniture Key Terms

Learn restaurant furniture key terms before you stock your restaurant

By Denise Brown

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Channel-back booth

A channel-back booth has three, four or six sections that usually run vertically. Some channel-back booths have horizontal channels, and most have a header on which restaurant patrons can lean their heads. You can buy channel-back booths in singles or doubles. Doubles allow you to create a row of booths along one wall of your restaurant.

I recommend: Look at the styles of channel-back booths available from Restaurant-Services.com.

Table bases

You create the restaurant table of your choice by starting with a table base. This is simply the leg portion of the table. Generally these are pedestal tables, but it is possible to find custom table legs.

I recommend: Petersen Furniture shows examples of table bases.

Tabletops

Pick round, square or rectangular table tops in a number of styles and finishes. You choose the table top and then match it to a base for a custom look. If you are looking to save money, you can buy unfinished tabletops and cover them with tablecloths.

I recommend: You can see examples of tabletops at SeatingExpert.com.

Banquet chairs

Sometimes called stacking chairs, banquet chairs come in a variety of styles and colors. With tubular metal legs angled to fit in a stack, banquet chairs create inexpensive seating that you can configure to meet your needs.

I recommend: Read about banquet chairs from Stack Chair Depot.

Bistro table

A bistro table is a small, round table designed for casual dining. Designed to seat two, bistro tables fit into small spaces and come in two heights: counter level and bar height.

I recommend: Read more about bistro tables, in addition to other restaurant furniture key terms, at Buying Bar Stools.

Airlift bar stools

Airlift bar stools allow your patrons to adjust the height of the bar stools to suit themselves. An air cylinder inside the pedestal of the chair lets you raise and lower the chair when you adjust the handle.

I recommend: See a modern design airlift bar stool at BarStools&BarStools, a site from ivgStores.