When it comes to opening a restaurant, there are many ingredients to consider that can either make or break your new venture. While the most obvious one is the food, another feature of your restaurant that can play a surprising role in its success is the furniture.
If you get this right, your customers will experience a pleasant, enjoyable, and comfortable dining experience. The wrong furniture, however, could affect the ultimate success of your restaurant, even if you get all the other things right.
So, here are a few tips to help you make the right choice of furniture for your new restaurant, so that your diners can focus on the fantastic food and buzzing atmosphere that you’ll be serving up.
What’s The Vibe?
One aspect that can help you choose the right restaurant furniture is to be clear on the vibe or feeling that you’re aiming for. What is the overall look or mood you want for your new restaurant? How do you want your diners to feel when they’re spending time in your establishment? What kind of customers are you hoping to attract?
Knowing the type of experience you want to create for your diners can help you make the important choices of selecting restaurant furniture.
For example, are you going for an industrial chic look? Do you prefer the refined elegance vibe? Or are you planning something more relaxed and homely? All of these different aesthetics and atmospheres can be enhanced with the right restaurant furniture, but it all begins with you being clear on which type of experience you want people to enjoy in your establishment.
Keeping Up With Trends
This aspect is perhaps one of the most difficult to plan for. Every restaurant owner wants to feel that their venue is modern and up-to-date, yet it can be costly to keep up with the latest trends. And no one wants outdated or old-fashioned restaurant furniture – even those who opt for classic designs need to make sure it still suits modern tastes.
So, how do you choose something your clientele will love today and well into the future?
This is where it’s so helpful to know the kind of customers you’re aiming to attract. For example, if you want to attract the uber-cool trendy types, you’re going to need to be aware of the modern trends. Yet, this doesn’t mean that you need to change your decor or furniture every time the trends shift.
It may mean that you opt for a ‘blank canvas’ type of furniture, and keep the vibe in line with modern trends using other aspects of your restaurant. Switching up things like wall colours or coverings, accessories, lighting, table arrangements etc – these can give a place a fresh new feel, and your neutral or minimalist restaurant furniture can provide the perfect backdrop.
Another creative option is to look into hiring your furniture instead of buying it. There are specialist companies who provide contract furniture for restaurants, which could be a savvy investment if your clientele demands that you keep up with the latest interior design trends.
Comfort & Cost-effectiveness
As with any business outlay, it’s essential to keep in mind your overall budget and what you can justify spending on this aspect. After all, the furniture will be just one of the pieces of the puzzle in your restaurant’s success – you’ll need to ensure the food is excellent and the service is top-notch, too.
Yet, these other aspects may be let down if you get the furniture wrong. For example, you may have the best chefs creating tantalising dishes, supported by incredible waiting staff who are attentive and efficient, but if your customers just can’t get comfortable in their seats, their overall impression is likely to be an unhappy one. They may even decide to not come back simply because the seating or furniture was so uncomfortable.
This is why allowing a considerable portion of the budget for the right furniture may prove to be an excellent investment. Of course, you’ll need to balance the costs, but it will always pay to keep in mind the comfort of your diners and how crucial it is that they can relax fully and enjoy your great food.
Understanding your goals and intentions for your new restaurant will help you to make the right decisions when it comes to choosing furniture that will suit your diners. And once you’ve chosen the right options for your new venture, you can focus on the important work of attracting all those new customers and creating a fabulous dining experience.