Choosing the right restaurant chairs for your establishment is a must. You want your diners to be comfortable while they are enjoying their time in your restaurant. The right chairs not only allow for comfort but can add to the ambiance of your restaurant as well.

There are numerous options for your restaurant chairs, from wood to upholstery to metal. The price varies depending on the style and material you are looking for. An average restaurant chair runs around $50 to $100. Some styles and materials can cost between $200 and $500 if you are looking for a specific time period or European-style chair. Consider the following when evaluating the pricing and costs of restaurant chairs:

1. The decor in your restaurant is important in deciding which restaurant chair style is the best fit.

2. In some cases purchasing all of your restaurant furniture from the same supplier can benefit your budget.

3. Purchasing used restaurant furniture can save you money.

4. You need more than chairs and tables for restaurants: Don't forget to factor in booths, bar stools and outdoor seating into the budget.

Action Steps for Selecting Your Restaurant Chairs
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose a style for your restaurant chairs that complements your restaurant's decor

Restaurant chairs are one of the most visible parts to any restaurant. Therefore, it is important to take into account the type of restaurant you have and what type of an environment you are trying to create. The material of restaurant chairs for sale plays a major role in the price tag. Aluminum chairs run around $50 to $60, chrome chairs will cost right around $70 and wooden chairs can cost on average $100 or more.

I recommend: Check out the selection at restaurant chair supplier Chairs 1000. It carries several styles that will fit any budget. SeatingExpert.com is also one of the restaurant chair suppliers that will offer you a wide selection to choose from.

Look into purchasing used restaurant chairs and used restaurant booths

Purchasing used restaurant furniture can save you anywhere from $10 to $20 per chair. And if you are looking to purchase restaurant booths, you can likely save a few hundred dollars if you purchase used. Booths, on average, run around $500. Some used restaurant furniture suppliers will sell you the used booths for starting at around $150. One thing you need to remember about used furniture is that the supply is limited. Often the furniture is from establishments that may have closed and ordered their furniture years before, making matching used furniture sometimes difficult.

I recommend: Restaurant seating providers such as Gold Star Restaurant Equipment & Supply keep a listing of the used restaurant chairs and other furniture they have in their possession. ACityDiscount Restaurant Equipment & Restaurant Supply, too, keeps a running list of the used restaurant chairs and booths that are for sale.

Consider purchasing restaurant chairs and other restaurant furniture from the same provider

When setting your restaurant chair budget, it is important to remember not just the chairs and tables but bar stools, booths and outdoor seating as well. If you purchase all of your restaurant furniture from the same restaurant seating suppliers, there is a good chance they will cut you a deal on your full order, which would be a huge savings as bar stools, too, cost around $100 each.

I recommend: Places like Instawares carry everything from bar stools to tabletops. Food Service Warehouse also carries all of the different restaurant chairs you will need for your establishment.

Tips & Tactics for Buying the Best Restaurant Chairs

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't forget about restaurant chairs in the waiting area, the office in the back, and maybe one or two in each of the restrooms.

To make diners feel comfortable in your restaurant, you’ll need more than friendly servers – you’ll need good restaurant chairs. Choosing quality, comfortable chairs and tables for restaurants can give your dining establishment an edge over competitors. Restaurant chairs also play an important role in your décor and in defining your brand identity. For instance, a steakhouse may want to invest in dark mahogany wood chairs, a ’50s diner can create a fun atmosphere with brightly colored restaurant booths, and a sophisticated bistro can distinguish itself with romantic soft fabrics.

When choosing restaurant chairs:

1. Determine the ambience you’re trying to create: casual, elegant, modern, etc.
2. Consider folding or stackable restaurant chairs if you frequently reconfigure seating arrangements.
3. Be sure to accurately measure the space available before ordering.
4. Consider the climate for outdoor seating.
5. Keep your budget in mind. Restaurant chairs aren’t cheap – around $30 each at the low end and upwards of $200 each at the other end of the spectrum.

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

Choose a style for your restaurant chairs

There are hundreds of styles at every price point, including armed and armless restaurant chairs with high backs, contoured backs, padded seats, swivels, upholstered fabrics and colonial flourishes.

I recommend: A good place to start is FoodServiceCentral.com, which offers links to suppliers of every type of restaurant chair. Browse the nearly 5,000 chairs offered at Instawares.com to get an idea of what’s available. If your tastes run towards modern, try Beaufurn.com, which offers one of the best selections of contemporary seating styles. Find a directory of restaurant chair suppliers at Business.com.

Wood restaurant chairs

One of the most popular restaurant seating options is wood. Wood chairs can have clean, simple lines or ornate flourishes, and finishes can be light or dark in a variety of colors.

I recommend: If you’re looking for wood chairs, Wood Seating Inc., which offers quality products at wholesale prices, is one of the first places to shop.

Upholstered restaurant chairs

Fabrics can add a splash of color and a sense of elegance. Vinyl upholstery, meanwhile, makes for easy clean-up. And the padding that comes along with upholstered restaurant seating can increase comfort, thereby enhancing your customers’ dining experience.

I recommend: SaratogaFurniture.com, which specializes in wood chairs, offers dozens of fabrics for upholstering. You can request samples of the fabrics, which are treated with Scotchguard or Teflon for stain resistance.

Metal and aluminum restaurant chairs

For a look that’s sleek and modern, metal or aluminum chairs may be the way to go.

I recommend: BizChair.com offers hundreds of styles of metal chairs, along with other styles.

Barstools

If your restaurant also boasts a bar, your restaurant seating will need to include barstools.

I recommend: BarStools & BarStools has one of the widest selections of bar stools available. For more bar stool suppliers, visit Business.com.

Outdoor restaurant seating options

For patio dining, choose restaurant chairs designed specifically for the outdoors. Most outdoor restaurant chairs are designed to withstand the elements, but if you operate in an area with extreme weather, consider recycled plastic or wrought iron seating options.

I recommend: FoodServiceDirect.com boasts a good selection of outdoor arm chairs, armless chairs, barstools and benches. Compamia.com also has dozens of outdoor patio dining chairs. For more patio furniture providers, visit Business.com

Restaurant booths

Restaurant booths are often more popular with diners than traditional chairs and tables for restaurants. Restaurant booths are available as single booths and double booths and come in a variety of lengths and heights. Generally pricier than chairs, some restaurant booths can cost upwards of $1,000. To offset the cost, consider buying a used restaurant booth.

I recommend: For 50s style booths, check out Acemart.com. For additional booth styles, Instawares.com has a good selection. ACityDiscount.com offers some used restaurant booths, and Business.com lists a host of suppliers for both new and used restaurant booths.

High chairs and booster seats

Don't forget about the kids. To make your café family friendly, offer a number of high chairs and booster seats.

I recommend: Find a variety of high chairs and booster seats at HighChairWorld.com or at Instawares.com, which offers almost 100 styles.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider ordering a couple more restaurant chairs than you actually need in case any chairs get damaged or broken with use. You can always use them in a back office until you need them in the dining area.
• •  Return policies aren’t typically generous so be sure to check the return policy of each restaurant chair supplier you’re considering.
• •  If you’re shopping for restaurant chairs online, be aware that the colors of fabrics, wood stains and finishes may not match exactly. Ask for samples of fabrics and wood prior to placing an order.

Restaurant chairs are a very significant piece of furniture in any bar or restaurant. When you choose the chairs for your establishment, you want to be sure you are making an informed decision because it is not one that is easily taken back. What's more, chairs and tables for restaurants are not a cheap investment.

There are many factors that are important in making the most of restaurant chairs. It is important to consider the visual aspect of any restaurant chair, but comfort and convenience are equally important. If you choose wisely, you can even end up with all of the above. Consider the following when making the most of restaurant chairs:

1. Take into account how easy the material of your restaurant chairs is to clean.

2. Some restaurant chairs may be easier to stack and store than others.

3. When choosing outdoor seating, consider how your restaurant chairs will hold up when exposed to the elements.

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

Know the material your restaurant chairs are made of

Let's face it, patrons are not always as careful at a restaurant as they would be at home. Messes are inevitable. You don't want to be stuck with restaurant chairs that easily stain and are impossible to clean. If the choice comes down to the most eye pleasing or easy to clean while you are looking at restaurant chairs for sale, consider the amount of time and effort that your staff will save by not fighting with stubborn stains on your new or used restaurant furniture.

I recommend: One way to avoid noticeable stains is to purchase wood chairs. SeatingExpert.com has a wide selection of wood restaurant chairs to choose from. Used restaurant booths at places such as ACityDiscount are another way to avoid hard to clean fabrics as they are often made of wood or covered with vinyl.

Opt for portable, stackable restaurant chairs

If there is a chance you will be reconfiguring your floor layout for big parties or other reasons, think about the convenience factor of your restaurant chairs. Restaurant chair suppliers will be able to help you select stackable, lightweight chairs for your establishment. This element is especially important for banquet halls and large restaurants that frequent large gatherings.

I recommend: You can find several stackable options at restaurant chair supplier FoodServiceDirect.com. BarStools & BarStools has several stylish, lightweight stackable restaurant chairs.

Choose outdoor restaurant seating that will last through the elements

Outdoor patios are seasonal in most states, which means you either need to buy restaurant chairs for the patio that will last through the winter while stacked and pushed against the side of the building, or you need to have a place to store them indoors through the cold months. Since most establishments barely have enough storage to get them through their normal inventory, being able to store them inside is unlikely. Be sure to choose stackable, yet durable, outdoor restaurant seating. This will allow you to be confident that you won't need to purchase new seating when you go to reopen the patio when the sun breaks. Consider investing in a cover for the furniture to be extra safe.

I recommend: Central Restaurant Products has several outdoor seating options to choose from that are durable and stackable. You can find different shaped and sized outdoor seating covers at The Cover Store.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember that you can always rent specialty restaurant chairs for specific events to enhance the chair inventory you already have. If there are specific pieces of furniture that you won't need on a regular basis, renting can save you money and the need for more storage space.

If you are stocking chairs for your restaurant, there are a few restaurant chair key terms it would be helpful to know. You can find restaurant chairs in many styles created from a wide variety of materials. As you shop for the chairs that are just right for you, it’s important that you can identify if models have the key components necessary to make your guests comfortable. Additionally, you need to buy chairs that will look good for a long time. These key terms can help you with your search.

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

Chair glides

Put a chair glide on the bottom of each of the chair legs. These devices protect the bottom of the chair to keep the legs from becoming uneven. Chair glides also protect your floor. Be sure to find chair glides appropriate for the flooring in your restaurant.

I recommend: Tundra Specialties can show you a variety of glides so you can see which would be right for your chairs.

Chair levelers

Chair levelers differ from chair glides in that they can automatically adjust for differences in the flooring to keep a chair level. Most chair levelers also have protective bottoms to keep the chair from scratching hard flooring surfaces and to help the chair slide smoothly across carpeting.

I recommend: 3SixtyGroup shows you the mechanics behind chair levelers.

Casters

Chair casters put your chairs on wheels. If you have hardwood flooring, casters are a good way to protect the floor's surface. Make sure the rolling mechanism has a smooth surface and that the wheels roll easily.

I recommend: Caster City has a large collection of chair casters for restaurant chairs. You can read the various descriptions to determine which chair casters would work best in your restaurant.

Airlift bar stools

Airlift bar stools allow users to adjust the height of the chair. There's usually an adjustment mechanism that attaches to a handle to make the adjustment easy. An internal airlift device allows the user to raise or lower a stool to the desired height with a simple push of the handle.

I recommend: See an example of an airlift barstool offered by Comfort House.

Schoolhouse chair

A schoolhouse chair is a traditional wooden restaurant chair with vertical pieces on the back. While these chairs typically do not have arms, it is possible to find armed chairs in this style. The chairs get their name from the fact that they were once common pieces of furniture in one-room schoolhouses.

I recommend: See examples of schoolhouse chairs with and without arms from the Pottery Barn.

Ladderback chairs

Ladderback chairs are similar to schoolhouse chairs except the pieces on the back of the chair are horizontal like the steps of a ladder. This traditional style of chair comes in many wooden varieties and there are metal styles available as well.

I recommend: Read about ladderback chairs at CasaSugar.