Going Retro

There are many styles that come and go as the times change, but there is always a way to put to use the out-dated furniture in your restaurant. Retro furniture can convey several themes, depending on the atmosphere you wish to achieve in your dining room, making it a very versatile and interesting furniture choice.

If you choose colorful, funky furniture reminiscent of the 1960's or 1970's, your restaurant may have a slightly groovy feel to it. Imagine a bar/lounge with low couches in psychedelic colors, chrome chairs and lava lamps. Dim the overhead lights and you've got a perfect hippie lounge.

If this is not your style, take a different approach to retro furniture. Find 50's era chroma and Naugahyde chairs to place around a laminate table in bold colors. This down home look is sure to enhance any Southern-style BBQ joint. Distressed wood can also lend a comforting touch to restaurant decor. Darker, worn furniture can also give a sense of comfort.

No matter what your theme is, retro furniture may be the perfect fit. Visit Hazelwoods to talk to an expert and find out what will enhance your restaurant.

Restaurant Furniture: Color Matters

Restaurant seating goes beyond simply providing a place for people to sit while they eat. There is much more that goes into executing a restaurant seating plan than initially comes to mind. Furniture is often what guests see first when they walk in the door. Depending on what your aim is, you either want them to notice it because it is exotic and unique, or you want it to blend in to create a more peaceful atmosphere. Furniture represents the restaurant's character visually.

If the furniture is colorful and funky, the restaurant will seem brighter and generally happier. Guests will feel as though they can be loud and have fun without worrying about disrupting other guests. Bright colors are common in restaurants that cater to families and young people.

On the other end of the color spectrum, dark colors convey a much different atmosphere. If your restaurant concept is directed at a more sophisticated crowd, you may want to dim the lights and use deeper colors that will produce a more intimate environment in your dining room. For romantic date nights, darkness is ideal. Keep it fresh though with splashes of white or a lighter accent color such as gold, red, or blue.

Neutral colors also represent the intent of the restaurant. Tans, beiges, browns, blacks, greys, and whites, are all ideal color choices for casual dining. These colors are comfortable because they are not overwhelming or harsh. They easily complement any type of food or service. A simple way to spice up a neutral themed restaurant is to add colorful accents such as napkins, table cloths, or seat fabrics.

Refresh Your Dining Room For Cheap!

Every restaurant sometimes needs a little refreshing, whether it be a menu update, or a simple change in decor. There are some very cheap and inexpensive ways to update your restaurant without breaking the bank.

1) If your tables are showing signs of wear, there are several inexpensive ways to make them look their best again. You can simply cover them with table cloths, if you don't mind the extra duty of laundering the linens. If that doesn't sound appealing, you can refurbish your existing tables by sanding them and re-staining them, or painting them to hide the signs of wear.

2) The seats of chairs and benches become worn much more quickly than other parts of the furniture. Most chairs have removable seats that you can take to a furniture upholsterer to get re-finished. Even booth and banquette seats can be re-upholstered. Contact a commercial furniture dealer such as Hazelwoods to find out how to remove the seats and get them recovered.

3) One way to spice up your dining room is to simply change the layout of your tables. Set them on a diagonal if they're not already, or arrange tables in clusters if possible. Give some excitement to your layout and be creative!

Dealing With Unexpected Obstacles

Undoubtedly, there obstacles will arise when planning your restaurant seating. The key to overcoming these challenges is to keep an open mind. Don't become so engrossed in the details of your design when focusing on the bigger picture may be more of an asset. Also, work with your furniture provider to come up with solutions to any problems that may arise.

As a commercial furniture expert, I have witnessed many instances where the process of purchasing and installing furniture has not gone as planned. From the contractor building the bar 3 inches higher than the plans specified, to the hassle of matching existing, possibly discontinued, furniture, the first place to ask for help is always the furniture supplier where you plan on purchasing your new furniture. Hazelwoods Restaurant Furniture in Phoenix offers many custom options and will work with you to make your experience as easy as possible.

Sales people are always looking to make a deal, so when things go wrong, they will do everything in their power to fix it. This can be to you advantage. When the bar was built 3 inches too high, Hazelwoods customized a bar stool for that particular restaurant. They added an additional 3 inches to the legs of the stool. When a franchise restaurant needed to replace some of their furniture, the sales staff went to extreme lengths to match the stain of the wood and find the fabric so the new furniture would match exactly.

Waiting Area Furniture

Restaurant furniture is not only about providing a comfortable space for eating, but also for waiting. You are likely to have customers come in before you have a table ready for them. In these cases, having a comfortable waiting area is a good idea.

If a restaurant does not have a waiting area, patrons waiting to be seated are left to their own devices to find a place to wait. Generally, people will wait in the middle of a foyer or right in front of the hostess stand, blocking other guests from leaving and entering the restaurant. This makes for an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience for everyone involved.

In order to solve the problem of crowding in the entry way, place benches along the walls of the foyer. Or, another option is to set aside a small portion of the dining room or an area near the entrance to the restaurant for a few small cocktail tables and chairs. This gives your guests a place to comfortably begin their dining experience in your restaurant.

Outdoor Furniture: Materials That Make Sense

Restaurants with outdoor seating may find that their patios can be a great asset. Patios may seem unnecessary, but in reality, they provide more dining space, and in turn, more revenue. Outdoor dining does have one drawback, however, and that is that the elements can severely damage your furniture, costing you money to repair or replace it.

There are certain materials that hold up better to weather conditions than others. Obviously metal is going to last longer than wood, and plastic will last longer than wicker, but there are certain steps that can be taken to ensure a long life for your patio furniture, regardless of material.

+ Metal has a tendency to rust when used outdoors so one way to fix this problem is to paint the metal, or have a clear coat finish applied. This will keep the metal from being exposed and prone to rust, keeping your furniture nicer longer.

+ Wood can warp and fade when exposed to the elements so it is not always the best choice for outdoor furniture. However if there is no other option, cover it with a thick polyurethane lacquer that will protect it from moisture and heat.

+ Plastic may become brittle if it gets too dry so try to keep it in the shaded areas of the patio, or if possible, place misters strategically around the patio to keep it slightly moisturized.

+ Wicker is generally thought of as an outdoor material, but it also can become brittle if it gets too dry. Make sure to keep it moist and if necessary, wipe it down with a furniture polish.

For more information visit Hazelwoods.

Easing Restaurant Congestion

Restaurants have a tendency to become clogged and congested with furniture. Often owners and managers attempt to fit as many seats as possible into the dining room without leaving much room for servers and guests to easily move around the restaurant. The crowding of tables and chairs is unnecessary as there are ways to maximize the seating capacity of your restaurant without causing discomfort.

Consider placing booths along the walls of your restaurant. Booths and banquettes are an excellent way of providing versatile seating. Because benches do not have distinct seats, more people can fit. They are also a way of providing seating for different sizes of guests. Several children can easily share the same space an adult would take up therefore reducing the clutter that chairs can create.

Place tables on the diagonal. When tables are at an angle, the chairs do not back directly into each other. Whether there is actually more space between the tables or not, having tables set at an angle provides the illusion that there is more space and gives your guests a more comfortable dining experience.

To view options for table and booth design, visit Hazelwoods.

Following the Trends in Restaurant Furniture

Restaurant furniture trends can be difficult, if not impossible, to predict. There are several reasons for the tricky nature of restaurant furniture trends.

First, themed restaurants follow their own rules when it comes to restaurant furniture. Themed restaurants already know what their look is going to be. They know that people are visiting their restaurant for an over the top experience that may include costumes, music, as well as unusual or unique furniture. Furniture that would not necessarily be appropriate for a more subdued diner, may be found in themed restaurants.

Secondly, many restaurants aim to provide a cultural experience. Regions from all over the world are represented in restaurants and diners. Not only is the food representative of the culture, but the decor of the restaurant is too. Different patterns and colors will be used in restaurants that want to convey a cultural reference than in other restaurants.

Lastly, there are thousands of styles of restaurant furniture, many of them subjective. What one person thinks is interesting and unique, another may regard as distasteful and garbage. From classic wood chairs to contemporary metal chairs, the range of style is immense. Booths can be custom made to enhance any design theme, while table tops come in a virtually limitless array of colors and patterns.

To view styles of furniture that may enhance your restaurant, visit Hazelwoods.

The Importance of Quality

You may wonder what the big deal is about restaurant furniture. Can't you simply find cheap chairs from any furniture place? The answer is no.

Some furniture is made specifically for restaurants. There are certain specifications that accompany commercial grade furniture. Commercial furniture is much sturdier and long lasting that the furniture you would buy for your home. Have you ever had slats fall out of your home dining chairs? Or wobbly legs on your table? These things can be easily fixed in a home setting, but in a public restaurant, the quality of your furniture must be top notch. It may not seem like a big deal, but to a customer dining in your restaurant, a wobbly table or chair can be a huge annoyance. Take care to always check your furniture for safety and reliability. You do not want chairs breaking as patrons take their seat or tables tipping over because of unstable bases.

Visti Hazelwoods for many quality furniture choices.

How to Minimize Furniture Costs

Sticking to a budget is crucial to the success of any start up or existing business. In the restaurant business, keeping track of expenses is imperative to a smoothly running establishment. Obviously, you want your business to run smoothly without any financial stresses. Unfortunately, very few of us can ever be completely free of financial obligations so here are a few tips to minimize the costs you incur when purchasing restaurant furniture.

1) Look at different finish options. A wood seat may be more economical than an upholstered seat because it takes less labor to manufacture. If you are set on having cushioned seats, look at different fabric and vinyl options. Different grades of material have different prices. Be sure to weigh the pros and cons before choosing the cheapest material, however, as you may be forced to replace your furniture more frequently if you are too cheap.

2) Ask the supplier about clearance furniture. Often items are discontinued by a manufacturer and the stock on hand needs to be sold quickly. One thing to keep in mind when buying discontinued furniture is that when it is time to replace it, you are not likely to find the exact same chair. Again, weigh the pros and cons.

3) Buy in bulk. Sometimes suppliers will cut a deal if you buy a certain quantity. Try to furnish your entire restaurant at once, and not replace furniture on a rotating schedule. Also, if you have outdoor dining, purchase your patio furniture at the same time you purchase your dining room furniture. The larger your order, the less you spend per piece on shipping and freight charges as well.

To find quality furniture at low prices, visit Hazelwoods.